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"The Anti-Germans" - The Pro-Israel German Left
[Jewish Political Studies Review] Simon Erlanger - A small but influential pro-Israel movement within the German left challenges the existing anti-Israel consensus. The "Anti-German" Movement, as it is known, grew out of a communist student organization. Fearing the emergence of a new fascism from the social and political dynamics of reunification, the Anti-Germans fight any manifestation of German nationalism, aligning themselves with the victims of Nazi Germany and their descendants. Likewise, seeing elements of German nationalism in the German Peace Movement, the Anti-Germans have become its strong opponents. Today the Anti-Germans discern fascism and militant anti-Semitism as most apparent in Islamism and therefore strongly denounce militant political Islam. At the same time, they offer unconditional support for Israel, the Jews, and the U.S., in opposition to the dominant political discourse among the German public in general and the left in particular. The Anti-German Movement has become an influential publicist movement centered on several magazines and journals. As writers, social scientists, and journalists, Anti-Germans have been able to exert a growing impact on the left and on public opinion. Dr. Simon Erlanger a journalist and historian, teaches Jewish history at the University of Lucerne.