Greek Jewish Parley Hears Little Progress Made in Organizing Restitution Fund

There has been little progress in the work of the Jewish Restitution Fund set up to take over responsibility for heirless Jewish property and to use the monies derived from it for the rehabilitation of Greek Jewry, it was reported here last night at a meeting of representatives of 18 Jewish communities. Among other tasks confronting the 48 representatives at the parley is the election of a new administrative council for the Fund.

Of the three major branches of the Fund, two of them–the sections at Janina and Cavalla–have not progressed beyond the preparatory work of setting up their apparatus. At Salonika, the Fund branch has taken over some 1,400 of a total of 2,000 pieces of property owned by Jews murdered by the Nazis. The income from the property already administered has come to about $5,000 in the last four months, it was reported.

The parley adopted a resolution thanking King Paul and the Greek Government for passage of restitution legislation–passed in 1946 and first implemented by the Cabinet last May. Another resolution thanked the Joint Distribution Committee for its aid to Greek Jewry and asked it to continue its assistance program until the rehabilitation Fund was completely organized to take over this job.