Ernst Cramer, German journalist, advocate of close ties to the US and Israel dies at 96

Ernst Cramer, influential German publicist, dies

BERLIN — Ernst Cramer, an influential postwar journalist who was a strong supporter of Germany’s close ties to the United States and Israel, died Tuesday in Berlin following a heart attack, media group Axel Springer AG said. He was 96.

Cramer started his career as a journalist after World War II and later held influential positions at the German newspaper publisher Springer.

Cramer, who was Jewish, fled to the U.S. in 1938, after a brief imprisonment at the Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald. He joined the U.S. Army in 1942 and returned to Europe as part of the Normandy invasion, Springer said.

During his time as a soldier in Germany, he found out that most of his family had been killed by the Nazis.

“His life … , characterized by a profound sense of humanity, reflects the past century’s unequaled horror and also the strength to reconcile,” German President Horst Koehler said.

Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said few publicists had done so much for close ties between Germany and the U.S. and for the country’s reconciliation with Israel.

Cramer joined Springer company in 1958 and served on the board, the supervisory council and later as president of the Axel Springer foundation.