The British, French and American commandants here have issued a new decree which will enable former Jewish residents of West Berlin and West Germany to seek restitution of certain items located in East Berlin. Items included under the new decree are stocks, bonds, jewelry and precious metals.
The new order plugs one of the largest loopholes in the handling of restitution claims and one which was cited by former Berlin Jews as a prime element in the sabotaging of claims by bureaucratic methods. Most banks had their safe deposit vaults in what is now East Berlin, and the Berlin municipal pawnshop, where Jews were forced to surrender their jewelry and precious metals in November, 1938, is also located in the Soviet sector. Of 31,000 monetary restitution claims thus far filed, the Berlin government has “settled” 21,000–only 800 in favor of Jews–rejecting all “pawnshop” and stocks and bonds claims with the argument that the owners had been deprived of their property in East Germany.
The new decree includes East Berlin in the legal restitution area, insofar as monetary matters are concerned. This means that all rejected claims must now be heard again, and that new claims may be filed until November 15, 1955. Such claims are limited to those under legislation for restitution of identifiable property, and the new, enlarged restitution area does not apply to indemnification.
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