The association of Polish-born Jews in Britain urged the government not to extend full recognition to East Germany until that regime agrees to pay compensation to Jewish victims of Nazism in Poland and elsewhere.
In a letter to the government, the association said that enormous loot was stolen by the Nazis from Polish Jews. It cited a letter signed by Gen. Odyl Globocnik, Himmler’s representative in Poland, which reported that the Nazis collected 97,581 kilograms of gold coins, 20,952 kilograms of gold wedding rings and 20,880 kilograms of gold wedding rings with diamonds from Jews in southern Poland. In addition, the general reported that 11,830 kilograms were extracted from the gold fillings of teeth taken from Jewish corpses.
“This is but one small example which gives a clue to the total loot taken from Polish Jews,” the letter said. The association estimated that East Germany should pay at least $500 million to discharge its moral obligations to the victims of Nazism.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
