INFORMATION ISSUED by the Assooaim of XWISH REFUGOS M Otut Brttaol
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Volume XXIV No. 10 October, 1969 INFORMATION ISSUED BY THE ASSOOAim OF XWISH REFUGOS m OtUT BRtTAOl exchange of experiences between the dele gates about the social work of their organ UNITY IN DIVERSITY isations proved particularly beneficial. Financial Questions A report on the financial position was Conference of the Council of Jews from Germany given by Dr. W. Rosenstock, honorary secretary of the Council. According to a " The activities of the organisations built While in the countries of the Diaspora decision taken at the previous Council up by the Jews from Germany in various the immigrants have to adjust their lives Meeting in 1967, 50 per cent of any incom parts of the world differ from country to to the indigenous Jewish eommunity as ing payments during the years 1968-70 are country, but everywhere they are marked well as to the nonnJewish majority popu to be allocated to the Leo Baeck Institutes by a high degree of vitality ". With these lation, in Israel this two-fold process is in Jerusalem, New York and London, and words Dr. Siegfried Moses (Jerusalem), replaced by the single process of becoming the remaining 50 per cent to the Council's president of the Council of Jews from Ger part and parcel of a Jewish commonwealth. member organisations for their social many, summed up the reports given by the The position is different again in South work. The first allocation was made last delegates at the Council Conference which America, where, according to Mr. Hirsch year, and the sum of the second distribu was held in London on August 23-24. feld, the Jews from Germany or, for that tion was fixed by the Conference. The purpose, the Jews in general, live in com amount of the third allocation will depend The Conference was attended by repre parative isolation from their non-Jewish on the funds still to be expected. It was sentatives of all six member organisations, environment and where the relationship realised that the work of the Successor i-e., the Irgun Oley Merkaz Europa (Israel), with Israel is determined by an attitude of Organisations is drawing to its close. The the American Federation of Jews from unreserved identification. Mr. Hirschfeld member organisations will, therefore, no Central Europe (U.S.A.), the AJR (Great also reported that the Jews from Germany longer receive substantial financial help Britain), " Centra " (South American coun play a leading part in the Jewish life of from this source and have to find other tries), "La Solidarite" (France) and South America. They have built up strongly ways of maintaining their social insti ' Coref " (Belgium). The fact that the Jews organised congregations, which are united tutions. from Germany have preserved the con in a central body, " Centra". By their A report on Restitution and Compensa tinuity of their organisations for more than educational activities they have enlisted the tion was given by Dr. W. Breslauer (Lon three decades after their dispersion testi co-operation of many younger people, and don) vice-president of the Council. He fies to their strong sense of solidarity and at a recent Centra Conference, one quarter stated that the Council had to be par their organisational ability. If the Council of the participants were under 25 years of ticularly active in this field during the had only the task of serving as a clearing age. In this respect, the situation differs past months, when amendments to three centre between these organisations, its from that in other countries, where the laws were under consideration. They con existence would already be sufficiently " third generation" is only to a limited cemed the Fedeiial Restitution Law (Bundes justified. However, beyond this, the Council extent conscious of the Central European rueckerstattungsgesetz), the Equalisation also acts as the spokesman of the Jews origin of their families. However, efforts of Burdens Law (Lastenausgleichsgesetz) from (Jermany in all questions which are at establishing contacts with younger and the Social Insurance Law. The amend of common interest to them. people have been successful in the United ment to the first law referred to those resti The basis of the Council's day-to-day States ; the American Federation has organ tution claims which had been submitted activities is the awareness of the fact that ised " Lerntage ", at which topical ques under the Compensation Law. The Council, the German Jews have l)een shaped by a tions are discussed under the guidance of together with other organisations of per common fate. This sense of history not expert speakers. The process of assimila secutees, succeeded in getting the original only determines the atmosphere of the tion, mainly to the non-Jewish majority Govemmental draft improved. The second Council conferences ; it also entails obliga- population, appears to be particularly rapid law was an extension of certain claims "ons in a wider context. Nobody wants to among younger people of German Jewish under the Equalisation of Burdens Law to slow do-HTi the integration of the immi origin in France. damages sustained in that part of the grants into their new environment, yet the former Reich which is now the territory prerequisite of an organic integration is an Constructive Social Work of the German Democratic Republic. Here, Identification with the community of The great amount of practical work the terms of the new law do not meet the origin. carried out by the member organisations requirements of the persecutees, and efforts at obtaining certain improvements Reports on the general situation of the became evident in the reports given at the in the Implementary Order still to be enac Jews from Germany in their countries of Conference on the following day. In the ted are going on. The Council has also sub ^Resettlement were given on the eve of the social field, the establishment and adminis mitted proposals to the Draft of the new 'conference, when the delegates from tration of Old Age Homes, Homes for the Social Insurance Law. This Law could, abroad met members of the Council's Lon Infirm and Flatlet Homes stand in the fore however, not be enacted prior to the disso don Executive and Honorary OfiBcers of the ground. Homes of this kind have been erec lution of the Federal Parliament, and its •^^JR at an informal function. The speakers ted in Israel, U.S.A., Great Britain, France consideration will be held over until after ^ere Mrs. Ruth Fabian (Paris), Mr. H. and South America, and former refugees in the elections. (Details about the three laws j^^uoemann (Brussels), Mr. R. Hirschfeld Belgium, who are looked after by Coref, were published in the August issue of ^Montevideo), Mr. H. Gerling (Jerusalem), have been accommodated in the Home of AJR Information—The Ed.) These recent and Dr. C. Silberman (New York). Their the Belgian Jewish community. Most of legislative developments, Dr. Breslauer reports reflected the different circum these Homes could only be erected with the stressed, reaffirmed the undiminished need stances prevailing in each country. At the help of the Council which succeeded in for the Council's activities as the spokes same time, it transpired that, notwithstand- obtaining a share in the heirless Jewish man of the Jewish Nazi victims from Ger ^g variations in detail, the position in the property in Germany recovered by the many in questions of restitution and ^uropean countries and in the United Successor Organisations. All member compensation. J>tates differs fimdamentally from that in organisations also maintain social services Israel and in South America. for those not accommodated in Homes. An Continued on next page, column 1 Page 2 AJiR INFORMATION October, 1969 " UNITY IN DIVERSITY " THE GERMAN SCENE TRIALS Continued from page 1 Life Sentence for Eichmaim Aide Former S.S. Lieut.-Col. Hermann Krumey, The Conference was also informed about munity leaders. It was decided to investi 64, Eichmann's deputy in Budapest, was sen plans for the reorganisation of the Wiener gate this problem in greater detail, and to tenced in FranMurt to Ufe imprisonment for his part in the deportation and murder of at Library, which are under consideration but explore the possible remedies, e.g., the least 300,000 Hungarian Jews in 1944. Otto have so far not l)een decided upon. The organisation of seminars and the award of Hunsche, 58, a former S.S. captain who was Presidium of the Council was instructed to scholarships to prospective communal Eichmann's legal adviser, was gaoled for elucidate the situation and the intentions workers. It was also decided that the his twelve years for comjplicity in the mass mur of the Board of the Wiener Library with tory of the emigration and resettlement der. The court sat for 14 months and heard the view to preserving the Library as an of the former German Jews should be more than 100 witnesses. accessible centre of studies in London. written as long as there exist still suf&cient witnesses who can contribute material from Murderer of Russian Jews It proved particularly beneficial that first-hand experience. It was equally felt Karl Rudolf Pallmann, 65, a former German there was both the time and the oppor that there is a need for a brief history of Army second lieutenant, was sentenced in tunity to discuss the principles on which the Jews in Gennany, by which the Duesseldorf to hard labour for life for par the future work odf the Council Is to be younger generation can be made aware of ticipation in the wartime murder of 109 based. The starting point was a memo their background. The production of these Russian Jews and Communist oflEtcials.