Groups within both the People’s Party and the Social Democratic Party, partners in Austria’s coalition government, have submitted protests to the government against its failure to adequately provide restitution for Nazi victims.
The latest protests center about the failure to provide restitution for people forced out of employment during the Nazi regime for racial or political reasons. Many of these, legally entitled to restitution from their old employers, cannot collect because the firms are out of business.
Finance Minister Reinhard Kamitz has pledged to check into the program, authorized under Austria’s Seventh Restitution Law. Meanwhile, Bruno Pitterman, Vice Chancellor, predicted in a radio broadcast that Parliament will debate and approve all outstanding restitution legislation before it recesses for the Summer. He said that Herr Kamitz had shown “full understanding” of the matter.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
