forgiveness, accountability and responsibility

A book that has had a profound influnce on me recently is THE SUNFLOWER:ON THE POSSIBILITIES AND LIMITS OF FORGIVENESS. Written by Simon Wiesenthal, a Jew, concentration camp survivor, and nazi hunter, this book presents an event that occurred during WW2 and then asks "What would you do?" 50 leading writers, theologians, philosophers and human rights activists give their opinions. A wonderful book that is widely available.

However, one part struck me as concerns FGA ex-members -- and indeed current members. I will quote it here, as I see it as valuable food for thought in our discussion about accountability and responsibility. Wiesenthal is discussing the average German's responsibility for the Nazi regime.

"The question of Germany's [collective] guilt may never be settled. But one thing is certain: no German can shrug off the responsibility. Even if he has no personal guilt, he must share the shame of it. As a member of a guilty nation he cannot simply walk away like a passenger leaving a tramcar, whenever he chooses. It is the duty of Germans to find out who is guilty. And the non-guilty must dissassociate themselves publicly from the guilty." (p.93)

What do you think?