Madam, supporting Israel means recognizing Jerusalem as its capital. Recognition of the city that is holy to the three major religions, but promised only to the people of Israel, is the most conscientious thing Germany under your stewardship must do. It's such a shame that you lent a hand to condemning Trump's recognition of the city as our capital.
In your Berlin, a man took off his belt and in the middle of the street whipped a kippa-wearing passerby with it while shouting "Jew." It's sad to repeatedly discover that anti-Semitism negating the Jewish people's right to exist still bubbles beneath the surface of Germany's air of morality. Other revelations, like the vandalizing of the synagogue in Mecklenburg and the fact that Jewish institutions in your country need armed security, are one side of the same coin of hatred toward us. The other side is the demonization of Israel and the moralistic approach practiced by institutions in Germany and other European countries – while supporting radical left-wing organizations and defaming my country and its defense forces.
French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy believes the process of demonization, which aims to paint the Jewish state as a murderous entity, eases the sense of guilt many Europeans harbor about the Holocaust. In 2010, Lévy warned against the dangers primarily posed by left-wing ideological movements. You are undoubtedly cognizant of the anti-Semitic attitudes held by a significant number of your countrymen, as revealed through the dangerous testimonies collected by Tuvia Tenenbom in his book "I Sleep in Hitler's Room."
The gesture by your foreign minister, Heiko Maas, who posted a picture of himself wearing a kippah on Twitter – was touching. It was, however, weak. Your interview with an Israeli news outlet, to mark our 70th year of independence, faithfully reflected how deeply responsible your government feels for Israel's security. With measured words, you explained it was not your country's job to attack the Syrian dictator; that your government prefers the terrible nuclear deal with Iran over the alternative; that the issue of Jerusalem should be discussed by the sides. This is insufficient.
You understand, commitment to our security does not mean you side with the Jewish people's right to the land for which Jews prayed over thousands of years in exile. Your Germany, which is not only encumbered by the yoke of reducing the Jewish nation by 6 million but by the multiples of their unborn offspring, cannot sit on the fence. Today, too, you can hear survivors recount how there, on that different planet decades ago, between the agonizing labor and gas chambers, Jerusalem was whispered in hushed tones. Can you, the representative of the generation of atonement, ignore their prayer?
You, the most powerful leader in Europe, a symbol to women like me, daughters of your generation, cannot. Your recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital would be an expression of support for Zionism, an act of historic justice. Moreover, anti-Semitic Islamist terror does not feed on fear; it cannot be defeated by placing armed guards at Jewish institutions. On the contrary, it is fed by those who reject the Jewish people's right to their eternal city. Decades of failure by the international community to establish peace in our region requires choosing a new path: The road to defeating terror and forging peace goes through support of Zion and recognition of Jerusalem as its capital. It's in your hands.
