Berlin / Germany (RNN Correspondent) 26.01.1998
On occasion of the German holocaust anniversary on coming Tuesday, the Church, organizations, and various politicians have claimed for pecuniary compensation for all survivors of the Nazi regime. At the same time they demand of political recognition of all persecutees of the National Socialsm.
The ‘‘Berlin Appeal’’ which has been signed by 120 groups and individuals is menat to be handed over to the President of the Federal Republic, Roman Herzog, and to the groups in the Parliament (Bundestag). The signers of the ‘‘Berlin Appeal’’ stated, that the anniversary is an opportunity to point out the unworthy situation and humiliation of many victims of the Nazi regime. The ‘‘Berlin Appeal’’ also criticizes that Germany does not meet its responsibility for the maintenance of the KZ memorials Auschwitz- Stammlager and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Auschwitz had been liberated on January 27, 1945 by the Soviet army. The ‘‘Berlin Appeal’’ states further, that numerous Jewish survivors of the holocaust, former concentration-camp prisoners, and forced labourers of Ger m an trusts have not seen ‘‘a penny of compensation’’ up to now. Many of them ‘‘humiliating drama’’ and not to admit further delays.
Although the German government has already spent substantial amounts of compensation, there is still an urgent call for action. In particular, the Church complains about the lack of a national foundation and the insufficient regulation for the victims of t he military justice. On occasion of the holocaust anniversary on Tuesday the Federal Republic will think of the victims nationwide with wreath-laying cermonies, church services, exhibitions, recitals, and concerts.
The Parliament (Bundestag) is going to have a ceremony in memory of the liberation day of the concentration camp in Auschwitz. The state parliament of Rheinland-Pfalz will meet in a former concentration camp in Osthofen near the city of Worms. Until 1945 t he Nazis murdered 6 millions of people, especially Jews, by systematic persecutions. Two years ago, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Roman Herzog, declared the day of the liberation ofthe Auschwitz concentration camp, the 27th day of Janu a ry, as the day of remembrance. The Foreign Minister of Germany, Klaus Kinkel, emphasized, that it is the main concern of the German government to get the persecuted Jews in Central- and East Europe to a ‘‘dignified evening of life’’. Among other things he referred to foundations in Warszaw, Moscow, Kiew, and Minsk, the recently founded German-Czech Future Fund, and the Fund of the Jewish Claims Conference, which was mainly financed by Germany.
The commemorative address in the Parliament will be held on Tuesday by Yehuda Bauer, the director of the International Center for Holocaust Studies of the Memorial Yad Vashem in Israel. Afterwards there will be adiscussion about the ‘‘dealing with causes a nd consequences of theholocaust’’ between Bauer, the speaker of the Bundestag Rita Süssmuth, andthe chairman of the sub-committee of the Parliament for human rights, Mr.Schwarz-Schilling on the one hand, and 160 youth from home and abroad on the other hand .
Georgij Semenjak has come from St. Petersburg. When he had been 20 years old, he had been put into a German prisoner-of-war camp. He survived 7 camps. In Berlin he spoke on behalf of a group of 170 ‘‘forgotten’’ Russian concentration camp-prisoners. None o f them has received any money out of the German reparation fund up to now.
Hans Coppi, whose parents were executed in Plötzensee because of their resistance against the Hitler regime, called it a ‘‘political disgrace’’ that to this day Nazi judgements of injustice have not been reversed in general. As a relative of the unjustly m urdered victims he would refuse to apply for a rehabilitation.