Articles

John Rabe Communication Center

in Heidelberg

Preface

This communication center was built in order to memorize Mr. John Rabe. In 1937 in Nanjing, Mr. Rabe saved 250,000 Chinese people by his great humanitarian assistance. At that time, Mr. Rabe was the chairman of the China of Siemens Company of Naijing branch. When Japanese invader conquered Nanjing, he built up a safety section of Nanjing International Neutrality in the spirit self-giving so thousands of people survived from the cruel and dreadful Massacre in Nanjing.

This action of humanitarian assistance happened in 1937, after Hitler usurped political power in 1933. During this period in Germany mainland, in its colonies and in other countries, millions of German people were deluded. They believed that these sudden political changes could solve the problem of economic depression and unemployment, and they were proud of it.

People knew a little about the real goal of the state socialists. John Rabe believed sincerely that he took the advantages of the form of power of state socialism in this action of humanitarian assistance. Without this contact, thousands of lives of Nanjingers couldn’t be saved. When he went back to Germany in 1938, he gradually realized the real background and goal of Nazi government, and then left from it.

There is not any relation between John Rabe Communication Center—as a public good cause, and state socialism and its ideology at all. The association believed that the action of humanitarian assistance of Mr. Rabe is unprecedented in the history of the world. Cideler saved more than 1,000 lives in the Third Empire, and he was rewarded. The action of Mr. Rabe was voluntary and it was an action of sheer humanitarianism. He risked his live not only in China but also in Germany. In Berlin, he lost the support of Siemens. He had to keep silence under intimidate of secret police and lost everything in the war.

Mr. Rabe wrote his affecting experience in his dairy. A friend of Mr. Rabe and former Germany ambassador to China, Mr. Awenl Wicdo published it in 1997, this book titled “the Good Man of Nanjing” and published by Stuyator Germany Press (present DVA Munihei Press). This book was translated into English, Chinese and Japanese.

To found the association of John Rabe Communication Center is on account of recognition of his achievement. Its goal is to promote the cultural exchanges and to support the international humanitarianism comes from the scholars and people who are interested in it from China, Japan and other countries.

The association of John Rabe Communication Center is also a site of international cultural exchange and get-together. As a witness to the peaceful and extraordinary contribution and to the national understanding, in the small museum of the communication center will exhibit the original dairy of Mr. Rabe and other historic papers.

The members and visitors of the association of communication center of John Rabe will carry forward the great humanitarian achievement of Mr. Rabe with the aim of founding an international and peaceful network.

The association makes out following articles in order to achieve this goal:

§1Name of the Association
(1) The name of association is John Rabe’s Communication Center.
(2) After being registered, at the end of the name “the registered association”, or “e.V.” for short should be attached.

§ 2 Location
The association locates in Heidelberg Germany.

§ 3 the goal of the association
(1) The goal of association is to promote international academic exchange, and promote more widely international peace movement. And it is on account of the dissemination of peaceful achievement that Mr. John Rabe gained during the War of Japanese Invasion.

§ 4 The registration of the association in registry office
The association should be registered in the registry office of local court in Heidelberg Germany.

§ 5 Public spirit
(1) The purpose of the work of association is only directly accord with the item rules —“the purpose of  revenue excellent pay and conditions” in revenue law.
(2) The activity of association is selfless; the first purpose of association is not in order to seek economic gains for itself.
(3) The fund from the association must be used according to the charters of the association. The association will not sponsor any member with its fund.
(4) No one is allowed to pass any payout which has nothing to do with the association or any item in the aim to gain profit.
(5) Once the association is terminated, dismissed or the purpose of today’s association is finished and cancelled, the property of the association will be given to the German Scientific Study Association, and the property must be used for the public causes only. 

§ 6 Enrollment of the members
(1) Any natural person, artificial person or group of any nationality, can be a member of association.
(2) The membership can be gained through the enrollment.
(3) The enrollment of member must be in the written form. 
(4)The council of the association decide of the enrollment of the association and it will come into effect with the written form declaration. And the person must recognize the charters once he or she becomes a member of the association. It is uncontroverted being rejected as a member of the association.
(5) It is not allowed to ask the association to be admitted. Members from ultra-religious or ultra-political groups are not allowed to join the association.

§ 7 Quit from the association
(1) Members have the right to quit from the association.
(2) The retreat declaration must follow its quit notice time limit, that is four weeks before the end of final accounting year.
(3) The declaration is made in the written form.  It is required to send the retreat declaration to one of the syndic from the council in time.

§ 8 Dismiss a member
(1) The status of a member can be terminated by dismissing.
(2) A member can only be dismissed due to very serious reasons.
(3)  The decision on the dismissing of a member must be proposed by the council of the association.
(4) Certain individual or social group can also be dismissed from the association if it violates the fame of the association.
(5) Unless the member of the association falls into the ultra-religious or ultra-political group, the member can not be dismissed from the association for philosophical, religious or political reasons.

§ 9 Honorary member and member
(1) According to the proposal of the council honorary member can be granted to certain persons in a life long term. Honorary members and initiated members can enjoy the treatment free of  paying the membership dues.
(2) After the second warning is sent out two months later, the member who do not pay his/her membership dues, the member will be deleted from the registered form. And the notice must be sent out in the written form.

§ 10 The framework and the organization of the association
The association is consisted of council, general assembly and if necessary an advisory group. Other organizations can be established according to the general assembly, especially the organizations which cam carry out unusual tasks.

§ 11 Annual final account of revenue and expenditure
The annual final account of revenue and expenditure is calendar year. From the establishing day, the first year is the annual final account of revenue and expenditure.

§ 12 Membership dues and responsibilities
(1) The member should pay the annual membership dues when he/she registered.
(2) The annual membership dues and its time limit is fixed by the general assembly.
(3) Honorary member and the initiated member is free of paying the membership dues.
(4) The council may ratify to excuse the membership dues partially or totally, and postpone the pay of the dues.
(5) The members of the association will not take responsibility for the financial affairs of John Rabe Communication Center. All the affairs can only be borne with the association’s properties.

§ 13 The Council
(1) The council is made up of seven people, they are the chairman, vice chairman, accountant in chief, and four syndics.
(2) The syndics are elected from the members of the association on the general meeting, and they serve a three-year-long term.
(3) In case the members of the syndic council quit the post in advance, the council can appoint a member of the association  to be the acting syndic until the one to be elected at the general meeting of the next term.
(4) Every syndic can be the chairman, the vice chairman or the accountant in chief. They all have the right to represent the association respectively.
(5) The council will carry out the decision, take charge of the management affairs. The council can pass a decision on a simple majority. A member of the association can represent a member of the council only on the written form of entrusting letter.
(6) The council members will get no payment for managing the association. The council has its own scope of responsibility.
(7) The council will hold a general meeting once a year or under the agreement of one fifth members. The right for changing is reserved for later changes.
(8) The council should make out the annual financing budget and decide upon the usages. And the council will determine the working and activity mode of the association.
(9) When all the members from the council vote on some practical issues in the written form, the council then can make a written form decision. In this case there is no need to hold a meeting.

§ 14 Summon a general meeting
(1) The council itself considers it is necessary to hold a meeting or one fifth of the members apply in the written form to state the reason to hold a meeting, in these cases the meeting can be held.  A general meeting for all the members of the association can be held in the following cases:
Under the requirement of the association’s interest, the meeting will be held once a year.
(2) The chairman of the council in the mean time is the chairman of the general meeting.

§ 15   The way for summoning
(1) The chairman of the council will inform all the members of the association about the general meeting in the written form. The time will be measured by the post mark on the letter, and the length is one month. The letters should be sent to the members’ latest addresses.
(2) The notice of the meeting should list the decisions to be made. (Scheduled)
(3) The general meeting will accept a summary report on the work of the council and the association. After checking and ratifying the work of the previous year, the general meeting will make decisions upon the issues presented.
(4) If there are no restrictions of the other charters（See restrictions at chapter §14, §17 and§19）, the number of the members at the general meeting will not affect the effect of the vote.
(5) On the precondition of four fifths members of the association make the decision, even the issues are not in the schedule, the general meeting can also make the effective decision.
This article does not suit the modification of chapters, the change of the association’s purpose and the disbandment of the association.
(6) The resolution can only be passed on the basis that a simple majority of the members who have the right to vote are at the meeting.
(7) the exertion of the voting right may be entrusted to other members with the written form letter. And the entrusted letter is effective for the general meeting only once. And a member can only deputize one ticket one time.

§16 The proof of the general meeting
(1) The decisions which are made at the general meeting should be made into records. 
(2)  The records of the meeting should be signed jointly by the clerk man chosen by the general meeting and the chairman of the meeting. If he meeting is to be chaired by several leaders, the last leader at the meeting would sign for all the other leaders at the meeting.
(3) The ones who sign on the records would take responsibilities for keeping the records of the association’s documents.

§ 17 The change of the rules.
(1) The suggestions for modifying the rules must be put forward by one tenth of the members from the association. And the members from the association must get the suggestions three months before the general meeting.
(2) As for the change of the rules of the association, at least one half of the members who have the voting right must attend the meeting. If the members at the meeting do not reach the required number, the general meeting should be held once again according to the articles of the association. The meeting held for the second time can make out decisions without considering the number of members who attend the meeting. No matter what the situation is, the change of the articles of the it is a must that two thirds of the members who have the voting right at the meeting
(3) The abstained ticket at the voting is nullification ticket.

§ 18 Advisory group
The advisory group should represent different interest of the association. The advisory group does not belong to the council of the association.  The chief role of the advisory group is responsible for consulting all the issues of the association. The council of the association will invite members from the advisory group to attend the meeting held by the council as scheduled at a proper time, or query the suggestions from the advisory group on the issues of the association in the written form at a proper time. And all the suggestions should be explained at the council meeting in a report.

§ 19 Disbandment of the association
The resolution for disbanding the association can only be made at a special meeting held for it and voted by three fourths of the members who have the voting right. And the precondition is that at least one half of the members from the association who have the voting right must attend the meeting. Once the association is disbanded the property of the association should be dealt with according to the articles in chapter 5.

Heidelberg,
August 27th, 2004

Translated by Jiang Ping and Liu Guangfa  in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China.