Emek Refaim, the main drag of the German Colony neighbourhood in southern Jerusalem, is lined with new restaurants and high-end boutiques.

BBC: Hip Jerusalem and historic Tel Aviv

Known as Kolmanskop, it sprouted as a prim German town in the Namib a century ago, when the country was a German colony known as German South West Africa.

BBC: The ghostly shore of Namibia��s Skeleton Coast

In the late 1700's, Benjamin Franklin fretted over Pennsylvania becoming "a colony of aliens" thanks to German immigrants.

CNN: Commentary: Fear of foreigners drives immigration debate