THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, February 1, 1980 13

Bundestag Will Debate Final Reparations Payments

By DAVID }CANTOR

BONN (JTA) —The West
German government's plan
to make available an addi-
tional 440 million Marks
($200 million) in a "final
gesture" of financial com-
pensation to Jewish victims
of Nazism has focussed pub-
lic attention on the issue of
reparations itself.
It has also engendered a
new sensitivity to Ger-
many's past, a desire for
more information on the
Nazi era and its implica-
tions for Germany today.
Dr. Walter Schwarz, a
Swiss lawyer who has con-
cerned himself with these
matters, said in a recent lec-
ture here that reparations
to Nazi victims and the rea-
son they were paid had been
a taboo subject until re-
cently and as a result, the
German public at large had
little information about it.
But only a few days ago,
West German television
presented a detailed
documentary film on three
so-called "hard core" cases
of Nazi victims who were
inadequately compensated

for their losses or received
no compensation at all.

This information
reached the public as the
Bundestag prepared to
debate the "final ges-
ture." The debate is ex-
pected to open on March
31. Meanwhile, official
statistics have been re-
leased detailing German
reparations to date.

They show that, under
the laws and agreements
covering reparations to
Nazi victims, the state so far
has paid out 60.284 billion
Marks and will pay more
than 25.016 billion Marks
in the future, a total of
about 85.5 billion Marks,
not including the proposed
"final gesture."
The payments to date re-
present several categories
of reparations. Of the total
sum (60.284 billion), 47.25
billion Marks were made
available since 1952 under
a law dealing with repara-
tions for personal damages.
Twenty percent of this
money went to individuals
in Germany, among them
several well-known politi-

Inflation, Economic Trouble
Curtailing WIZO Projects

NEW YORK (JTA) —
Raya Jaglom, president of
the Women's International
Zionist Organization, said
that as a result of the con-
tinuing inflation and other
problems of the Israeli
economy, her organization,
which provides social and
educational services to
women and children in Is-
rael, will not be able to ex-
pand and undertake neces-
sary development plans.
Jaglom, who stopped in
New York for a brief visit on
her way to Israel after
attending a WIZO conven-
tion in Vancouver, Canada,
where Muriel Small was
elected president of the
Canadian Hadassah-WIZO,
said that currently there
are about 35,000 children in
WIZO-operated day care
centers and schools in Is-
rael.
She noted that although
WIZO's 1980-1981 budget is
IL 1 billion, this seemingly
high sum is nevertheless in-
sufficient to allow any new

undertakings because of the
continuing devaluation of
the Israeli Pound.

Jaglom said that WIZO,
which was founded in
1920, is now operating in
Israel 200 day care cen-
ters, 12 schools, 70 youth
clubs, and 184 centers for
women, including cen-
ters for women in nine
Arab villages.

Jaglom said WIZO also
provides assistance to more
than 2,600 war widows and
takes special interest in the
absorption and integration
of women immigrants in Is-
rael by offering special He-
brew courses, vocational
training and social activi-
ties.
She said WIZO provides
legal advice for women, se-
eing to it that women are
protected and given their
rights in cases involving di-
vorce, child custody and
alimony.
Jaglom said there are
80,000 members of WIZO in
Israel.

cians who were active in
anti-Nazi movements; 40
percent to individuals in Is-
rael; and 40 percent to indi-
viduals in other countries
throughout the world.

Under another law,
which provides financial
compensation for property
losses, 3.884 billion Marks
were paid out. Of that
amount, 25 percent went to
individuals in Germany, 40
percent to individuals in Is-
rael and 35 percent to indi-
viduals in the rest of the
world.

In 1952, the Federal
Republic committed it-
self in the "Israelvertrag"
(Israel Treaty) to pay a
total of 3.45 billion
Marks, of which three bil-
lion went to Israel and
450 million Marks to the
Conference on Jewish
Material Claims Against
Germany. The awards
were fully paid by June
30, 1965. Israel utilized
the money to facilitate
the integration of Jewish
refugees from Germany
and other countries
where Jews suffered per-
secution by the Nazis. Is-
rael also utilized a large
sum for capital develop-
ments, such as building
its merchant marine.

In the category of
"Sonstige Leistungen"
(other payments), 4.7 bil-
lion Marks were paid. The
compensation went to pub-
lic servants, to the families
of war victims, to organiza-
tions of persecuted groups
and to the victims of Nazi
medical experiments. Al-

though no further break-
down is available, it is un-
derstood that the bulk of
this money went to indi-
viduals in Germany and
other countries, including
Israel.
Finally, there is the cate-
gory called "Globalver-
traege" (global treaties)
with 12 European states.
Under those treaties, the
Federal Republic made
available one billion Marks
to individuals who, for
technical reasons, could not
be compensated otherwise.
The money was paid to the
governments of the coun-
tries involved.
An important point that
is often neglected and there-
fore virtually unknown to
Germans is that repara-
tions were paid not only to
Jewish victims as individu-
als or to Israel as a state.
Nevertheless, a large part of
the total sum did go to
Jewish victims of the
Holocaust.

new ones.
Against that background
the "final gesture" is cur-
rently under discussion by
the three political factions
in the Bundestag. If enacted
into law, the 440 million
Marks will be paid out over
a period of four years, be-
ginning this year. There
would be no further repara-
tions thereafter.

Experts can find no
comparable instance in
history of a nation paying
reparations to individu-
als or states on such a
large scale. But the Ger-
man public is beginning
to understand that Nazi
crimes were on a scale
unprecedented in his-
tory.

Public opinion polls show
that Germans, by and large,
justify the various repara-
tions agreements in the
past. But they think the
time has come to put an end
to these payments and not
to commit Germany to any

30 50 60

RADALLI • PIER
JOSMER • VALEN
ALDOLE'r

Resident: El Arish Fortunes
on Decline Since Take-Over

TEL AVIV (JTA) — El
Arish has suffered a serious
decline of its economy and a
general deterioration of liv-
ing standards since it was
handed back to Egyptian
rule three months ago, ac-
cording to a resident of the
northern Sinai town who is
in Israel on business.
El Arish citizens who
used to work in Israel and
the thousands of workers
who were employed by the
Israeli authorities in and
around El Arish are now
jobless, the informat said.
Money is scarce, as is hous-
ing and many people live in
tents pitched in the middle
of town.
The once flourishing fish-
ing inudstry is dead, the El

Arish man told Yediot Ac-
hronot. Restrictions im-
posed by the Egyptian
authorities have led to an
increase in smuggling. The
smugglers of goods to and
from Israel are the only
people making money.

According to this visitor,
who wished to remain
anonymous, the people of El
Arish wish the Israelis were
back. It was recalled that
when President Anwar
Sadat visited El Arish dur-
ing the formal Egyptian
takeover last year, his aides
were infuriated by posters
that said, "Sadat, when will
you return El Arish to Is-
rael?" A number of arrests
were made at the time.

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