The Netherlands government has officially announced that it will not grant special pensions to all former Nazi victims, among them about 10,000 Dutch Jews who were deported during the German occupation of the country. The Minister of Social Welfare told Parliament, however, that the government would continue to provide free medical care to all those suffering from physical or psychological ailments stemming from their wartime experiences. But Nazi victims will not be accorded the same status as former resistance movement fighters who are automatically entitled to life-time pensions. Though several Jews have pressed for government pensions, Jewish communal organizations have declared themselves satisfied with the government’s decision as most Nazi victims are receiving compensation from West Germany.
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