A critical examination of Susan Neiman's defense of the Left Party
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Susan Neiman defended an open letter from Berlin Jews in the ZEIT, which defended the Left Party against accusations of anti-Semitism.
The philosopher Susan Neiman defended an open letter from Berlin Jews in the ZEIT, which defended the Left Party against accusations of anti-Semitism. I am friends with Susan Neiman and also her successor in office. And I would like to contradict her with this text, at least on one crucial point.
Susan Neiman is right on important other points. She calls the criticism of the party “agitation,” which is primarily carried out by the right. It's true: The Left is not an anti-Semitic party. Anyone who interprets her Berlin election victory as a triumph of hatred of Jews is wrong. The accusation of anti-Semitism is actually exploited, often by those who remain silent about anti-Semitism in their own ranks. And the term must not be stretched so far that it includes almost every sharp criticism of Israel.

The Federal Prosecutor's Office accuses former BND President August Hanning of using internal documents for private business. The case raises questions about the security of the secret service.

Three years after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, in which 1,195 people were killed, Israel continues to mourn its victims. Society has not dealt with the trauma and is looking for blame for the failure of the security apparatus, which is affecting the upcoming parliamentary elections.
ZEIT recommends Maxim Biller's novel Black Saturdays about the massacre on October 7, 2023 in Israel. At the same time, she reports on the arrest of former BND President August Hanning on suspicion of espionage, the appeal of high schools against cuts, the awarding of Gottfried Lorenz with the Federal Cross of Merit, the expansion of the electric bus fleet in Hamburg, the increasing employment of older people and the new obligation to visit Nazi memorials in Hamburg schools. There are also cultural tips, an interview with canteen chef Frederik Pavlik and local Hamburg stories.

A SPIEGEL survey shows that 67 percent of Germans see Friedrich Merz as a failed chancellor, and in East Germany even 80 percent see him. 58 percent are calling for his resignation as chancellor and party leader. The reasons lie in his broken debt promises, harsh rhetoric and a lack of optimism. At the same time, the right-wing extremist state parliament president in Saxony-Anhalt is mentioned, the Gaza war is discussed and an appeal is made for the preservation of the Karstadt department store on Berlin's Hermannplatz.

Many children in Germany start school with significant deficits. The Ifo education barometer illustrates the population's desire for compulsory preschool years and language tests in order to increase educational equality.

In view of the declining performance of German students in Pisa studies, the author calls for an educational revolution. Estonia serves as a role model because it consistently relies on digitalization, AI-supported learning models and an upgrading of the teaching profession.