Germany, at Odds: A Contemporary Testimony

by Eldad Beck

Torn between two very different visions of Germany, Eldad Beck arrived in Berlin in 2002, as correspondent for the Israel´s top daily, "Yediot Ahronot" and became the "eyes and ears" for many Israelis, following Germany as it entered a new period in its modern history. "Germany, at Odds" tells through his personal and professional experiences the story of this pivotal period in Germany. "Germany, at Odds" is a journey throughout this land at the beginning of the 21st century as well as the story of a joint visit to Auschwitz-Birkenauwith the grandson of Rudolf Höß, founder and commander of this murder factory; encounters with the known writers and politicians, such as Chancellor Angela Merkel. Eldad Beck was born in Haifa on May 1965, eight days before the historical establishment of diplomatic relations between West Germany and the State of Israel. Haifa, was known at the time as “the little Germany on the Mediterranean” due to the large numbers of German-speaking Jews, who had settled there from the beginning of the 20th century and on. Beck's mother's family, which came to the Land of Israel from Eastern Europe in the mid-19th century, opened the first music stores in the Holy Land. Therefore it entertained excellent business and personal contacts with Germans, both prior to and after World War II. At his home, Germany stood for high culture. Several years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Beck discovered through an unexpected letter another connection with Germany. An unknown cousin of Beck's father, whose family originated from Austria, who had survived WWII and the Holocaust with his parents and sister in Germany, appeared, telling the first time with pictures and documents the story of a family, which was largely murdered by the Nazis. "Germany, at Odds" is based on his personal and professional experience in his many years in Germany. It presents Germany and the processes it is going through today, as seen and understood by Beck, based on the many events he had reported on and countless interviews he had conducted.

370 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Jaideep Khanduja · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://pebbleinthestillwaters.blogspo...

Germany, at Odds by Eldad Beck Shows Germany Through A Different Lens

Germany, at Odds by Eldad Beck is about looking at Germany through a different lens. It is about a peculiar voyage of a journalist from Israel. The journey began at the beginning of the 21st century. The book throws many questions on this country’s stability, democratic image and its legacy past. The book, at large, shows the face of Germany entirely in a new perspective.

What I liked in Germany, at Odds by Eldad Beck is the intensity with which it has been written. German-Jewish relations have been analysed in a very interesting manner. You get a very concrete walk through the history of Germany as analysed by a Jewish journalist. The book prompts you to think and questions quite a few WHYs on what Germany has gone through during a decade. It talks about a transformation of Germany through the eyes of the author. I also liked the precision of the facts that have been observed quite minutely by Eldad Beck. The book also touches deeply about the restlessness between Germany and Israel. The credit for crisp facts highlighted by the author goes to his profession. He is a journalist. That is why there is an intense depth in his writing. He has an ability to talk about reality as a reality without deviating it here and there. The author narrated intense situations quite smartly like the way Israeli athletes that were massacred during the Munich Olympics or the discomforting situations in Iraq, Germany, or Syria.

If the author had not touched the problematic and darker side of the past Germany went through, it would have become a void in the book. In Germany, at Odds Eldad Beck has been able to show the praiseworthy side of Germany. The country has been able to put its sincere efforts in erasing the memory of its darker past.

I would like to rate Germany, at Odds as 4 out of 5. It is a must read for people keen in learning about the world in general and Germany in specific.

[Sharon Zink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good writing that explores the relationship of Germany to Israel and of Germans to Jews.