Baltimore Hias Collected $250,000 in Claims from Germany During 1965

More than a quarter of a million dollars in indemnification claims has been collected from the West German Government by Hias of Baltimore since the beginning of 1965 for Nazi victims now living in Baltimore, according to Paul L. Cordish, Hias president.

Speaking at the opening Board of Directors’ meeting of the season, Mr. Cordish stated that this brings the cumulative total collected since the inauguration of the indemnification program 14 years ago, up to $3,661,865, but does not include the monthly pensions secured for Hias clients.

Lump sum settlements have been collected for more than 950 Nazi victims to date living in the Baltimore area, and monthly pensions for approximately 276. Indemnification claims are filed against the West German Government for deprivation of liberty, through imprisonment in ghettos, concentration and forced labor camps, damage to health, physical disabilities incurred during the Nazi regime, and for the loss of close family members such as spouse, parents or children.

In addition, indemnification claims are also filed for material damage such as loss of livelihood, loss of assets and interruption of education. The average claimant has a minimum of two claims. The average lump payment is $4,000, and the average pension–$150 a month. Mr. Cordish also reported that 45 new immigrant families had arrived in the community since the first of the year and a number more are expected before the year’s end.

Hias, the migration service agency of the Jewish Welfare Fund, sets in motion and follows through to conclusion indemnification claims for Nazi victims now living in Baltimore and helps newcomers with the technicalities of immigration and naturalization.