Hungarian Jews, though they were inmates of German concentration camps during the Nazi era, have no claim under German indemnification legislation, Secretary General Dr. H. G. van Dam of the Central Jewish Council declared here today. His statement came in reply to many refugees from Hungary, now in Austria and other countries, who had been deported to such Nazi camps as Auschwitz.
With few exceptions, only former residents of Germany are entitled to apply for indemnification payments, Dr. van Dam pointed out. In addition to pre-Hitler inhabitants who later emigrated, the main categories of eligible Nazi victims are those who maintained a permanent domicile in West Germany or West Berlin on December 31, 1952; those who had a permanent domicile there the following year and qualify under the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees; finally DP’s who lived in West Germany or West Berlin on January 1, 1947.
Hardly any of the thousands of Nazi victims among the Jews now fleeing Hungary can meet these conditions. In the case of those subjected to Nazi medical experiments, no deadlines applied, but the number of surviving unfortunates in this group is so small that a mere $50,000 is appropriated annually for the claimants from and in all countries.
Dr. van Dam suggests that the Bonn Parliament might extend the principle of “equit-ableness” to Hungarian refugees, making them eligible to receive compensation for their sufferings at German hands, but chances of any such action being taken are considered very slight.
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.
