The Institute of Jewish Affairs of the American office of the World Jewish Congress published today the full text of the West German Federal Compensation Law in an English translation, to assist victims of Nazis who must file compensation claims under this law by October 1, 1957.
Stating that efforts are being made to secure an extension of the deadline, Dr. Nehemiah Robinson, director of the institute, reported that as of December 31, 1956, 1,576,000 claims had been filed. Of that number, about 367,000 have been settled in full by German compensation agencies. Since the Federal Indemnification Law came into force in 1953, Dr. Robinson said, Bonn has paid $387,000,000 to claimants.
In an introduction to the translation, Dr. Robinson points out that the publication has been necessitated by the enactment in 1956 of legislation amending the original 1953 Law, and by the recent promulgation of three regulations supplementing the Law in many important respects, such as payments for loss of life, damage to health, and damage to professional pursuits.
For the convenience of applicants qualifying under the Law, the WJC publication includes a translation of the official application form, as well as a list of offices where the forms must be filed. This details which type of application should be directed to different offices.
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