Jewish Claims Conference Presses Germany on Indemnification

A resolution directing Dr. Nahum Goldmann, president of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, to convey to West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer the “serious concern” of the 22 member organizations of the claims conference “about the manner in which the German indemnification program is being carried out,” was unanimously adopted at the final session today of the two-day meeting of the claims conference’s board of directors, at which Dr. Goldmann presided.

In adopting the resolution on indemnification, the board asked Dr. Goldmann to stress the following points in a letter to Chancellor Adenauer:

1. Indemnification legislation must be simplified; 2. The maze of technicalities which is strangling the law must be abolished; 3. Insistence on detailed proof, which is almost impossible to obtain, must be eliminated; 4. Extension of categories of persons entitled to compensation, and increasing of a mounts being paid; 5. Advance payments must be facilitated and the machinery for handling the claims must be enlarged and improved.

“Most important of all, however, the spirit which animated enactment of the law must somehow be communicated down to every official until the compensation promised claimants becomes not merely a hope, but a reality,” the resolution said.

“Although two and a half years have passed since the agreement was signed, legislation which would compensate individuals for loss of assets confiscated by the Third Reich is still in draft form. Even the first regulations under the law, defining the rights of widows and orphans, took a full year to release and the basic revision which is so essential has not yet been drafted,” the resolution said.

GOLDMANN DISAPPOINTED WITH BONN’S ACTION ON INDIVIDUAL CLAIMS

Prior to the adoption of the resolution, Dr. Goldmann voiced his deep concern over West Germany’s failure to implement its individual indemnification legislative program. He appealed to the Bonn Government to give this matter “its highest and most urgent attention,” At the same time, he expressed satisfaction with the progress of deliveries of German reparations goods to Israel, noting that between the time the reparations pact was ratified and Dec. 31, 1954, Germany had delivered goods valued at $120.000,000 to Israel. In addition, he said, approximately $50,000,000 more in goods is scheduled to be delivered within the next six months.

Emphasizing his disappointment with the German Government’s short-comings in carrying out its restitution and indemnification laws, Dr. Goldmann said: “After almost ten years since the end of the war, tens of thousands of persecutees are still awaiting some measure of compensation for the losses and injuries they sustained at Nazi hands. We call upon the German Government to give this matter its highest and most urgent attention,” Dr. Goldmann concluded.

Moses A. Leavitt, ecretary of the claims conference, reported that it had distributed over $9,500,000 during 1954 for relief, material and cultural rehabilitation and resettlement of Jewish victims in every part of the world. More than 100,000 Jews who suffered at the hands of the Nazis were aided.

400 JEWISH GROUPS SEEK $50,000,000 FROM CLAIMS CONFERENCE

Jacob Blaustein, senior vice-president of the claims conference, presented recommendations for major allocations for the board to consider. He reported that applications had been received from some 400 organizations dealing with some aspect of work for Nazi victims in 26 lands, asking for more than $50,000,000. He stressed that the board was faced with the “arduous job” of applying the limited funds available to those areas of greatest and most urgent need. The conference is “forced to deny nearly 80 percent of all funds requested not so much from lack of merit as from lack of funds, “Mr. Blaustein stressed.

He recommended: that of some $10,000,000 to be available in 1955, $7,300,000 be allocated for direct relief and physical and economic rehabilitation of victims of Nazi persecution–largely in countries formerly occupied by the Nazi; that $1,200,000 be allocated for continuation of the program for cultural and educational reconstruction, and that $800,000 be allocated to the United Restitution Organization.

Moses Beckelman, European rapporteur for the claims conference, reported that of approximately $7,000,000 allocated by the conference for relief and rehabilitation–from reparations funds paid to Israel in the form of goods and then returned to the conference in cash by Israel–about $6,000,000 will go to Jewish communities in Europe.

“Surveys and samplings repeated in each country two or three times in the past five or six years have revealed that by and large we are dealing with a group of 77,000 people for whom relief is a basic requirement. Resettlement is extremely limited and rehabilitation, in the sense of individuals once again becoming independent of the need for relief, is more limited still,” Mr. Beckelman stated.

“We must even expect additions from tens of thousands of former victims of Nazi persecution now living in European countries who today are marginally able to take care of themselves, but who each year are growing older and are coming closer to the point where they need assistance,” he continued.

Warning the Jewish communities of Europe that this group would continue to exist when the claims conference’s money would no longer be available, Mr. Beckelman urged the communities to use the funds they are now getting in a constructive way and to develop means of financing this burden from their own resources in anticipation of the day when outside sources of help would be considerably diminished.

CONFERENCE TO GRANT $1,208,000 TO CULTURAL GROUPS IN 1955

It was indicated at the conference today that cultural and educational reconstruction will be continued and extended during 1955 with an anticipated allocation of $1,208,000. Since the conference was in receipt of applications totalling $15,000,000 only the highest priorities could be met in the field of Jewish education, research and publication, documentation, salvage of cultural treasures and grants to students, scholars and rabbinical seminaries.

In presenting the needs of the United Restitution Organization for $830,000 in the current year, Prof. Norman Bentwich, chairman of the URO board, reported that more than 50,000 needy victims of Nazi persecution are being assisted by the URO to press their claims against Germany for individual restitution and indemnification. He pointed out that “despite all the difficulties set up by inadequate legislation, incompetent or antagonistic officials, “the URO helped secure $7,000,000 for its clients in 1954 and more than $17,000,000 since it was established in 1948.