Stamp marking 40 yrs of ties with Germany released
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
A stamp to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel has just been released jointly by the governments of the two countries.
When The Jerusalem Post published news several months ago of its planned release, including protests from Holocaust survivors against the idea, Health Minister Dan Naveh - head of the Ministerial Committee on Ceremonies and Symbols and the son of Holocaust Survivors - said that although his committee had already approved the design, he would not agree to its issue if it did not refer to the Holocaust.
The NIS 2.10 stamp shows the two national flags with barbed wire added, seemingly at the last minute, to the design. The stamp was to have been issued during the visit of the president of Germany to Israel to mark the 40th anniversary, but it was held up. He visited Israel without any mention of the jointly issued stamp. Now the Philatelic Service of each country has released it.