Mayor Mordechai Ish-Shalom apologized to the Jerusalem Municipal Council last night for his “too polite” letter to the Mayor of Munich, Germany, which, he said, gave the impression that he favored “establishing relations with the city which served as the incubator of nazism.”
The letter, which was given last May to two emissaries from the Munich mayor who sought to establish cultural relations between Jerusalem and the West German city, included a statement by Mayor Ish-Shalom that “I appreciate your program to establish cultural relations with Jerusalem.”
Mayor Ish-Shalom told the Council last night that he had informed the emissaries that “it was impossible to consider such relations.” He said they left empty handed. The Municipality opposition had demanded a vote of non-confidence in the Mayor after the letter was published.
(In Munich, the Municipal Council today adopted a resolution expressing regret over the decision of the Jerusalem municipality not to engage in a cultural exchange program with Munich. “Jerusalem’s decision shows that the past still overshadows the relations between Jews and Germans,” the resolution stated. “We must be patient, however, and shall try again and again to show that our offer of friendship is sincere.”)
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