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60 years on, Jewish soldiers say they feel secure in German army
By DPA
Tags: German army, Holocaust 

Unthinkable for many Jews, Gideon Roemer-Hillebrecht is a staff officer in the German armed forces. He says he feels more secure there than "outside" because the armed forces tries to nip any indications of anti-Semitism in the bud.

Roemer-Hillebrecht dons his skullcap for prayers and on special occasions when he wears his army uniform. But he hides his Jewish headgear under a hat when he takes a walk. For security reasons, he says.

"I've come to fear being recognized as a Jew," says the 42-year-old.
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The army's top soldier, Inspector-General Wolfgang Schneiderhan, sees the presence of Jews in the military as a signal of hope and an indication that "no terror will come from German uniforms ever again."

Roemer-Hillebrecht is a member of the Federation of Jewish Soldiers, known under its German acronym BjS. It was founded in 2006, some 68 years after the Nazis started their pogrom against the Jews and instigated the dissolution of the Federation of Jewish Soldiers on the Front.

The reaction has been positive, according to Roemer-Hillebrecht, except from neo-Nazis who have made disparaging remarks about it on the Internet.

One comment wished the Taliban good luck in chasing Jews serving with the German armed forces in Afghanistan, according to Roemer-Hillebrecht.

Others warn of a "Jewish-ization of the armed forces" and a "danger to the German army" caused by its leadership "that stands to attention to the Jewish press."

Some 100,000 Jews fought for Germany during World War I. Thousands were decorated for bravery and 12,000 were killed in action.

"The Nazis tried to wipe out the memory of Jewish soldiers," according to Michael Berger, chairman of the BjS. They ignored their achievements, removed their names from memorials and presented an image of "Jewish shirkers," he says.

Today, anything that could lead to "restoring the disgraced honour
of Jewish soldiers is a thorn in the flesh" of right-wing extremists, he says.

One of the goals of the BjS is to cultivate the memory of Jewish
soldiers who took up arms for Germany.

They are an important component of German-Jewish history, according to Berger, who has written a book on the subject called Iron Cross and Star of David.

Jewish youths down to the third generation of those persecuted by the Nazi regime are exempted from compulsory military service in Germany. Other Jews will not be called up if they don't want to take up arms.

The first Jew to join the German armed forces after the war was Michael Fuerst, who enlisted in 1966. Today there are an estimated 200 Jews among the 250,000-strong Bundeswehr, as the armed forces are collectively known.

There is a greater number of Muslim and Buddhist soldiers, but no exact figures are available because the military does not keep statistics on the religious affiliation of its soldiers.

Jewish soldiers often feel they are caught between two worlds, says Roemer-Hillebrecht. This is not the fault of the army, which tries to make allowances if it is informed about special meal requirements or working on the Sabbath, he adds.

According the Berger, many Jews can "understand with their reason but not necessarily with their emotions" that today's democratic armed forces are not to be compared with those of the Nazis.

Today there are army barracks that bear the names of Jewish officers in order to keep alive their memories and serve as a reminder of their fate.

One is named after Julius Schoeps, a Prussian Guards officer, who as a doctor tended to wounded soldiers during World War One. He received several citations and was promoted.

In 1942, the Nazis deported him to the Theresienstadt ghetto in what is now the Czech Republic. He died a short time later of an untreated disease.

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  1.   there were always jews in the german army 10:31  |  harzion 31/12/07
  2.   nothing new here: read comment 10:34  |  same ol 31/12/07
  3.   more recently an american author 10:36  |  harzion 31/12/07
  4.   not world war II but world war I 10:48  |  s. plaut 31/12/07
  5.   Vitaly 10:54  |  Julie 31/12/07
  6.   Avri Barr`s recent book "The Jewish Singularity" 11:03  |  Yaacov 31/12/07
  7.   Jews in the German Army 12:49  |  Scott G 31/12/07
  8.   Secure? 13:08  |  Shlomo 31/12/07
  9.   Scott G 13:16  |  Ehud 31/12/07
  10.   Sick 13:20  |  Gershon 31/12/07
  11.   Jewish soldiers in the German army 13:33  |  Ehud 31/12/07
  12.   Ehud 13:57  |  Scott G 31/12/07
  13.   # 11 Ehud 13:58  |  Axel 31/12/07
  14.   #9 NOT a fan of Israel 14:01  |  Henryk 31/12/07
  15.   For those unaware: 14:05  |  Scott G 31/12/07
  16.   HenryK 14:14  |  Scott G 31/12/07
  17.   Thank you Scott G 14:34  |  Boris 31/12/07
  18.   REPLY TO SCOTT G. 14:47  |  Jeff 31/12/07
  19.   Than you Scott G 14:48  |  David 31/12/07
  20.   Sheinbein 14:48  |  Elisha Ben Avuyah 31/12/07
  21.   #12 14:51  |  Moshe 31/12/07
  22.   Scott G 14:52  |  Elisha Ben Avuyah 31/12/07
  23.   Boris 14:53  |  Scott G 31/12/07
  24.   #17 AMEN 14:54  |  Henryk 31/12/07
  25.   It`s Too Soon For This 14:57  |  dyinglikeflies 31/12/07
  26.   Dyinglikeflies 15:14  |  Albert Seligman 31/12/07
  27.   dyinglikeflyes 15:15  |  Scott G 31/12/07
  28.   NEVER SAY NEVER ! 15:25  |  Aaron 31/12/07
  29.   # 25 dyinglikewhat 15:28  |  Axel 31/12/07
  30.   Scott G 15:37  |  Albert Seligman 31/12/07
  31.   60 yrs later & the IDF acts like Germans in the 40`s 15:43  |  POP 31/12/07
  32.   axel RE: ehud 15:45  |  uday 31/12/07
  33.   Scott G: They will trash you for your opinion, ad hominem 15:46  |  POP 31/12/07
  34.   Whoo Hoo!!! 18:11  |  Scott G 31/12/07
  35.   Mr. Seligman 18:21  |  Scott G 31/12/07
  36.   Aaron #28 18:30  |  Scott G 31/12/07
  37.   To any one 18:45  |  Scott G 31/12/07
  38.   To Scott G 18:52  |  MR 31/12/07
  39.   Axel vs dyinglikeflies #29 19:06  |  MR 31/12/07
  40.   MR 19:08  |  Scott G 31/12/07
  41.   Scott of Frederick: What`s the Point? 19:13  |  Tex 31/12/07
  42.   The More We Read Scott`s Brilliance.... 19:17  |  Tex 31/12/07
  43.   # 32 uday 19:29  |  Axel 31/12/07
  44.   keep on dreaming!!! 19:47  |  alon frank 31/12/07
  45.   If POPPY cannot talk about German army topic, move to Moon 19:51  |  Genuine Tosefta 31/12/07
  46.   To dlf (#25) 19:53  |  Morris Valentine 31/12/07
  47.   43 axel 19:58  |  Uday 31/12/07
  48.   jews in germany and in the army 20:01  |  jorge grosz 31/12/07
  49.   and they don`t have to shoot women and children 20:14  |  Conrad 31/12/07
  50.   National Identity 20:29  |  K 31/12/07
  51.   to Scott G 20:59  |  im 31/12/07
  52.   The attitude to gays in German Army is terrible 21:03  |  Yaakov Sullivan 31/12/07
  53.   Alon Frank: what crap 21:09  |  Sara 31/12/07
  54.   Agreed, Scott (sort of) 21:26  |  Miransky 31/12/07
  55.   # 46 morris 22:28  |  Axel 31/12/07
  56.   Ever heard the term "Ma Yufes"? 22:31  |  Sam 31/12/07
  57.   Join the Ger army Yaakov- lead by example 22:36  |  UpDaReer 31/12/07
  58.   The Master Race 23:08  |  A Jew 31/12/07
  59.   Please join yaakov 23:46  |  Upda Bhut 31/12/07
  60.   # 46 morris 00:19  |  Axel 01/01/08
  61.   #28 Aaron. There have been a few... 00:24  |  Maureen Ann 01/01/08
  62.   CONRAD Wait !! There are plenty of Islamic plots in Germany 00:35  |  PETER SM 01/01/08
  63.   THE JEWS(2nd attempt) 00:45  |  The Teacher/Instruct 01/01/08
  64.   As long as reminders are needed and put in the showcase 00:57  |  Karl 01/01/08
  65.   To Axel (#54) 01:07  |  Morris Valentine 01/01/08
  66.   Scott G by the way... 02:01  |  Albert Seligman 01/01/08
  67.   Jewish soldier in the German Army 02:42  |  Connie 01/01/08
  68.   Psst - do not tell anyone but. . . . 02:57  |  Mark Lincoln 01/01/08
  69.   #34 05:32  |  Moshe 01/01/08
  70.   I`d Be Sort Of Afraid If I Was Living In Germany And They... 06:02  |  Yosemite 01/01/08
  71.   Jews in the German Army 06:47  |  David 01/01/08
  72.   POP 60 years ago Muslims were officially part of the Nazi SS army 07:03  |  PETER SM 01/01/08
  73.   When we smart up? 07:50  |  Mario Daban 01/01/08
  74.   # 65 morris 12:16  |  Axel 01/01/08
  75.   #73 17:49  |  Moshe 01/01/08
  76.   Rhienhart Heydrich was a Half Jew 12:18  |  Michel Condon 04/01/08
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