The general claims law, a measure which would benefit Jewish victims of Nazi persecution, has been approved by High Commissioner John J. McCloy, Governor of the American zone of Germany, it was learned today.
Jews who were imprisoned in concentration camps or their survivors will be enabled by the law to file claims for reimbursement for lost earnings and physical disabilities incurred. Pensions will be paid in Deutsche marks to orphan children and widows.
Sponsored by the military government, the law was approved by the Minister Presidents of the four Western Gorman states, known as the Laenderrat. It was recently returned by the military government to the Laenderrat with a notation of “no comment”, the inference being that it might be desirable to await the formation of a Western German state – according to sources close to the State Department.
Victims of Nazi religious persecution eligible for compensation will be most Jews of German nationality or Jews in Germany before May, 1945. It could not be immediately determined here if Eastern European Jews shipped wholesale to German death camps would also be indemnified. The law is one which has long been sought by the American Jewish Committee and other major Jewish organizations.
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.
