Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais(SNCF)  is bidding to get a piece of the lucrative contracts to build the United State’s first high speed rail tracks.  Plans for high-speed rails were announced by President Barack Obama.   Nothing out of the ordinary  until you add in some creepy and disturbing historical context.

Sixty-Nine years before they made their current play to transport us at high speed around the United States, SNCF was transporting Jews at relative high speed to concentration camp gas chambers during the Holocaust. Between 1941 and 1944, 3,000 wagons — originally designed for the transportation of cattle — were used by the SNCF to transport Jews to Nazi death camps.  Holocaust survivors and others are voicing their opposition to SNCF being part of the high speed rail process.

This is not the 1st time a foreign company with Holocaust ties has caused controversy when trying to do business in this country.  In 2008,  the Germany based financial services giant(the largest in the world),  Allianz received similar treatment when they announced that they would bid for the naming rights to the NFL’s New York Jets and New York Giants new Meadowlands Stadim. Allianz  has its name on Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.   That’s the relative present.  In the historical past, Allianz insured the building of concentration camps.  In the past Allianz  had given money owed to Jewish beneficiaries of their life insurance policies to the Nazi authorities instead.

At first,  Like Allianz,  SNCF  poured on excuse after excuse of justification and order following to minimize their historical complicity in mass murder. SNCF  argues that it had no control over railroad operations when France was under Nazi occupation from 1940 to 1944. It was simply under orders to transport Jews to death camps. The following orders” argument goes directly to the moral low ground explicitly rejected in the Nuremberg Trials  and other war crimes tribunals.  It is insultingly despicable that it would even be put forth in a  good faith attempt to deal with the facts.  In January, faced with the prospect of  the loss United States high speed rail contracts,  SNCF finally did proffer a formal apology for its role.

States are now also taking steps to ensure that any company involved in the Billion Dollar nationwide project, disclose any involvement with the Holocaust. In California, lawmakers had passed a bill to ensure this,  but it was subsequently vetoed by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The bill would have forced companies  wanting to bid on a share of  California’s $45 billion high-speed rail project to disclose whether they transported Holocaust victims.  Maryland has  passed legislation requiring  SNCF  to disclose, as a condition for receiving their rail contract, to disclose it’s role in transporting 76,000 people loaded in 76 cattle cars to their death in Nazi camps.

More recently, SNFC struck a deal with the  state of Florida to fund a Holocaust education program with an 80k donation.   Is this enough?  Many survivors do not think so calling it “tainted money”.

To a large extent time is taking care of the most vocal objections.  Within 10 years there will be few if any survivor left.   Many of us will always remember but many will forget, especially when profits make it expedient to do so. Will “Holocaust Tainted” companies care anymore then?

Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais(SNCF)  is bidding to get a piece of the lucrative contracts to build the United State’s first high speech rail tracks.  Plans for high-speed rails were announced by President Barack Obama.   Nothing out of the ordinary  until you add in some creepy and disturbing historical context.

Sixty-Nine years before they made their current play to transport us at high speed around the United States, SNCF was transporting Jews at relative high speed to concentration camp gas chambers during the Holocaust. Between 1941 and 1944, 3,000 wagons — originally designed for the transportation of cattle — were used by the SNCF to transport Jews to Nazi death camps.  Holocaust survivors and others are voicing their opposition to SNCF being part of the high speed rail process.

This is not the 1st time a foreign company with Holocaust ties has caused controversy when trying to do business in this country.  In 2008,  the Germany based financial services giant(the largest in the world),  Allianz received similar treatment when they announced that they would bid for the naming rights to the NFL’s New York Jets and New York Giants new Meadowlands Stadim. Allianz  has its name on Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.   That’s the relative present.  In the historical past, Allianz insured the building of concentration camps.  In the past Allianz  had given money owed to Jewish beneficiaries of their life insurance policies to the Nazi authorities instead.

At first,  Like Allianz,  SNCF  poured on excuse after excuse of justification and order following to minimize their historical complicity in mass murder. SNCF  argues that it had no control over railroad operations when France was under Nazi occupation from 1940 to 1944. It was simply under orders to transport Jews to death camps. The following orders” argument goes directly to the moral low ground explicitly rejected in the Nuremberg Trials  and other war crimes tribunals.  It is insultingly despicable that it would even be put forth in a  good faith attempt to deal with the facts.  In January, faced with the prospect of  the loss United States high speed rail contracts,  SNCF finally did proffer a formal apology for its role.

States are now also taking steps to ensure that any company involved in the Billion Dollar nationwide project, disclose any involvement with the Holocaust. In California, lawmakers had passed a bill to ensure this,  but it was subsequently vetoed by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The bill, would have forced companies  wanting to bid on a share of  California’s $45 billion high-speed rail project to disclose whether they transported Holocaust victims.  Maryland has now  passed legislation requiring  SNCF  to disclose, as a condition for receiving their rail contract, to disclose it’s role in transporting 76,000 people loaded in 76 cattle cars to their death in Nazi camps.

Will we reach a historical point where companies who wish to shed their Holocaust past can do business without fear of negative publicity and blackballed business dealings?  To a large extent time is taking care of that.  Within 10 years there will be few if any survivor left.  Many of us will always remember but many will forget, especially when profits make it expedient to do so.  There however,is still  time for companies who have not adequately confronted their past to do so and re-brand themselves for the future without excuse or justification.

Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais(SNCF)  is bidding to get a piece of the lucrative contracts to build the United State’s first high speech rail tracks. Plans for high-speed rails were announced last January by President Barack Obama. Nothing out of the ordinary about that until you add in some creepy and disturbing historical context. Sixty-Nine years before they made their current play to transport us at high speed around the United States, SNCF was transporting Jews at relative high speed to concentration camp gas chambers during the Holocaust. Between 1941 and 1944, 3,000 wagons — originally designed for the transportation of cattle — were used by the SNCF to transport Jews to Nazi death camps.  Holocaust survivors and others are voicing their opposition to SNCF being part of the high speed rail process.

This is not the 1st time a foreign company with Holocaust ties has caused controversy when trying to do business in this country.  In 2008,  the Germany based financial services giant(the largest in the world),  Allianz received similar treatment when they announced that they would bid for the naming rights to the NFL’s New York Jets and New York Giants new Meadowlands Stadim.   Allianz  has its name on Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. That’s the relative present.  In the historical past, Allianz insured the building of concentration camps.  In the past Allianz  had given money owed to Jewish beneficiaries of their life insurance policies to the Nazi authorities instead.

Like Allianz,  SNCF has poured on excuse after excuse of justification and order following to minimize their historical complicity in mass murder. SNCF  argues that it had no control over railroad operations when France was under Nazi occupation from 1940 to 1944. It was simply under orders to transport Jews to death camps.  The firm also has said the French government has made an apology and offered reparations.  The company however has reportedly not apologized for its direct role.  Moreover, the “following orders” argument goes directly to the moral low ground explicitly rejected in the Nuremberg Trials  and other war crimes tribunals.  It is insultingly despicable that it would even be put forth in a  good faith attempt to deal with the facts.

In the end, the Stadium Authority decided that the public relations damage that would ensue was not worth taking millions from Allianz.  As I was with Allianz, I am against SNCF or any company who played a direct role in the Holocaust and has not confronted it through direct apologies and/or reparations doing business in this country.

As to the high speed rail, other states have recognized the sensitivity and historical significance of the issue.  In California, lawmakers passed a bill that forces companies  wanting to bid on a share of  California’s $45 billion high-speed rail project to disclose whether they transported Holocaust victims.

Will we reach a historical point where companies who wish to shed their Holocaust past can do business without fear of negative publicity and blackballed business dealings?  To a large extent time is taking care of that.  Within 10 years there will be few if any survivor left.  Many of us will always remember but many will forget, especially when profits make it expedient to do so.  There however,is still more than enough time for companies who have not adequately confronted their past to do so and re-brand themselves for the future without excuse or justification.

The NFL’s New York Jets and  New York Giants are in the mist of naming right negotiations for their new 1.3 billion dollar  stadium slated to open in 2010. The rights are expected to bring the teams between 20-30 million dollars per year.   While involving big bucks there normally would be just a behind the scenes ho-hum series of negotiations culminating with a press-release, sports page coverage and maybe a low key obligatory news conference.  The teams can only dream in retrospect that this could have been the scenario

The leading contender for the naming rights was  Allianz.  Allianz is a Germany based Insurance Company. Allianz was founded in 1890.  It is the largest financial service provider in the world.  Allianz already has has it name on Allianz Arena in its home city of Munich.  It was home to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Allianz also has significant historical ties to Nazi Germany. This is nothing new in terms of  Nazi history. Many currently reputable companies based in Europe played either direct or tangential roles in providing materials and services to the Nazis in aid of the war machine.  Allianz falls into a unique group. Their business relationships with the Nazis were not related to advancing the war effort.  Their services directly aided in advancing “The Final Solution”.  The genocide of all Jews in Europe and ultimately the world. According to noted historian Gerald Feldman, Allianz had given money owed to Jewish beneficiaries of their life insurance policies to the Nazi authorities instead. They also insured the construction of concentration camps.  Feldman has written that Allianz sold life insurance policies to Jews with knowledge that Jews were being murdered in mass.  They knew there would be very little if any chance of ever collecting.  Allianz allegedly further collaborated with the Nazis to hide the fraud being committed on the Jews from the outside world portraying what Feldman termed “business as usual”.  As an interesting media side-note the Allianz ties to Nazi Germany was dramatized in a Law and Order Episode entitled ” Blood Money“.

The the thought of driving past or entering “Allianz Stadium”  with the ghosts and memories of 6 million murdered Jews emanating from it created an uproar not only the Jewish community but many local New York and New Jersesy community leaders. Allianz has responded to previous complaints and accusations by stating that it has made restitution to Holocaust victims and has therefore atoned for its sins.  It should not be held further accountable in its business dealings.   There are those that disagree. Elan Steinberg, the former director of the World Jewish Congress said Allianz still owes Jewish beneficiaries some $2 billion dollars.  Steinberg is notable for negotiating the 1998 multi-billion dollar global Holocaust settlement from Swiss and other international banks and business interests holding assets belonging to Holocaust victims.  Interestingly Allianz allegedly held up insurance payments to 9-11 victims, finally paying when confronted with threatened government action.

In the end the Stadium Authority decided that the public relations disaster barreling towards them like a tidal wave and the collateral good will and public relations damage that would ensue was not worth taking the highest bidder.  There were certainly millions to be had from other interested parties with less sordid corporate pasts. The Sports Authority issued a brief statement that negotiations with Allianz for naming rights had terminated.

Was Allianz treated unfairly?  As a descendant of Russian Jews I am acutely aware of the historical, moral and personal connection that Jews feel to the Holocaust and intentional an unintentional  actions that diminish the inhuman magnitude of horror that it represents.  I believe the Stadium authority did the right thing in rejecting the Allianz bid.  The bid should not have been rejected because of what Allianz represents as a company. They represent a  successful  financial services company trying to maximize their exposure and profits.  Good for the Giants and Jets.  Good for Allianz.  Good for the local economy. Sound business sense.  Allianz should not have gotten the bid because of what the name “Allianz” represents as a “historical brand”   Whether they like it or not the Allianz  historical brand presently carries a significant current Holocaust taint to it.  As long as that taint exists to the brand Allianz has a responsibility to  wield their brand with sensitivity and restraint. Companies have a duty to consider the historical taint when doing business with Allianz.   When history and world opinion finally dictates that the Allianz historical brand has been cleansed to the extent to it ho longer carries the ghost of 6 million dead, then and only they can should they expand the marketing of that brand to areas bringing the public conscience into play  as compared to the individual consumer purchase.

There will certainly be a day when the Allianz brand is cleansed and ready to re-enter the business world marketing to the public consumer and the public conciense without guilt or a historical flogging.  Today is not that day.