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Perspectives . . .                                            Who was Emil Jellinek?


                                                                      by Martin Ederer                                              In time Jellinek grew bored with
                                                                       orn 1853 in Leipzig, Emil Jell-                           the everyday business of the auto-
                                                                    Binek grew up in Vienna.  Jell-                              mobile business even if he remained
      Benedict XVI, RIP                                             inek’s father was a noted Rabbi and                          fully immersed in it. Although Jell-
         by Martin Ederer                                           Jewish  intellectual  who  must  have                        inek  was  obviously  a  successful
         n a very tidy German way, Pope                             wrung his hands over his unruly son                          businessman,  he  still  preferred  the
       IEmeritus  Benedict  XVI  died  on                           who had little use for school.  But he                       automobile  side  of  the  business
      the  last  day  of  2022.    During  his                      seemed to like speed.  He got fired                          more than the business side. At least
      career as a Vatican insider, he often                         from his first job with a railroad after                     he had other distractions.  Jellinek
      elicited  strong  opinions,  first  as  a                     management  found  out  that  he  and                        continued to serve in Austrian con-
      trusted  Vatican  official  during  the                       his  buddies  were  organizing  late                         sular posts after Nice, in both Mexi-
      Pope John Paul II years, and finally                          night train races.                                           co and Monaco.
      as John Paul’s successor. Much like                             At 19 Jellinek moved to France.                               World  War  I  ended  Jellinek’s
      John Paul, Josef Ratzinger’s life was                         Thanks  to  his  father’s  connections,                      comfortable and exuberant lifestyle.
      a story of the turbulent early twenti-                        he landed diplomatic jobs in French                          Now that Austria and France were
      eth century. Like John Paul he was  Pope  Benedict  XVI  in  Zagreb, Morocco.  Jellinek also launched in-                  opponents,  both  suspected  him  of
      also a brilliant academic and theolo-                         surance and stock trading businesses.                        aiding  and  abetting  the  enemy.
      gian.                                                           In  Morocco  he  met  his  future                          Gone was the luxury of dividing his
         Ratzinger served as archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1977 to wife  who  was  also  from  a  Jewish                time  between  the  two  countries.
      1982, but by 1982, his abilities had outgrown Bavaria. Most notably, John family.  In 1884 Jellinek moved his              Jellinek died in 1918.
      Paul II appointed him Prefect for the Congregation of the Faith, a position growing family back to the Vienna                 Jellinek’s  most  lasting  legacy
      he held until his election as pope in 2005. People who resented his doctri- area. There his daughter, Mercedes,            was his creation of a prestige auto-
      nal correctness in calling out liberalizing tendencies and criticisms in the was born in 1889.  Emil and Mercedes Jellinek.  motive  trademark  named  for  his
      church were always quick to point out that an earlier incarnation of this  Jellinek’s  businesses  continued               daughter  Mercedes.  Unfortunately,
      congregation was the Roman Inquisition.                       to  thrive,  as  did  his  diplomatic  ca-  Jellinek also started to enter his Mercedes  Jellinek’s  life  was  tragi-
          In many respects, the two figures – Ratzinger and Wojtyla – constitut- reer.  After he was named Austrian own collection of Daimler cars in cally short and, well, tragically trag-
      ed a dream team:  Both were scholars and church leaders intent on estab- Consul General in Nice, he and his races  with  his  Team  Mercedes  – ic.  She had two children with her
      lishing doctrinal clarity after muddled ideas – whether by carelessness or family began to spend more time in named  for  his  daughter  –  that  he first  husband.    Then  World  War  I
      design – had weakened Catholicity in many parts of the world. For Ratz- France.              had created.  The publicity helped ruined them. She subsequently left
      inger’s insistence on doctrinal clarity, and for his reminders to the world  Jellinek also developed an inter- Daimler’s sales to skyrocket.  her husband and her children. After
      that Catholic faith and morals really hadn’t sold out to trendy and errone- est in the emerging automobile busi-  In  1901  Jellinek  special-or- living homeless on the street for a
      ous ideas loudly circulating everywhere, people came to identify him as the ness  and  began  selling  –  at  least dered  a  Maybach-designed  Daim- while, she remarried.  She died of
      “pope’s Rottweiler” or as the “Panzerkardinal.”               initially – French cars.  Then he be- ler sports car that was to bear his cancer in 1929 at the age of 39.
         These facile stereotypes of Ratzinger as a strict and uncompromising came impressed with Wilhelm May- daughter’s  name:    the  Daimler-  There  are  two  major  ironies  in
      German obviously meant different things to different people. For people bach’s engineering and designs.  Mercedes.         all of this.  The first was that Mer-
      who opposed John Paul as a conservative, out-of-touch Pole supported by  His interest piqued, Jellinek visit-   His revolutionary new design cedes  Jellinek  had  never  taken  an
      a German axe-man, these stereotypes were meant to detract. For people ed Maybach at the Daimler Motoren took  the  automotive  world  by interest in the automobile business
      who agreed that John Paul and Ratzinger needed to clean house, these were Gesellschaft  (DMG)  near  Stuttgart. storm,  and  wealthy  enthusiasts at  all.    The  second,  of  course,  is
      terms of admiration.                                          He  began  selling  Daimler  automo- lined  up  to  order  Daimler-Mer- newsreels showing Adolf Hitler rid-
         I have my own personal recollections of Ratzinger. When I was doing biles in the French market, and regu- cedes  automobiles.  A  prestige ing  around  in  a  large  Mercedes-
      research in Germany, Cardinal Ratzinger visited the town where I lived larly   suggested   improvements. trademark was born.  Daimler de- Benz (new name the result of a 1926
      near Munich. It had been some 8 years since he had been cardinal archbish- Jellinek’s interference in engineering cided to use the popular Mercedes corporate merger) – named for the
      op, but by that time his reputation had been well-established as John Paul’s matters were equal parts annoyance name for all its automobile lines.  granddaughter of a rabbi.
      doctrinal enforcer at the Congregation of the Faith.          and blessing to Maybach.
         I managed to stumble into a Mass he was celebrating up in the old
      parish church. I no longer remember the occasion, but it was clear that the
      community very much turned out for him. The church was packed, and the
      parish choir was breaking its heart for the occasion. They shouldn’t have.
      The music didn’t land well.
                                                                                                                                 main battle tanks had been seen as
         My  other  recollection  is  that  Ratzinger  completely  destroyed  any                                                problematic because of their much
      perception I had of Ratzinger-der-Panzerkardinal. He was measured, kind,
                                                                                                                                 more obviously offensive capabili-
      quiet and soft-spoken. He came off as shy and studious – and quite humble.                                                 ties.
      I think it is safe to say that the entire world eventually came to realize the
                                                                                                                                    Germany has tried to tie the sup-
      same after Ratzinger was elected pope: quiet, polite, but always insistent                                                 ply of Leopards to a wider coalition
      that right was right and wrong was wrong.
                                                                                                                                 that  would  supply  other  tanks,  in-
         Whatever critics or admirers might say, he brought a dignity and a quiet                                                cluding more U.S. Abrams – a tank
      stability to the papacy, certainly knowing full well that he had a tough act
                                                                                                                                 viewed by experts as being less suit-
      to follow after the long and flamboyant pontificate of his predecessor.
                                                                                                                                 able for the war in Ukraine because
                                                                                                                                 of  its  heavy  consumption  of  fuel.
                           PERSPECTIVES                                                                                          Washington’s  reported  promise  in
                                                                                                                                 February  to  deliver  a  significant
       Bad vs. Evil                                                                                                              number of Abrams tanks appears to
          by John Duke                                                                                                           have broken the deadlock.
          oe  Biden  is  a  bad  president.  Biden has now offered Ukraine  Germany’s Leopard tank.                                 An  official  U.S.  announcement
        JHe's terrible. Vladimir Putin is 31 Abrams tanks, but said the U.S.                                                     on delivering Abrams is expected in
                                                                                                                                 the coming days. I'll believe it when
       evil.  After  watching  the  chaotic has  to  build  them  from  scratch,
                                                                       Although Germany has supplied  modern  and  capable  T-90s  (very
       evacuation  and  retreat  from  Af- which isn't true. It's an embarrass-  a large amount of equipment to                  I see it. Germany will have to pro-
       ghanistan,  Putin  calculated  that ment.  The  U.S.  has  thousands  of                    modern Russian tanks).        tect  all  of  Europe  and  not  rely  on
                                                                     Ukraine, including armored cars,  The widespread availability of
       Biden  would  do  the  same  to  the tanks  in  its  inventory.  There  are  it has also been wrestling with its          anyone but themselves.
       Ukraine. Putin was correct. But it 1,200  in  Egypt  alone.  If  the  U.S.                  Leopards – including in neighbor-
                                                                     post-second world1 war tradition  ing Poland, which wants to supply
       didn't  turn  out  the  way  Putin  ex- delays  the  Ukrainian  self-defense  of anti-militarism.
       pected.                       weaponry much longer it won't mat-                            them  to  Ukraine  –  makes  them  a
                                                                                                   good fit for Kyiv. Ukraine has sug-
          Biden  offered  to  evacuate ter when it finally arrives. Hopeful-  Ukraine has said it has an urgent                      The views of columnists and
       Ukrainian  President  Volodymyr ly  Congress  will  never  wait  that  need  for  heavier  armor  in  its  war  gested  it  needs  300  tanks,  while  letter writers do not necessarily
                                                                                                   U.S.  analysts  have  suggested  that
       Zelensky out of Kyiv, but Zelensky long.                     against  the  Russian  invaders.  Kyiv                        reflect the views of the German
       declined. “I need ammunition, not  The  Ukraine  would  prefer  the  has  limited  availability  of  tanks,  100  could  probably  shift  the  bal-  Citizen. Letters to the editor are
                                                                                                   ance of the war. Ukraine needs 350
       a ride” Zelensky told Biden. Zel- Leopard 2 tank anyway. The Ger-  most  of  them  from  the  Soviet  or                   welcome     at    mail@the
       ensky would have had to abandon man-manufactured  tank  first  came  post-Soviet era.       tanks.                         germancitizen.com  or  by  mail:
                                                                                                      After  weeks  of  pressure  Ger-
       his  people,  something  real  heroes into service in 1979 and has been in  Emphasizing its belief that Mos-               The German Citizen 3620 Har-
       never do. If Zelensky had listened wide  service  throughout  Europe.  cow intends to launch a significant  many  has  confirmed  it  will  make  lem  Rd.,  Cheektowaga,  NY
                                                                                                   14 Leopard 2A6 tanks available for
       to Biden, Russian troops would be The Leopard 2 main battle tank has  new offensive in the coming months,                  14215.
       on  all  of  NATO's  eastern  front a  range  of  about  500  km  (311  Kyiv and many of its allies believe  Ukraine’s war effort and more im-
                                                                                                   portantly  give  partner  countries
       countries, from Finland and Swe- miles). It has a top speed of 68 km/h  that the war will end more quickly if
       den, through the Baltic States and (42 mph). Equipped with a 120 mm  Russia is defeated on the battlefield  permission to re-export further bat-
                                                                                                   tle tanks to Kyiv. Germany’s posi-
       the Balkans.                  smooth bore gun as its main arma-  in Ukraine’s own counter-offensives
          Germany, with NATO's largest ment, it is also armed with two co-  to take back Russian occupied terri-  tion  on  sending  heavy  weaponry  Published by
       army  would  have  to  immediately axial light machine guns.  tory.                         has  been  conflicted.  It  prefers  a  Buffalo Standard Printing
       increase its size. The United King-  Besides being used by the Ger-  While Ukraine has won signifi-  multilateral approach on arms sup-  3620 Harlem Rd.
                                                                                                   ply  to  Ukraine  rather  than  being
       dom  (England)  has  arm  forces man  military,  the  Leopard  2  is  in  cant victories – in the battle for Kyiv              Cheektowaga, NY 14215
                                                                                                                                          716-831-8013
       numbering about 80,000 members. service in more than a dozen coun-  at the beginning of the war as well as  seen to be moving unilaterally.  mail@thegermancitizen.com
                                                                                                      Although  Germany  has  sup-
       New York City and Boston's police tries in Europe, as well as a number  in Kharkiv Oblast and around Kher-  plied a large amount of equipment  Editor - Roger Puchalski
       departments  number  40,000  each of other countries including Cana-  son in the south – it is hampered by  to  Ukraine,  including  armored  Consulting Editor - Martin Ederer
       and  could  probably  defeat  Eng- da. The tanks have been deployed in  a  shortage  of  tanks  to  support  its  cars, it has also been wrestling with
       land's  as  they  did  in  the  Revolu- Kosovo,  Bosnia,  Afghanistan  and  operations  and  faced  by  Russian  its post-second world war tradition  For Advertising Sales call:
       tionary War and the War of 1812.  Syria (by Turkey).         forces  increasingly  fielding  more  of  anti-militarism.  The  supply  of  Michelle Kisluk or
                                                                                                                                         Steve Kroczynski
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