Severe criticism against a new law for compensation of victims of Nazism, framed by the government of North Rhine-Westphalian province is voiced in the Allgemeine Zeitung, principal Jewish newspaper in Western Germany. The paper lists four main reasons for opposing this law:
1. It provides no compensation for persons persecuted by the Nazis who are now living abroad. Instead, the new legislation covers only those Nazi victims living in North Rhine-Westphalia as of January 1, 1947.
2. The law makes no provision for those who recently returned to their homes after having resided abroad. A number of Jews returned to their homes primarily for the purpose of receiving compensation.
3. Only the surviving wives and children of Nazi victims may receive compensation, while the parents of Nazi victims are excluded. The newspaper points out that it is “precisely the old people who will most need material compensation.
4. According to the law, all those claiming more than 2,000 marks in compensation will receive a pension of up to 500 marks monthly until their claims are adjudicated. The paper adds that the former persecutees will only receive this pension if they can prove they need financial assistance. The newspaper believes that the payments should be made without any reference to the financial position of the claimants.
Meanwhile, a British spokesman said last night that the British High Commission in Germany was still “closely interested in the question of restitution” and wanted satisfactory legislation passed in the British zone.
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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.
