Israel’s Consulate here, a pivot of Jewish activity in Germany since the Jewish Agency set up its central offices in the building seven years ago, was open for business for the last time today. Since the disbanding of the Berlin Consulate three years ago, it has been the only one in Germany.
The local Consulate was accredited to U. S. Army headquarters in Heidelberg rather than to the German authorities, with which Israel does not maintain formal diplomatic relations. At a time when Germany is about to regain her sovereignty it was not feasible to continue this arrangement. Also, the designation of Cologne as headquarters of the Israel Purchasing Mission has made that city rather than Munich the hub of Israel activities in Germany.
Dr. Eliahu Livneh, who has headed the Consulate since 1949 and before that served for three years as director of the Jewish Agency in Berlin, is leaving for Tel Aviv next week. It is expected that he will be assigned a position within the Israel Foreign Ministry.
The Consulate files are being transferred to Cologne, where a special section within the Israel Purchasing Mission will carry on certain limited consular functions. Yissakhar Ben-Yaacov, long-time vice consul here, will help to assure the smooth functioning of the new section in the initial stage, returning to Tel Aviv thereafter.
In Cologne, the consular section will be in charge of Eytan Ruppin, a nephew of the late Zionist pioneer, Dr. Arthur Ruppin. His section will be a busy one not only because of the constant two-way stream of temporary visitors, but also because it is estimated that more than 500 Israelis have established residence in Western Germany.
In a farewell speech to the Frankfurt Jewish community, Dr. Livneh gave an account of his eight years of service in Germany, first as Director of the Jewish Agency in Berlin and later as Israel’s only Consul in Germany. He thanked the Jews of Germany for the wholehearted support they had always given him. He particularly praised the unwavering solidarity of their alignment with world Jewry at the time of the negotiations between West Germany and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, when they had disdained to gain special advantages for themselves by direct dealings with Bonn.
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