Vol. XIII No. 2 February, 1958 INFORMATION ISSUED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH REFUGEES IN GREAT BRITAIN 8 FAIRFAX MANSIONS. Office and Consulting Hours: FINCHLEY ROAD (Corner Fairfax Road), Monday to Thursday 10 a.m—I p.m. 3—6 p.m. LONDON, N.W.3 Friday 10 a.m—1 p.m. Telephone: MAIda Vale 9096/7 (General Office) MAIda Vale 4449 (Employment Agency and Social Services Dept.) It is gratifying to state that the national press REPERCUSSIONS OF DR. SCHAEFFER'S in the United States (e.g., the New York Times and the New York Post), in Switzerland (Neuc Ziircher Zeitung) and in this country (The Times, STATEMENT Daily Telegraph and, on several occasions, Man­ he address on compensation by the former bureaucracy to make a speedy settlement of the chester Guardian) has taken strong exception to ^erman Federal Minister of Finance, Dr. Schaeflfer, all-too-long-drawn-out applications. the views expressed by Dr. Schaeffer. which was reported and commented on jn our The reaction of the German press differs. The The position can hardly be better summed up previous issue, has resulted in many diverse reac- Stutlgarter Zeitung writes: " In the CDU some than by quoting the statement made by the London .1°"^ hoth in German Government circles and in think that Schaeffer's estimates are exaggerated ; Economist, to the effect that restitution might "e German and non-German press. others appreciate that he had the courage to tackle raise physical as well as judicial and administrative p A few days after Dr. Schaeffer's speech, a a thorny problem. Certain quarters in the CDU problems, but that it did not raise any considerable eaeral Government spokesman repudiated the think it possible that an extension of the dates of problems of foreign exchange. "None of the 'lews expressed b\ Dr. Schaeffer and pointed out payment will be necessary and they demand a difficulties", the article states, " can be heavy inat the Federal Government "would fulfil all revision of the Law, in order to prevent any abuse. against the grievous harm that would be done if . i|'8^,tions under the Compensation Laws to the Within the CDU it was suggested to review the the duty were skimpved ".- etter". He also indicated that payments would lawyers' fees." The Frankfurter Allgemeine J.'^^de according to planned schedules, and refers to Schaeffer's speech as a blunder, all the STATEMENT BY DR. ADENAUER th 7^ that Schaeffer had not spoken on behalf of more regrettable as his blameless attitude under ne Government but only in his capacity as a the Nazi regime js well known. A man such as No Change in Indemnification •nember of his party, the Christian Social Union. Schaeffer, says the paper, should not provide fuel •'his statement was endorsed by an assurance for the loose talk—" the Jews are responsible for tt has just been learned that, on Janiiar>' 20th, Biven by Chancellor Adenauer to Dr. Unger. everything and now they endanger the German the Chaimian of the Jewish Claims Coitference, r"^?fman of the Central Association of Demo- currency ". Dr. Nahum Goldmann. had an interview with the ratic Resistance Fighters and Persecutees. The The Sueddeutsche Zeilung also condemns Federal Chancellor. Dr. Adenauer assured Dr. ^naricellor made his statement when he met Schaeffer's disapproval of the indemnification Goldmann that the Federal Government will carry oJ' Unger at a reception on the occasion of his policy. Indemnification, it says. " is still very out the Law for the Indemnification of Victims of j^nd birthday on January Sth. According to a defective, so that claimants have died without ever National Socialist Persecution without any change. eport which Dr. Unger gave to press representa- having seen a penny ". , yes after the interview, Dr. Adenauer had told The interview took place at the request of Dr. ™ that no alteration would be made regarding Press Reaction Goldmann. who desired to inform the Federal P yinents provided for under the Indemnification Chancellor "about certain feelings of anxiety in •j^w and the scheduled date for its completion Die Zeil. on the other hand, supports connection with indemnification questions, which *ould not be changed. Schaeffer's arguments, though stating that his had recently arisen in circles of the victims ". This contradictory figures had lost him some of the u J- Schaeffer's speech was also commented on prestige he once had. The paper states that " the refers particularly to the reaction to Dr. Schaeffer's an ^'"'sters of several German Federal States. In conviction that we are morally obliged to make speech, advocating an alteration of indemnification n address to members of his staff, Herr Biernat, good, at least partially, the material losses and the legislation on the grounds that the burdens would ^mister of the Interior for North Rhine- sufferings which were inflicted on our Jewis^h be much greater Ihan had originally been estphalia, declared that indemnification payments fellow-citizens in our name does not release the anticipated. Ian," ^^ made in accordance with the existing law-givers from their duty of carefully examining ,?*'• without curtailment and within the prescribed the costs. This was not done when the Cosipensa- "THE MATTER IS CLOSED" Ph i!'"^''" Similar assurances were given by Herr tion Law was amended ". The West Berlin paper. ren ' Bavaria's Minister of Finance, when Tagesspiegel, defends Schaeffer against " the In a letter to the General Secretary of the Presentatives of the Bavarian Jewish communi- furious attacks which are now being showered Zentralrat of the Jews in Germany, the Ministry •'«s called on him. upon him", and asks for an objective examination of the problem without reproaches or resentment. of Justice stated on behalf of Dr. Schaeffer that Pros and Cons the Minister considered the matter closed. The Deulsche Zeilung und Wirtschafis p. On the other hand, Dr. Novak, the Minister of Zeitung (Stuttgart) carries a front-page article in inance for Rhineland-Pfalz. pointed out that he which it states that Dr. Schaeffer was ill-advised as m favour of Dr. Schaeffer's proposal for to make his speech, because it not only revived ^yments to be made in instalments, allowing not old resentments but also injured the political FRISTABLAUF .|?Ofe than 9,000 DM per year for each claimant, reputation of the Federal Republic. The article onf 'f^'P'^nientation of this proposal would not went on to say that indemnification payments were Es wird noclidruecklich darauf hingewiesen, Dr <: f^ontrary to the Law as adopted when a negligible portion of the total annual German dass die Frist fuer die Anmeidung von j^ • ^haeffer himself was still Minister of Finance ; budget, which amounted to 68,000 million DM. It Anspruechen nach dem ^ .*.°tild also mean that after many years of would also be desirable to have the discussion of ^ ditmg victims, most of whom are of advanced indemnification eliminated from the political Bundesenfschoedigungsgesetz Be, might not live to see the final settlement of quarrels and the financial discussions between the und den^ Bundesrueckerstattungsgesetz one ^i^™s- It must also not be overlooked that Laender. miffht ^^* ^^^ altered in one respect, the door The Westfaelische Rundschau (Dortmund) Dieri ^* opened for further revocations of the published its comment under the heading " As am 1. APRIL 1958 j; eages given by the Government and the Parlia- Soon and as Much as Possible—Indemnification ablaeuft. ""t in the Federal Indemnification Law. is a Duty ". It protested against making indemni­ ^j,. .^grettably, the discussion on indemnification, fication a scapegoat for dangers to the German Weitere Einzelheiten sind aus dem in currency. stat"^ °ne hoped had ended with the Chancellor's dieser Ausgabe auf Seite 2 veroeffentlicbten pftement to Dr. Unger, was resumed afresh by the Unfortunately. Dr. Schaeffer's remark on the ^nance Ministers of two Laender (Baden- allegedly excessive T'wers' fees has been abused Artikel ersichtlich. .^"^rttemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia). for several - sensational headings. The Berlin Unsere Leser werden gebeten, auch ihre evening paper Der Kurier published the speech cri,i ? <^ays after the Chancellor's statement they Angehoerigen und Bekannten auf den r '^'?^. the burden of indemnification, and their on the front page under the heading " Foreign marks in public, wjth or without their realisation, Lawyers Enrich Themselves ". Whilst there may Fristablauf aufmerksem zu machen, ins­ dutv ''^'^ '° arouse feeling against the moral be some cases where exorbitant fees are charged besondere soweit diese ols Kinder oder thei '° ^"'*^^ compensation obligations. Behind (not only by lawyers outside but also by those Jugendliche ausgewandert sind und sich obt/- ''*I"arks lies the attempt of the Laender to inside Germany), these are the exception. The daher nicht immer bewusst sind, welche ^ win financial relief from the Bund. Instead of vast majority of claimants are represented by lawyers who strictly abide by professional etiquette, Ansprueche ihnen aus eigenem Recht oder Priv qtiestions of internal financial policy in the als Erben ihrer Eltern zustehen. the ^'^^ °^ *^^ conference room, their flight into or bv fhe United Restitution Oflices. which charge the °Pen will only strengthen the reluctance of the fees of between 6% and 8"^ in all. Page 2 AJR INFORMATION February, 1958 hung gilt als an dem Ort erfolgt, an dem der ABLAUF VON ANMELDEFRISTEN Verfolgte vor der Auswanderung oder vor der Versendung des Umzugsgutes seinen letzten Die Anmeldefristen auf Grund des Bundesent­ in Bezug auf Grundstuecke und auf Wohnsitz oder dauernden Aufenthalt if schaedigungsgesetzes fBEG 1956) und des Bundes­ Rueckerstattungsansprueche gegen Privatpersonen Geltungsbereich dieses Gesetzes gehabt hat. rueckerstattungsgesetzes (BRueG) laufen am (Naturalrestitution) findet das BRueG keine (2) Der Anspruch nach Absatz 1 besteht I, April, 1958 ab. Anwendung und eroeffnet daher auch keine nicht, wenn neuen Anmeldefristen.