Jewish circles here today criticized the Austrian Government’s decision to pay pensions to “ethnic” Germans expelled from the Balkan countries while at the same time delaying the payment of Jewish restitution claims. Also criticized was the government’s failure to proceed with reparations talks with the representatives of major world Jewish groups.
These same Jewish circles pointed out that no compensation payments have yet been made to former inmates of Nazi prisons and concentration camps, although their claims were conceded by the Austrian Government last year and some 20,000,000 schillings were allocated for payment in the 1952 budget. Many Jews here doubt whether the reparations talks which Chancellor Leopold Figl promised last year to hold with world Jewish groups will ever be held.
A number of hoodlums broke into a Jewish displaced persons camp at Hallein, near Salzburg, Friday night, causing damage, stealing food and frightening the inhabitants, it was reported here today. Because of the darkness, none of the camp inhabitants had a chance to get a close look at the raiders. As a result of the incident, the Austrian authorities have extended permission to the DP camp to leave its lights on all night.
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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.
