The West German President Gustav Heinemann and Chancellor Willy Brandt were among the hundreds of well wishers who cabled the Secretary of Council of Jews in Germany. Hendrik Georg Van Dam, to congratulate him on his 20 years of service on behalf of Germany’s Jewish community. Brandt stressed in his message that Van Dam, who also celebrated today his 65th birthday, has done “much to make tolerance and respect among people and religious communities a yardstick and an example.” Heinemann said that Van Dam “had sparked off a new trust among Germans and German Jews” while Christian Democratic Union opposition leader. Rainer Bazzel, praised the Jewish official’s contribution to mutual understanding.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.