Allianz Unforgiven in New York

Well, this is more than a little ridiculous:

NEWARK – The New York Giants and Jets have canceled
negotiations on stadium naming rights with a German insurance company that once had ties to the Nazis.

    Allianz had been seeking a deal to put its name on the stadium being built by both teams in the Meadowlands.
The deal could have been worth an estimated $30 million a year.
The stadium is scheduled to be completed for the 2010 season.

Allianz once insured Nazi death camps and refused to pay life insurance
claims to its Jewish clients – instead granting the proceeds to the
Nazis.

The proposed deal was criticized by Jewish
organizations, Holocaust survivors and football fans who said seeing
the company’s name emblazoned on the stadium would be a constant
reminder of the company’s ties to the Holocaust.

For years, Allianz has been expanding its operations in the US, making significant acquisitions along the way. A large percentage of Allianz’s 180,000 employees are based in the US.  Why shouldn’t Allianz have the opportunity of raising its profile in its 2nd most important market?  Furthermore, Allianz has been completely open and transparent about its history, and has made restitution payments for its NS-activities.

Die Unternehmensgeschichte von 1933 bis 1945 hatte die Allianz unter
anderem vom jüdischen Historiker Gerald Feldman untersuchen lassen "Wir
haben uns unserer Vergangenheit gestellt", sagte eine
Konzernsprecherin. Wegen der Aufarbeitung gibt es daher im New Yorker
Stadionstreit auch gemäßigte Stimmen. So glaubt etwa Rabbi Andrew Baker
vom American Jewish Committee, dass die Allianz wie jede andere Firma
einem Stadion ihren Namen geben könne. (Allianz had the Jewish historian Gerald Feldman, among others, research the history of the company from 1933 to 1945. "We opened the books to our past" said a corporate spokeswoman.  Because of this openness, there are also more moderate voices to be heard in connection with the New York Stadium controversy. For example, Rabbi Andrew Baker of the American Jewish Committee agrees that Allianz should have the right ot lend its name to a stadium just like any other company.)

Besides, if there was any business enterprise that thrived under the Nazis, it was Deutsche Bank.  But no one has objected to Deutsche sponsoring one of the biggest annual golf tournaments:  The Deutsche Bank Championship.