Religious Freedom?

Male circumcision can be dated back to ancient Egypt. It is said that circumcision is performed as a religious sacrifice and as a rite of passage marking a boy's entrance to adulthood. It is a religious law and tradition in Judaism and Islam.

The foreskin is opened and then separated from the glans after inspection. Though anesthesia is an option, many procedures done worldwide are often performed without a specialized circumcision device. Bleeding and infection are the most common complications.

Infant circumcision has been debated over many years. Many medical associations take the position that the parents should determine what is in the best interest of the infant or child, but some think it is unethical to perform the act without the child's consent.

In the U.S., professional associations and legislators lean towards the attitude that circumcision is a non-recommended routine, but they also think there is no need to prohibit the practice.

However, on June 26th, 2012, a court in Cologne, Germany equated the practice of circumcision with inflicting bodily harm on boys too young to consent. It brought an international criticism as an infringement of religious freedom and also caused legal confusion. Due to this case in June, many hospitals in the country, and even in neighboring Austria and Switzerland recommended doctors to refrain from carrying out circumcisions until legal clarity is created.

Later in the year, German lawmakers passed a resolution to ensure that the practice could be carried out safely. "Jewish and Muslim religious life must continue to be possible in Germany."

After passing this law, I thought everyone was happy with this outcome with their right to practice circumcision, but the visiting rabbi, Yona Metzger stated that the proposed compromises that would allow doctors to perform the rite in the presence of mohelim, or the use of anesthesia during the practice were seen as unacceptable because of the sacred significance of the rite, passed down as a decree from God, for Jews.

However, what about the consent of the child? It is no doubt a violation of a child's bodily integrity, and I think it should not be carried out until the boys are much older, at least when they have the knowledge in the procedure and right to choose to do it or not.

"Religious freedom cannot be used as an excuse for carrying out violence against an under-age child," the Bavarian Radio quoted the petition to prosecutors as saying.

Though personally I don't think it is a kind of violence per se, but I do agree that religious freedom shouldn't be abused.

The relationship between Germany and American/Israeli Jews

During my stay in Germany last summer, I met two interesting friends from Israel, who have been working in Berlin for years. From an outsider's perspective, this scene of me sitting outside a coffee shop in Berlin with two Israelis seemed a bit surreal to me at the time. This confusion was caused mostly by the Holocaust films I've watched throughout the years and the American- influenced mentality towards the Nazis.

However, the attitude towards Germany from American Jews and Israeli Jews are very different. As Avi Primor, a former Israeli ambassador to Germany who travels regularly to the United States, has often told the American Jewish groups how good Israeli-German ties have become. "The reaction is often one of shock, pain and indignation." said Mr. Primor. It seems that the American Jewish community has an inclination to preserve Germany as a negative nation.

Curiously, the situation is very different in Israel. A peculiar friendship between the two countries has been born after the Second World War.  36 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations, Germany has become the second most important ally outside the United States, providing significant support in the military, intelligence, economic, and political spheres.

Despite of this continually growing rapprochement, the effort has never been widely advertised. The reconciliation between Germany and American Jews is not being worked on as much as that in Israel.
"American Jews have always been a step or two behind Israel in understanding Germany's postwar evolution," said David A. Harris, the executive director of the American Jewish Committee.

The ties between Germany and Israel have been intensified in recent years. After the United States, Germany is the second biggest ally of Israel, who, after the war, has quietly provided over $50 billion, machinery, and industrial investment. In addition to being military partners, Germany is also, after the United States, the second largest trading partner.

Germany has put great effort in reconciliating the relationship between the two countries. "We feel co-responsible that the existence of Israel be guaranteed, and the political consequence is that, when in doubt, we side with Israel, because that is our unique duty," said Rudolf Dressler, the German ambassador to Israel.

Nevertheless, the quiet rapprochement between Germany and Israel is not well-known outside the two countries. "The recent negotiations on compensation for slave and forced laborers under the Nazis have left bitterness in Germany," said Deidre Berger, director of the American Jewish Committee in Berlin. He went on saying that, "many German companies feel they are being blackmailed by American Jews. On the other side, there's a lot of enduring prejudice in the American Jewish community-- the prejudice that Germany can never be trusted. "

Though with great effort of reparations between Germans and Jews, it seems that effort has been placed unbalanced. After all, the United States has the second largest Jewish population in the world, but Germany has only been predominantly focusing on the reconciliation with Israel. The efforts are seen by Israeli but not so much by American Jews.

Perhaps, after 5 decades of effort in Israel, it is time for the Germans to put more time and effort in their relationship with American Jews. "The coming-together was a long and painful process," said Mr. Merhav, the retired senior diplomat who is also the member of the Mossad and Middle East scholar. "But postwar Germany won over the body politic of Israel through a constant policy of friendship. American Jews, of course, were never exposed to this sort of practical friendship, and I suspect their anger at Germany is also anger at themselves, for they were very late to realize what was going on in Europe."

What do you think, should be done to enhance the relationship between Germans and American Jews? Do you agree that the Germans have not put enough effort in the U.S., as they have done in Israel?
What could be done?




Quotes and data from NYT

John McCain on Policy

I came across an interesting article on the Der Zeit website this afternoon which consists of the German newspaper interviewing John McCain, the Republican Presidential candidate from 2008. In this interview, he discusses his views of current affairs between Egypt and Israel, Syria and more locally, America. What I was surprised by as I read the article was not so much what they talked about, but rather what they didn't say. Admittedly, I'm not the most politically aware human being in America, not even close. But I was interested to see that McCain didn't seem to blame Obama or democrats for anything, but rather just expressed hope that they would make good decisions from here on out. He also admitted weakness in the republican party by agreeing that they have largely underestimated the effects of demographic shifts on their policies. Needless to say, this was not at all what I was expecting to see when I read the article. 

Looking at the article, McCain says that Americans are tired of war and would rather not send ground troops into more war. I can agree with that statement, although I am unsure about the "no-fly zone". Again, I am not the best-informed person in this area, but I don't see how that would necessarily help anything. Thoughts? Does McCain make good points in his discussion of foreign relations? Or is he just saying what the interviewers wanted to hear?

Schleswig-Holstein government unanimously recognizes Roma and Sinti

Roma immigrants protest in front of German parliament, demanding equal rights for German Roma.
(Image courtesy of Der Spiegel Online)

Yesterday, the German state of Schleswig-Holstein unanimously voted to grant Roma and Sinti ethnic minorities protection under the state constitution. German government officers are recognizing this legislative passage as a historic moment because, in previous years, the Christian Democratic Union shot down the measure. After much criticism within the government and from outside organizations, the CDU agreed to vote for the protection of these peoples when it resurfaced on the ballot. With the CDU for the bill, the vote to protect Sinti and Roma became unanimous.

Sinti and Roma have been protected by Germany's federal government since 1995. This passage, however, is completely new in the state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Many Sinti and Roma emigrated to Western Europe from the Balkans, particularly from Macedonia and Serbia. One Roma spokesperson reported that many are leaving Eastern Europe to receive better federal care. Upon applying for asylum, a person could receive as much as €360 per month during the application process. Thus, the migration of Roma and Sinti to Germany has been labelled an economic migration. Because of this title, Christian Social Union member Michael Hartmann is urging German lawmakers to initiate a reform of the country's policies regarding immigration, particularly for economic reasons.

In the United States, immigration is a constant issue of contention. Especially in Southwest border states such as California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, the immigrants from Mexico tend to be treated as a nuisance to the country. Like the German Roma and Sinti groups, Latin Americans seem to be migrating for economic opportunities.

Despite these admirable causes, the U.S. federal government and state governments are still trying to crack down on border control and deal with immigrants who have come here illegally. It is currently being debated whether to grant recent illegal immigrants resident status and to then to tighten security around the border.

How would you propose immigration be dealt with in the U.S.? Is Germany's choice to grant asylum a good model with which to work? Would this protection be granted in the U.S.? Why or why not?

Germany and the Eurozone

The New York Times recently started a discussion about whether or not Germany should stay in the Eurozone. This discussion prompted questions of whether or not it was beneficial to Germany's growing economy to stay in the Eurozone.
    Charles Dumas, chairman of Lombard Street Research, said that by staying in the Eurozone Germany was weakening its economy and undervaluing its labor. In contrast Astrides N. Hatzis, an associate professor of law and economics at the University of Athens, pointed out the costs of Germany leaving the Eurozone, such as having the devalued euro provide competition for an overvalued deutsche mark. He also points out that Germany will lose financial and political investments if they leave. Finally, Stephan Homburg, a professor at Leibniz University, thinks Germany should leave because the legal framework of Europe's common currency has been corrupted, it is costly to stick with the euro, and staying with common currency will poison Europe's political atmosphere even more. 
   I found it really interesting to look at the different views on this subject as well as where the people writing were from. It seems to me like place of origin has a large influence on whether or not one thinks Germany should stay in the Eurozone. 
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/11/12/should-germany-leave-the-euro-zone/germany-should-leave-the-euro-zone

German Programs in the U.S.

What is the most learned language in the U.S.? 

Spanish and French definitely. But what about German? 

Why is there a significant decrease in German programs across the country? 

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, the whole world started to take

an interest on all things German; and German classes in American public schools

saw significant enrollment increases. However, the increase ended by the mid 1990s.

The surge of the powers in the Mideast and China has caused many German programs 

across the country got pushed out of American curriculum. Ever since, the future of German

language across the globe has been a concern for the German government. 

This shift in language learning not only reflects the new surging powers in Asia, 

but also the shift in American demographics. Though the U.S. has always been a 

country built by immigrants, its population has shifted from predominantly White 

to more and more multiracial, and German has never been a popular language 

among the minorities. There is a general impression that German is a difficult language,

and many American students, not only minorities, still associate Germany with the Third Reich 

and the holocaust, a land of blue eyes and blond hair, and beer. Additionally, the U.S. 

is a country of immigrants and foreign-language speakers, but not a country of foreign language 

"learners." Even today, many Americans still don't see the importance of acquiring foreign-language

skills. 

Another reason why the German programs have been gradually pushed out of

American curriculum has to do with the well-financed Chinese government campaign that

tries to expand Mandarin Chinese across the States. "China pursues a very active policy

of subsidies, with the avowed goal of anchoring Chinese instruction in the U.S. educational 

landscape."

So far, German(half a million students) still remains the third most-studied

language in the U.S., after Spanish(more than 7 million students) and French(More than a million). But the decline in enrollments is astounding. A study financed by the federal Department of Education found that only 14 percent of high schools taught German in 2008, down from 24 percent in 1997. 

Nevertheless, not only is there a drop in German language programs, the proportion of high schools teaching French has also dropped from 64 to 46 percent, and the French government also has its own effort to promote student enrollments in French. Even worse, Italian is suspended by The College Board of its Advanced Placement

Test in 2009 due to its low student participation. Interestingly, after subsidized by the Italian government, the program has returned. 

The Think Trans-Atlantic campaign at the UW Germanics department is also an event sponsored by the 

German government and promoted by students of German. However, besides the German film-series and 

the promotion of the campaign within German-related programs(such as the language courses and European Studies

courses), are there other ways to attract new students to learn German? Ideally, a more multiracial classroom? 

I think it is important to show students that Germany is also a multicultural country, that not only Europeans, but also many Asians and Africans speak fluent German. Another important aspect is to perhaps, recruit more younger generation

German teachers that represent the "young Germany." In this way, the students can relate more with their teachers. 

The UW Germanics department does a good job in this aspect, which exchange students from Germany not only come 

here to study, but also gain experience in teaching. 

European Leaders React to Obama's Re-Election

In light of Tuesday's election I thought I'd post a gallery of quotes from European leaders about Obama's Re-election. Most European leaders were pleased with Obama's Re-election, saying that he shared many of the same foreign policy values as Europe and had more similar ideals than a right wing president would have. 

Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she is pleased that Germany and the U.S. can continue to work together and overcome foreign and economic challenges as friends and allies. European Parliament President Martin Schulz said that the U.S. and the EU had much more that unites them than what separates them. 

   

German President Joachim Gauck also said that the U.S. and Germany were "charged with taking on the global challenges and threats to freedom, peace, prosperity and threats to our environment." This quote is particularly interesting because it highlights Germany's concern with the environment, particularly climate change, and their continued pressure on the U.S. to take more action in terms of the environment.