October 2, 2015 — New York, New York
AJC welcomes the 25th anniversary of German unification on October 3. To mark the occasion, AJC Executive Director David Harris issued the following statement:
“We remember as if it were yesterday the remarkable events of 1989 when the Berlin Wall came tumbling down and awakened the possibility of unification. We recall with admiration those who made this previously unimaginable event possible. They were individuals of extraordinary courage, conviction, and commitment.
“For many Germans, this was a dream come true. It was abetted by the towering statesmanship of German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and U.S. President George H.W. Bush, following on the heels of President Ronald Reagan who had memorably called for the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.
“But the prospect of a unified Germany, with its enhanced size and clout, caused profound concern in some European capitals and throughout much of the Jewish world. At AJC, it set off a soul-searching discussion that ended with a unanimous AJC Board decision to support German unification. In doing so, we became the first – and one of very few – Jewish organizations in the world, as acknowledged by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to take this far-reaching position. The German leader wrote that AJC was ‘the first Jewish organization to wholeheartedly welcome German unity, thus signaling its confidence in a united Germany.’
“Why did we step forward? Because we had also been the first Jewish group – and, for decades, the only one – to engage seriously and broadly with the Federal Republic of Germany after its establishment in 1949. In the course of the ensuing four decades, we had come to have confidence in Germany's solid democratic foundation, its reliability as an American ally and NATO member, its dedication to European integration, its commitment to humanitarian values, and its no-holds-barred confrontation with its own past.
“Moreover, we grasped the unprecedented opportunity that unification presented for the 17 million residents of the former East Germany, whose human rights had been systematically suppressed under Communist rule and Soviet occupation.
“And we knew that the disappearance of East Germany would mean the end of an anti-American, anti-Israel regime that had been a key pillar in the Warsaw Pact alliance.
“Unification was not always an easy, problem-free process for Germany. For many East Germans, for instance, the transition had its share of profound psychological and professional challenges. For the German economy, the cost of bringing East Germany up to the West German standard was staggering.
“But there can be no question that unification was right for Germany, right for Europe, and right for the world. An enlarged, democratic Germany continues to inspire confidence and has proved the European and Jewish skeptics wrong. At AJC, we are proud of the position we took in 1990, and we are pleased to add our voice of congratulations to the Federal Republic of Germany on this auspicious 25th anniversary.”
