Jewish Leaders Confer with German Envoy on Benefits for Nazi Victims

A delegation representing the Conference of Jewish Material Claims Against Germany today visited the Ambassador of the German Federal Republic here and conveyed to him an appeal to improve benefits provided in German indemnification laws for Nazi victims who suffered persecution beyond the borders of Germany.

The Claims Conference, composed of 22 major world Jewish organizations, is urging the German Government and Parliament to adopt measures that would make compensation for displaced persons and-other persecutees from non-German areas more equal with that received by Nazi victims who were residents of Germany. These areas, include former Nazi satellite countries such as Hungary and Rumania which, while nominally independent, engaged in anti-Jewish acts at the instigation of Nazi authorities.

The delegation which conferred with the German Ambassador, Dr. Heinz Krekeler, consisted of Jacob Blaustein, senior vice president of the Claims Conference and honorary president of the American Jewish Committee, Frank Goldman, honorary president of B’nai B’rith and Jacob Zuckerman, vice president of the Jewish Labor Committee, all of which are constituent organizations of the Claims Conference.

The Conference has submitted several proposals for improvement of the indemnification laws to the West German Government. One of these, which would extend indemnification benefits to former residents of what is now the Eastern zone of Germany, has been approved by the West German cabinet and incorporated into an amendment now, under consideration, by the German Parliament. The Conference’s appeal for further improvements centers around increased benefits for former residents of lands which were outside the borders of Germany as they existed on December 31, 1937, and who suffered the longest periods of incarceration and lost all of their property, but receive the least compensation.