A demand that “first and foremost consideration” be given in the use of proceeds from heirless and unclaimed Jewish property to the needs of Jews living in Germany and Jews who were expelled from Germany and now live abroad, was made here at a conference of German Jewish organizations.
The executive committee of the Council of Jews from Germany and the directorate of the Council of Jews in Germany met here under the honorary presidency of Dr. Leo Baeck, with Dr. Walter Breslauer of London presiding. Representatives of the Working Committee of Jewish Lawyers in Germany and the three rabbis officiating in Germany attended the conference on indemnification, use of heirless and unclaimed Jewish properties in Germany and improvement of cultural exchanges.
The conference, in a communique, expressed “the unanimous opinion that heirless and unclaimed property of Jews who resided in Germany before they were murdered, be assigned for specific purposes. For ethical and legal reasons, the social institutions of the Jews in Germany as well as the social needs and projects of Jews who were expelled from Germany and are now living abroad, must be given foremost and sufficient consideration in the use of these properties.”
The communique declared that “all delegates at this conference expressed their disapproval of the attitude which the executive of the Jewish Restitution Successor Organization in the United States zone has adopted on this question which is so vitally important for Jews in and from Germany.
“This conference,” it added, “has decided to initiate steps which seem appropriate in order to secure realization of these essential claims. The Council of Jews from Germany, representing all Jews who emigrated from Germany, and the Central Council, as the representative body of Jewish communities in Germany, have decided on close cooperation in the future.”
Following the conference, Dr. Baeck called upon Dr. Theodore Heuss, the Federal President, whom he described as “an old friend.”
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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.
