    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [August 17, 1999]
    [Page 1453]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1453]]

    Statement on the Death of Ignaz Bubis
    August 17, 1999

        Hillary and I were saddened to learn of the death of Ignaz Bubis,
    the President of Germany's Central Council of Jews. We extend our
    deepest condolences to his family, the Jewish community in Germany, and
    the many non-Jews in Germany for whom he was a beacon.
        Imprisoned in Nazi labor camps while still a boy, Ignaz Bubis lost
    virtually his entire family in the Holocaust. After the war, he settled
    in Frankfurt and became a successful businessman and a key figure in the
    small community that sought to reestablish Jewish life in Germany. He
    was elected early in this decade to lead Germany's Jewish community, and
    he used his position to engage his fellow citizens on issues regarding
    their nation's past and the need for vigilance to uphold the values at
    the heart of contemporary Germany. Because of the clarity of his vision
    and the persuasiveness of his message, he became one of his nation's
    foremost champions of tolerance and openness. He was a friend and valued
    counselor to many of Germany's leaders. I was greatly impressed by his
    wisdom and determination to build a more tolerant world.
        Ignaz Bubis never ceased to bear witness to history and the
    consuming evil that was perpetrated earlier in this century. But he also
    demonstrated that the demands of conscience and the goal of
    reconciliation are not at odds but instead must be pursued together. At
    a time when conflicts in the Balkans have confronted Europe and the
    world with seemingly intractable hatred, the example of Ignaz Bubis is
    one we must all heed.