Deutschkanadischer
Kongress
German Canadian Congress - Ontario
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Greetings from the president #2 Who am I? Gerhard Griebenow. I came to Canada in 1969, during the Cold War. Part of the reason I came was that the first line of defense for Germany at the time was the Rhein river. I had witnessed my father suffer incredibly from the after effects of the war that were to haunt him even into his 90ies, having lost one brother, a sister, a brother-in law, and also his father, and I did not want to be anywhere near a potential war zone. I was also wondering if everything that happened could fit into the history script we were given, there were too many complex variables. When I joined the DKK I thought that uncovering the ‘true’ story of the war was one of its mandates, based on the huge collection of resources in the office and a collection of research by Alfred de Zayas and James Baque in particular. Why did I join the DKK? My wife and I have a cottage up at Lake Temagami. It appears to be truly God’s country up there, but upon closer looks there are threats to this environment due to clear cutting, potential over- development., over fishing, etc. The Temagami Lakes Association is an interest group of cottagers on the lake that together fights for sustainable environment, protection of fish stock, and limited growth (development), and recently with the OMB against unfair tax assessments. My wife and I joined this organization immediately after buying our cottage because we believe in their tenets and wanted to make the Association’s voice stronger through our membership. Likewise I strongly believe the DKK can only be a viable organization if many more of our fellow German-Canadians or Canadians with German origin will join us to give us a positive voice, and feel that we have a common identity and a common purpose to uphold. I understand that before the DKK was inaugurated, a conference was called in 1986 with the aid of the Federal Government of Canada to create an organization similar to that of other ethnic groups that would fit harmoniously with the others into the common vision of multiculturalism, our mission statement clearly lists those objectives. But the group struggled to define the identity of German-Canadians, and was trying to build on common culture and common history in Canada. Last year general consul Walter Stechel held two meetings for German-Canadian organizations with the purpose of finding possible directions for a viable future, the same issues again. Although I pointed out that the DKK is the umbrella organization that could provide the forum for a common purpose we did not receive more members as a result. The outcome was similar to that of 1986, the call went out to offer programs attractive to our youth, and, like in 86, it was suggested to concentrate on soccer teams as a possible venue for the future. A sense of common identity has not emerged. Over the past years the DKK has regularly had positively received visits with provincial and federal politicians and enjoyed a good relationship with the representatives of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has supported some very worthwhile causes that we are proud of. The Germanica celebrations, the German Pioneers Day, the Christkindl Market are some examples on the cultural side, the support of the Rheinwiesen project and lectures by James Baque and Alfred de Zayas address the historical aspects, and the support for Helmut Oberländer deals with a human rights issue. I am proud of the DKK for all these initiatives and I hope our work will continue. However, the organization is in serious need of more volunteers to actively drive our causes. The current group is seriously taxed, and without the confidence and impetus that a large membership and active volunteers can provide it is difficult to envision a long term future. Research and Media Fortunately much research has given credence and provided proof that the Germans were not given a fair shake in the script that was stamped on them by the allies. One would think we now have the opportunity to address the resulting issues in a reasonable manner. But that seems to be easier said than done. The main stream Media appears biased., selects or excludes topics, and seems to controls public opinion. [NBC is owned by General Electric , ABC by Disney, CBS by Viacom, and CNN is part of the huge AO L Time Warner conglomerate. Most of our newspapers, magazines, and publishing houses are owned — and manipulated —by gigantic international corporations . Our media is part of the corporatocracy] A lot of information reaches us via u-tube and ‘independent’ or alternative media. Here we are approached with intriguing versions of events. Unfortunately the language that is used to promote these issues is at times provocative, aggressive, and confrontational, and in many cases a bit flawed due to what I consider deliberate misinterpretations. It is not easy to find the truth in reports these days. People seem to be ready to come to hard and fast conclusions depending on what they believe. We may all have a tendency to easier believe those stories that seem to support what we want to believe. On occasion members of the DKK have demanded that I speak up against members of the German Consulate “ in no uncertain terms” and on occasion they have done so themselves. I do not condone that kind of approach. It devaluates the message we want to give. As an organization we must avoid normalizing discriminatory speech, so that we maintain decorum and credibility. One of our stated objectives is to get along with others within the peaceful fabric of Canadian society. The DKK, this once respected and productive organization, had lost a lot of members due to the inactivity of the leadership in the past five years or so, and is still in a rebuilding phase. We have about 50% more members than last year at this time. But it appears that the huge majority of German-Canadians is not yet willing to or see the need jump on board. Whether or not it will regain some momentum remains to be seen in the next few months.
The question is now: DKK: Quo Vadis? Where do we go from here? We are looking to hear feedback from our members at this meeting, and we are looking for new members who can actively contribute some of their time to this organization. Liebe Mitglieder und Freunde, Hoffentlich könnt ihr mit Euren Familien bei guter Gesundheit die Weihnachtszeit genießen und in besinnlicher Andacht Frieden finden. Ich wünsche Euch allen frohe Weihnachten! Dies ist der letzte Rundbrief dieses Jahres. Im Rückblick können wir Fortschritte und Erfolge verzeichnen, aber auch Rückschläge. Die Germanica Veranstaltung, die wir im Hansa Haus ausgerichtet haben, kann als ein gelungenes Fest charakterisiert werden, die Empfänger der Heritage Awards wurden für ihre Verdienst im Dienste ihrer Klubs und dem Erhalt unserer deutschen Kultur im Rahmen ihrer Gemeinden ausgezeichnet und haben diese Ehre mit Dankbarkeit und Würde angenommen. Unsere Beteiligung am Tag der deutschen Pioniere in Kitchener war in vieler Hinsicht bedeutend. Wir ehrten den Transylvania Club Kitchener, der sein 65. Jubiläum feiert, die Familie Ahrens, die am industriellen Aufbau von Berlin beteiligt war, und die Stadt Waterloo, die gleich mehrere Jubiläen historischer Meilensteine feiern konnte. Die Gedenkfeier zum Volkstrauertag wurde wieder würdig ausgetragen, Unsere Mitgliederzahlen zeigen wieder eine ansteigende Tendenz, die bürokratischen Verpflichtungen haben wir allmählich in der Hand, aber generell kann ich kein überwältigendes Interesse der deutschen Gemeinde verzeichnen, und auch der Aufruf zu freiwilligen Mitarbeitern fand bis jetzt kein Echo. Letztlich muss jeder für sich selbst entscheiden, ob unsere Organisation Unterstützung verdient, das neue Jahr wird die Antwort bringen. Der ausführlichere Bericht wird auf der Webseite ausgestellt werden. Zum Schluss wünsche ich all unseren deutsch-kanadischen Clubs von Ontario und Quebec ein efolgreiches Neues Jahr und unseren einzelnen Mitgliedern gute Gesundheit, sodass Ihr euer Leben genießen könnt. Dear members and friends, First and foremost let me wish all of our members a very Merry Christmas. I hope you will be able to enjoy this time with your families and friends and find peace in quiet reflection. This is the last newsletter of the year. In retrospect we can register successes and admit to setbacks. The Germania event that we held at the Hansa Haus can be classified as a success The recipients of the heritage awards were cited for their merits in the service for their organizations and the preservation of German culture within their communities. They accepted this honour thankfully and gracefully. Our participation in the German Pioneers Day in Kitchener was significant in many aspects. We honoured the Transylvania Club on their 65th anniversary, the Ahrens family who were involved in the industrial development of Berlin and the city of Waterloo that happened to reach several historical milestones. The German Remembrance commemoration was again staged with dignity. Our membership numbers register a rising tendency, our buerocratic obligations are just about under control, but generally I do not detect an overwhelming interest of the German community and the appeal for active volunteers has to date had no response. In the end everybody has to decide for themselves whether our organization deserves support, the new year will bring the answer. There will be a more complete report on the website. Finally I wish a successful year to all of the German-Canadian clubs of Ontario and Quebec and to all of our individual members good health so that you can enjoy life Gerhard Griebenow, president
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Was ich von Donald Trump erwarte
Zeit-Fragen: Herr
Professor de Zayas, Sie sind ein in der Schweiz lebender US-Amerikaner
mit viel Erfahrung |
Anerkennungsleistung an ehemalige sowjetische Kriegsgefangene Der Deutsche Bundestag hat am 21. Mai 2015 beschlossen, dass ehemalige sowjetische Kriegsgefangene eine symbolische finanzielle Anerkennungsleistung erhalten sollen. Angehörige der sowjetischen Streitkräfte, die während des Zweiten Weltkrieges in der Zeit vom 22. Juni 1941 bis 8. Mai 1945 als Kriegsgefangene in deutschem Gewahrsam waren, können eine einmalige Leistung in Höhe von 2.500 € erhalten. Auf die Leistung besteht kein Rechtsanspruch, sie ist nicht übertragbar und auch nicht vererblich. Nur der Betroffene selbst oder ein von ihm Bevollmächtigter können einen Antrag stellen. Wurde ein wirksamer Antrag gestellt und hat innerhalb von sechs Monaten nach dem Tod des Leistungsberechtigten keine der als Sonderrechtsnachfolger im Sinne der ASK-Anerkennungsrichtlinie berechtigten Personen die Rechtsnachfolge beim Bundesamt für zentrale Dienste und offene Vermögensfragen (BADV) angezeigt, erlischt die Leistungsberechtigung. Erläuterungen und Hinweise sind zudem in dem nebenstehenden Merkblatt enthalten. Die Einzelheiten sind in der am 14.10.2015 im Bundesanzeiger veröffentlichten Richtline über eine Anerkennungsleistung an ehemalige sowjetische Kriegsgefangene ( ASK-Anerkennungsrichtlinie) vom 30.09.2015 geregelt. Anträge sind bis spätestens 30. September 2017 an das Bundesamt für zentrale Dienste und offene Vermögensfragen (BADV), DGZ Ring 12, 13086 Berlin zu richten. Über die Anträge auf Einmalzahlung entscheidet im BADV die Arbeitsgruppe AfG. Die Arbeitsgruppe AfG wird von Frau Dr. Hampel geleitet. Für die Antragsteller wurde eine Service- Telefonhotline eingerichtet, die unter der Nummer +49 30 187030-1550 zu erreichen ist. Außerdem kann die Arbeitsgruppe auch per E-Mail Arbeitsgruppe angeschrieben werden.
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