Hope that the German Parliament in Bonn will pass in its final reading this week the bill to indemnify victims of the Nazi regime was expressed here today by Dr. Nahum Goldmann. The bill has passed the first reading in the Bonn Parliament practically unanimously.
“Once the Upper House ratifies it, the bill will become a law from which tens of thousands Jewish and non-Jewish victims of Nazi persecution will begin to benefit greatly,” Dr. Goldmann said. “It is most gratifying that all government parties, with the exception of the Communist, voted in favor of the bill. Special credit is due to the government of the German Federal Republic which, under the leadership of Chancellor Adenauer, has seen to it that the bill is prepared in time for this last session of the present Parliament to deal with it.”
Dr. Goldmann also praised the German Social Democratic Party which, although in opposition to the government, and not fully satisfied with many parts of the indemnification bill, has withdrawn all its amendments and decided to support the bill as presented, in order to make it technically possible for the Parliament to pass the measure before its adjournment early in July.
“This unprecedented step,” Dr. Goldmann said, “is an indication of the deep interest which the Social Democrats have already taken in the matter of restitution and indemnification for victims of Nazi persecution.”
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.
