The Organization of Jewish Students in West Germany has accused the authorities of delaying the investigations of Nazi war criminals and sharply protested plans by political parties to link final reparations payments to Jewish victims of Nazism to claims for pensions by former Nazi civil servants who were never cleared by de-Nazification tribunals.
In a protest note issued in West Berlin, the student organization denounced the coupling of “Nazi oppressors and Nazi victims.” They declared their opposition to any kind of financial compensation to persons who were active members of Nazi organizations.
The three political factions in the Bundestag have agreed to support a supplementary budget for 1980 that will include final reparations payments to Jews. But at the same time, they will take up the pension claims of former Nazi officials who have been denied financial benefits under Article 131 of the Federal Constitution which stripped them of their rights as former civil servants.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.