Major Jewish organizations today urged the United States Government to reject any deal with the German Government which might defeat the program of restitution to Jewry.
Deep concern was expressed by the organizations over the conditions set by the Bonn parliament last Friday to the re-armament of West Germany, particularly the condition that the German federal republic must have the freedom to decide what laws imposed by the occupying powers can remain in force.
In a telegram to Secretary of State Deam Acheson, the American Jewish Committee, B’nai B’rith, Jewish Agency for Palestine, Jewish Labor Committee, the American Jewish Congress, the American Joint Distribution Committee, and the World Jewish Congress declared:
“As it effects restitution, we view with great concern the recent Bundestag resolution that the federal republic must be free to decide which occupation laws should be retained. Any further concessions in the field of restitution will seriously undermine the limited rights of persecutes now guaranteed by occupational legislation and will further stimulate the prevailing German tendency to impede the objectives of restitution. We respectfully urge clear and prompt rejection of any attempt to defeat the restitution program.”
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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.