MOSCOW, Ocotber 16 (RIA Novosti) - A new online campaign started by young German Jews has their Israeli brethren up in arms, as they have been using social media to boast about their safety and their lower cost of living in the former Nazi state, reports AP.
The protest started a few weeks ago when a 25-year-old former Israeli soldier posted a picture on Instagram of a chocolate bar receipt purchased in Berlin. The price was one-third of the cost in Israel and he also bragged about his safety in the German capital. His picture went viral, spawning a Facebook page garnering over 17,000 “likes”, reports the AP.
Many of the youth involved in the campaign wish they could live in Israel, yet the fear of constant attack and extremely high living costs prevent them from moving there. One protestor said to the AP, "My aim is to educate the Israeli government. They need to make Israel a more attractive place for young people."
However, in the 59 years since the end of World War II, Germany has changed dramatically; where once Nazi eagles flew high above and the government sought to cleanse the population of Jews and other undesirable races, Germany is now the model representative of the European community, a place diverse in its nature and the driving force of Europe.
Many Jews have left war-torn Israel for a better life in Europe, returning to their pre-war roots in search of peace, higher wages and other social benefits, such as unemployment stipends and free university education. According to the AP, there are between 3,000 and 30,000 Jews living in Berlin. "I like how people in Berlin are so non-judgmental and take me as I am," said Levy to the AP.
The sentiments held by many Zionists are bound by much more than a simple pudding. They have watched as their parents and grandparents faced enormous difficulties since the creation of the Jewish state and the events of WWII. Even now, there is still danger ever-present with the ongoing threats they face from surrounding Arab states and the Palestinians. Many Israelis see this as a betrayal of everything their forefathers had worked and suffered so terribly for. This easy lifestyle does not sit well for those Zionist who fled or whose parents fled one of the worst genocides this planet has ever seen. In fact, Cabinet Minister Yair Shamir, an ultranationalist, decried to the Israeli newspapers that "the Israelis who no longer remember the Holocaust [abandon] Israel for a pudding."
While the protests may resonant with many Israeli Jews, according to the AP, the gesture is mostly symbolic; on the whole, more Europeans move to Israel per year than those who emigrate. Most Israelis choose to move to the US or Canada rather than Europe. However, with the rise of radical Islam, many Jews are now choosing to move back to defend their country and homeland.
