After official state welcome at the residence of German President Gauck, President Rivlin participated in memorial ceremony at ‘Platform 17’ for Berlin Jews who were victims of the Holocaust
On Monday, the first day of his official visit, President Reuven Rivlin was received with a guard of honor and an official state welcome at Berlin’s Bellevue Palace, the residence of German President Joachim Gauck, who warmly welcomed President Rivlin. President Rivlin signed the guestbook where he quoted Psalms 122:6, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; May they that love three prosper.”
The two presidents reviewed a military guard of honor, and were greeted by Israeli and German schoolchildren waving flags of both nations. From there, the two held a working meeting during which they discussed the importance of the bilateral relations between Israel and Germany, and expressed their desires to deepen the warm and positive connections between the countries. At the conclusion of the meeting, the presidents addressed the media, and launched a celebratory jubilee postal stamp marking 50 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and Germany.
President Rivlin began his remarks by thanking his host, President Joachim Gauck, for his invitation and warm welcome. He said, “What our two nations have achieved over the last fifty years and what we continue to achieve in working together in the fields of social issues, economy and security, is truly incredible. This would be true even if we didn't have such a complicated and difficult past, but when you consider how far we have come, it is truly amazing.”
The President stressed the uniqueness of the bilateral relationship, and said, “Our relationship is built on shared values of democracy, freedom of speech, and equal rights.” He went on to stress that the warm and close friendship between the Israeli and German governments is not compensation for the Holocaust. He said, “The friendship between us is built on shared values, and an understanding that the lessons of the past must drive us toward a better future. Today, we look at the world around us and we see again, with great concern, the rise of anti-Semitism and racism on the streets across the world. It is our duty together, as Israelis, as Germans, as democracies, as part of humanity, to stand up to these terrible evils. Today we stand here and give testimony, not only to the dark lessons of the past, but to the bright promise of the future, as long as we stand strong for the values of freedom and democracy. It is my hope and prayer that the friendship and relationship will grow stronger and that the cooperation between our two countries will continue to help build a better world for all.”
President of Germany, Joachim Gauck, said, “Your visit is for us a celebration of fifty years of bilateral relations. I convey my thanks for the trust the leaders of Israel placed in the leaders of Germany fifty years ago; since then the connection between us has grown stronger and deeper. We are connected, not only by the horrendous crimes of the past, but by the values in which we both believe. The ties between our countries do not find expression solely in the close friendship between our governments, but also in the many citizens involved in cooperation and partnership projects. I express my appreciation for these projects.”
He continued, “In our meeting we discussed issues of political policy, including issues on which we don’t agree. We discussed the right way to talk with Iran, and President Rivlin clarified the deep fear in Israel with regard to the threat posed by Iran. I made clear that Germany and the United States, both with a deep closeness to Israel, can negotiate with Iran without overshadowing that friendship. As friends we also have a responsibility to find a way to make a breakthrough in negotiations with the Palestinians. In the close friendship we share, it is also important to debate the issues over which we don’t agree. Such discussion contributes equally to deepening our friendship and advancing the conversation on topics on which we do agree.”
Later, President Rivlin addressed a memorial ceremony for the Jews of Berlin who were murdered in the Holocaust, held at Platform 17, the site from which the Jews of Berlin were deported to Auschwitz. The President laid a wreath at the foot of the memorial and kindled the memorial flame. He said, “Fifty-five thousand Jews were sent from Platform 17 to their deaths from October 1941 till the spring of 1945. This platform was the platform of death. Residents of nearby Grunewald said that they ‘did not notice the horror’. The German people did not wake up one morning to the swastikas of the Third Reich. Anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia and frustration grew like a cancer under the surface for many years. This poisoned soil was the foundation on which the Nazi monster acted unchallenged. Seventy years have passed since the last transport left Platform 17; yet, once again, fascist and neo-Nazi movements are growing stronger and stronger on European soil. Apathy, indifference, or denial is not the answer.”
The President stressed the humanitarian obligation of the nations of the free world to combat the phenomena of anti-Semitism and racism. He said, “In a world flooded with barbaric terror and hatred, in a world where tensions between cultures and ideologies grow stronger, the battle against racism, anti-Semitism and fundamentalism requires us to be alert and decisive. We must remember, democracy alone does not make us immune to nationalism and fascism. No nation is immune to anti-Semitism. No nation is immune to extremism or fundamentalism. Here, on Platform 17, we must commit to look hatred in the eye. Only by cooperation between different communities and between different countries can we fight any violation of human dignity. This is our obligation. This is our duty.”
The President concluded, “Mr. President, yes, between friends we can agree to disagree, provided that all know that the other side is sincere in the desire to bring real peace. Peace that will bring an end to the ongoing tragedy between the Jewish and Palestinian people in the land of Israel, where Jews and Arabs are not doomed to live together, but are destined to live together. We are concerned by, and are fighting, fundamentalism wherever it is found. And I thank you once again, not only for the friendship between our governments, but between our peoples.”
Also participating in the ceremony was Israel’s Ambassador to Germany, Yakov Hadas-Handelsman, as well as rabbis, leaders and members of the Berlin Jewish community.
President Rivlin walks together with Berlin Mayor through Brandenburg Gate, signs Golden Book of Berlin, and addresses youth congress
President of Israel Reuven Rivlin on Monday afternoon joined the Mayor of Berlin, Michael Muller in a symbolic walk through the Brandenburg Gate. The two then went on to hold a working meeting, at the conclusion of which President Rivlin signed the ‘Golden Book of Berlin’. From there, President Rivlin went with President Gauck of Germany to meet with the youth congress at the Kalksheune building.
The youth congress is made up of 300 Israelis and Germans between the ages of 18-30, who have taken part in partnership projects in a range of fields in arts and culture. During the meeting, which focused on the realities of life in Israeli society and Holocaust remembrance in Israel, among other socio-economic issues, the participants presented some of the projects to the two presidents.
President Rivlin opened his address by stressing the importance of remembering the horrors of the Holocaust and the obligation never to forget, the need to ensure that the horrors of the past would not dictate the shape of the future. “The horrors of the past, as the threats of the present, will not dictate our lives nor shape the lives of our children. We forever strive for a better future. The strong and deep friendship we celebrate this year between Israel and Germany was made possible by Germany taking responsibility for the crimes of the past. And so, we made a decision that our relationship would never be compensation for that dark history, but that its lessons would guide us to a better future. The future is not only what we dream of at night, but what we work for each day. Our good relations are built on the foundation of shared values and a deep faith in human dignity and freedom.”
President Rivlin thanked the Israeli and German students participating in the congress, and said, “In the last decades, Israelis and Germans have been working together to make this world a better place – exemplified by the wonderful projects we saw here today in theater and arts. I want to thank you, our dear young friends, for not allowing us to ever forget our obligation to make this world a more understanding and compassionate one. For not allowing us to even consider losing our hope for a better future. Today, Israel and Germany stand firm in the face of the challenge of the rise of fundamentalism, extremism, and yes, racism and anti-Semitism. It is our deep friendship that will allow us to overcome these challenges. It is my belief that no free nation, no free people, can or should, stand alone.”
At the conclusion of the first day of their state visit to Germany, President & First Lady Rivlin were welcomed as guests of honor at an official state dinner marking 50 years of diplomatic relations
The evening’s host, President of Germany, Joachim Gauck, opened the event and said, “Your visit to our residence marks a very special jubilee. Fifty years ago, on May 12, 1965, Israel and the German Federal Republic established diplomatic relations. It is a great pleasure for me to celebrate this day together with you, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining us in Berlin. This is more than a gesture of trust and companionship, but an expression of the partnership and close friendship that has flourished between our two countries.
“Today we look out on the wide range of ties, on the vibrant cooperation in the fields of politics, society, economics, science and culture. Our relations on the political level are so close that our cabinets regularly meet for government G2G consultations. Mr. President, you have worked especially in order to build relations between the Knesset and the Bundestag. I am particularly pleased that Israelis and Germans are meeting one another outside the framework of political life, including here in Berlin, with artists and young students working to enrich this city, the city in which German-Jewish culture long prospered, and it is good to hear Hebrew in the streets. Similarly, many Germans are fascinated by Israel. Indeed, visitors to Jerusalem and the Holy Land do not easily forget the experience. I know that you in Israel are looking with great concern at the rise in anti-Jewish violence. Also in Germany, we heard in the last year evil, anti-Semitic chants during demonstrations against Israel’s policies and military actions in Gaza. The overwhelming majority of Germans were shocked and ashamed of this. Regardless of the source of the evil of anti-Semitism – from the far Right or far Left, from veteran citizens or immigrants – it will not be tolerated in our country. We will not allow fanaticism to poison our political climate, or engulf us in fear.”
President Rivlin addressed the event and said, “More than sixty-three years have passed since the Reparations Agreement was signed between the State of Israel, representatives of the Claims Conference, and the Federal Republic of Germany, then West Germany. The signing was held in a festive signing in Luxembourg City Hall; it took less than twelve minutes. The atmosphere, as those present attested, was frozen. It was carefully planned. There were no speeches, and it completely lacked warmth. The parties settled down on either side of the massive table and signed the papers in silence. Over the years, we have built wide and strong bridges between our two countries and, moreover, between our two peoples. These bridges are not only dependent on the historical duty of the descendants of the killers and murderers towards the descendants of the victims. These bridges rest upon the foundations of brave and deep national soul searching. Germany remains among the few countries in Europe to acknowledge, officially and nationally, its responsibility for the crimes it led against our people.
“Over the first fifty years of our diplomatic relationship, Germany and Israel have shared a common and widespread commitment, a commitment to protect the values and interests of the free world against lurking dangers. The burden of our common history, on the one hand, and the deep friendship between us in the present, on the other, drive us to together fulfill this commitment. I wish us all many years of cooperation and partnership.” |