COMMENTARY: German Government and Jewish Groups Must Act Now to Curtail Neo-Nazism

Neo-Nazism is flourishing today -- some 65 years after the end of World War II -- in Germany.

A recent report revealed the frightening fact that one out of every twenty 15-year-old German boys belongs to a neo-Nazi group. No other political group in Germany can claim such a large number of young members.

This is a frightening situation, because it could very well lead to a second wave of Nazism and Nazi control -- either by democratic means or by revolution -- of Germany with a fascist government similar to Adolf Hitler's.

One German youth -- a former neo-Nazi -- compared the movement of neo-Nazism to a cult. He said that he had been convinced that Jews were an evil force that controlled the world. Moreover, he revealed that neo-Nazi groups have hidden weapons caches throughout Germany.

So what does the resurgence of Nazism in Germany today mean? It means that the current government of Germany -- as well as Jewish organizations in Germany and elsewhere -- must take preventive measures to curtail or even eliminate this situation before it is too late.

The German government needs to pass laws that will restrict neo-Nazi activities -- or even better, prohibit neo-Nazism in Germany altogether. At the same time, Jewish organizations need to keep a watchful eye on neo-Nazi occurrences to ensure they are "nipped in the bud" if they appear to be the least bit prejudicial toward Jews or Judaism.

The most important lesson that Jews learned from Hitler's dictatorship is that there is no room for any complacency with respect to Nazism or any other anti-Semitic government. Indeed, the Jewish slogan "Never Again" must be taken very seriously in situations like the current one that prevails in Germany.

Hitler's Nazi ruling of Germany in the 1930s and 1940s proved to be a nightmare for the entire world, but especially for Jewish people. Hitler was responsible for the murder of some six million innocent Jews -- the largest genocide in history -- during World War II.

Germany must not have another Hitler-type ruler again. To ensure that a repetition of Nazi leadership of Germany -- along with its mass murders -- does not occur again, the current German government and Jewish organizations must be cognizant of any neo-Nazi activities that are a threat to that nation, and take whatever steps are necessary to eliminate them.