The German Jewish community fired off a sharp protest Wednesday over the failure of any politician or the national media to take note of the 46th anniversary of the capitulation of the Third Reich, on May 8, 1945.
The omission was “shameful and damaging,” said Heinz Galinski, the community’s chairman.
The television channels ignored the anniversary, as did the newspapers, except for a few in former East Germany. Those said that the Communist regime imposed after World War II distorted Germany’s surrender to imply acceptance of a new, left-wing dictatorship.
The collective amnesia was in sharp contrast to last year, when the 45th anniversary was marked by television documentaries and debates.
France alone among the European nations officially marked the event. President Francois Mitterrand and Prime Minister Michel Rocard reviewed troops standing at attention under the Arc de Triomphe.
The review was followed by a parade of mechanized units along the Champs Elysees, featuring vehicles used in Africa during the war.
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.
