Under a recent order by Gen. Lucius D. Clay, American commander in Germany, Jewish persecutees are being ousted from apartments and businesses which they received after the liberation, in compensation for property stolen from them by the Nazis.
Gen. Clay’s directive provides for the return of property from which Nazis were ousted after the collapse of Germany in cases where denazification courts clear the Germans The denazification courts, now in the hands of Germans, and frequently accused of “leniency” toward ex-Nazis, have cleared thousands of “small offenders.” in addition, German governmental agencies which have been handed the job of aiding persecutess, which the military government formerly handled, are notoriously lax and admittedly shot through with former Nazis and corrupt officials. No effort is made a smally to provide substitute property for the persecutces.
One case in which a persecutee received compensation after his business was returned to a “cleared” Nazi was that of 67-year-old Hugo Jacob, who lost a movie theater and will have a new one given him by the military government. Jacob, who with his wife successfully evaded the Nazis throughout the Hitler regime, was notified last week that as a result of a decision of a German court the title of his business would revert to its former owner.
This information, coupled with the loss of his apartment under similar circumstances, caused the Jew to suffer a heart attack. His illness brought Jacob’s case to the attention of the military government officials, but thousands of other persecutees will not be as fortunate in gaining a hearing and compensation for the second loss of property to the Nazis.
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.
