Yehudi Menuhin's Son Ousted as Head of German Foundation After Talking to Far-Right Paper

The Associated Press ^ | Nov 12, 2005 | Anon

[Pharmboy]

BERLIN (AP) - The son of Yehudi Menuhin was ousted as head of the German branch of the music foundation set up by the violinist and humanist, after comments he made to a newspaper run by Germany's leading far-right party, the foundation said Saturday.

The German branch of the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation had asked Gerard Menuhin to step down earlier this month, after comments he made to the German Voice, the newspaper of the National Democratic Party, surfaced on the Internet.

In the article, Menuhin says it was "not healthy" to hold Germany to the crimes it committed 60 years ago.

"There are very unemotional reasons to bring an end to these customs," Menuhin said.

Leaders of the Duesseldorf-based foundation decided to remove Menuhin from office after he ignored the Nov. 2 request to step down, the foundation said.

"The Yehudi Menuhin Foundation distances itself completely from the content of the comments made by Gerard Menuhin, and sharply condemns the naming of our foundation and its activities in a media outlet that the (German) Interior Ministry has said 'must be considered part of the extreme-right,'" the foundation said in a statement.

The Yehudi Menuhin foundation promotes contacts between cultures through art and encourages the teaching of music in schools.

[Pharmboy]

I'm not getting this: what the hey did he say that PO'd these people? Do they think that present-day Germans should be held responsible for WWII and the atrocities committed then?

And for those too young to know, Yehudi Menuhin was a legendary violinist.

[rightwinggoth]

Doesn't Yehudi mean "Jew" in Arabic?

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[Pharmboy]

Not sure--but the Hebrew derivation is from Judah, the name of one of the original 12 Tribes of Israel.

[Restorer]

Do they think that present-day Germans should be held responsible for WWII and the atrocities committed then?

If they do, for the exact same reasons we should hold the Jews of today responsible for the death of Christ.

Idiots.

[Pharmboy]

Ping...

[Pharmboy]

Yep...exactly right.

[luvbach1]

Do they think that present-day Germans should be held responsible for WWII and the atrocities committed then?

In a word, yes.

[Pharmboy]

How do you possibly figure that? (There was no sarcasm tag on your statement).

[SauronOfMordor]

I'm not getting this: what the hey did he say that PO'd these people? Do they think that present-day Germans should be held responsible for WWII and the atrocities committed then?

Follow the money. If modern-day Germans are no longer responsible, then there is no longer any legal basis for any further reparations payments from Germany to Israel. See link at Israel's Finance Ministry regarding German reparations

[Pharmboy]

Well, I see your point, but I believe there is a difference. The duly constituted government of Germany at that time stole property and money from the Jews. The descendants of those Jews deserve to be paid back by the state.

This, however, appears to be a matter of generational collective guilt. As another poster noted above, if this logic holds then present-day Jews could be held responsible for Christ's crucifixion.

[dennisw]

Yahood = Jew in Arabic

[luvbach1]

No sarcasm. Prince Charles professes to be a friend of Islam. I don't know about the queen, that's why I said "if she is".

[SauronOfMordor]

It's something similar to holding the US government liable for slavery (something the Jesse Jackson crowd would love to do) based on US government profiting from slavery. Modern American taxpayers would balk at paying reparations out of current taxes for something that happened before they were born

[billorites]

I'm not sure I get it either.

It may well be that something serious has been lost in the translation.

Wouldn't be the first time...

[luvbach1]

I think I repsonded to the wrong post. No sarcasm was intended, I personally have known many Jews who harbor great animosity toward present-day Germans on account of the crimes of their forebears against the Jews. It's not a unanimous view, but neither is it a rare one.

[Pharmboy]

Yes...you make a good point.

[Cacique]

It's an industry. It elicits massive contributions from wealthy jews and. It also elicits guilt from the Germans and others so they can be milked for money. Jesse jackson and his crowd do the same with regards to slavery in this country.

In some ways it is legitimate as long as there are those from the WW II generation and their victims alive. Once these people are gone though I suspect it will all fade away.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

..........................................

[SJackson]

I doubt it's what he said, rather the association with the NDP, who are generally considered the inheritors of Nazi legacy. Like speaking at a KKK meeting, it's not just what you say.