It´s silly to say that you´re proud that your ancestors left Europe. It would be as silly as saying I were proud that my ancestors stayed here. But yes, it´s right that one must earn his luck.
If you look closely enough, you won´t deny any longer that America was not ahead of Europe in science, technology, sports, culture, etc. This advantage came after two world wars.
True. Until the 1930s, there was no question at all that the leaders in the physical, chemical and mathematical sciences in the world were the Germans. Hands down. Slam dunk.
How quickly politics ruined that in just a few short years is an object lesson in just how fragile an academic/intellectual infrastructure really is. Abuse it, and try to take geniuses and make them act as though the political demands of the country outweigh their own intellectual interests and, well, you get an outflux, and some other country gets the benefits of all of that talent.
That's the lesson, and it's not merely a lesson for Germany. It's a lesson for everybody. This pattern has been repeated over and over again in history. It's being played out right now too. The more national politics interferes with science, the more degraded the science becomes. Meanwhile, bright people elsewhere who are not so burdened with mere national issues and mere politics and mere laws of the land, are able to soar right on past the former leaders.