A delegation of the Association of Rumanian Jews in Israel placed before a special commission of the West German Parliament a claim that about 45,000 former Rumanian Jews were entitled to some $70,000,000 in restitution for Nazi persecution.
Yithak Korn, a member of the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, and leader of the delegation, told the West German commission that West Germany had recognized compensation obligations to only some of the Jews of Rumania. He said this recognition covered the Jews of Bessarabia and Bukowina but not the Jews of old Rumania who had constituted 35 to 40 percent of the Jewish population and who also had suffered under the Nazis.
The commission, which included representation, from all West German parties, promised to do everything possible to right the injustice. Mr. Korn discussed the issue with Erich Ollenhauer, leader of the Social Democratic party, and with other West German political leaders who promised support for the Rumania Jewish claims.
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.