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The Goodwill Fund of the Jewish Claims Conference;
Thoughts and Information.
As the former Vice President of NEXT GENERATIONS, I would like to share some thoughts and information that I feel is of great importance to many survivors, and second generations regarding the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany/JCC.
The following two articles by Professor Dr. Fritz Enderlein, Attorney-at-Law, Potsdam, are very important and address issues about the Jewish Claims Conference and the Goodwill Fund.
# 1 - Article 1(Published in “Zeitschrift für offene Vermögensfragen”, November/Dezember 2008 p.277ff.) Click here to view.
The second article (article # 2) was published in Jüdische Zeitung and can be found on the internet: www.j-zeit.de/archiv/artikel.1386.html.
Despite their claim that the JCC (Jewish Claims Conference) informed the broad public about participation in the Goodwill Fund by means of a major ad campaign, it by far did not reach all entitled persons.
I am one of those persons. I fall into the category of an heir who obtained knowledge of property belonging to my late grandmother and mother in Berlin Germany, beyond the deadline imposed by the JCC.
I had no knowledge that new claims could be made after reunification. And only recently came across the property listed on their website.
It is my opinion that the JCC has a moral obligation to the surviving children and grandchildren (heirs) to participate in this program. As long as there are surviving children or grandchildren, they are the rightful heirs for reparation for their families. The JCC does not have the right to keep this money. My mother and grandmother were the property owners. My brother and I are the rightful claimants (heirs) to this property.
Having just recently learned about the opportunity to file a claim for this property it is only fair that I have the right to file a claim now for the property that is rightfully mine as the heir to my mother and grandmothers estates. There should be no deadline imposed as long as there is the possibility that heirs are still alive. In my opinion, the JCC has a moral obligation to the surviving children (heirs) to participate in this program and to recognize and respect my claim.
I strongly disagree with the JCC’s decision that my claim is “too late”, as there is no statue of limitation on my claim given the fact that I am a direct decendant of Holocaust survivors.
My mother and grandmother were victims of the Holocaust. And now, I feel like a victim! It is my understanding that the Claims Conference was set up to represent the victims and yet it appears that the organization is fighting the very victims it is supposed to represent! Justice should be the primary concern of this restitution process.
Again, in my opinion, where entire families were murdered and there are no surviving heirs, the JCC may have the right to keep these monies and use them accordingly for the remaining Holocaust survivors who are aging and in need of financial & medical help, throughout the world.
I have therefore taken it upon myself to send the articles by Dr. Enderlein to as many publications and organizations that I can so that they may be aware of the injustice that is being done to so many others like me.
I have requested the Claims Conference to reconsider my claim, act responsibly, do what is morally right and honor the memory of my late mother and grandmother, victims of the SHOAH.
Dr. Enderlein and his colleagues work tirelessly on behalf of many persons throughout the world who are the rightful heirs and continue to have their claims denied.
I hope that by making my letter public, there will be continued publicity about the JCC and their imposed deadline that is inappropriate and unacceptable to so many.
Contact information for Prof. Dr. Fritz Enderlein, Attorney-at-Law:
RA.F.Enderlein@t-online.de
Judi Hannes
Advisor Board Member, NEXT GENERATIONS
judihng@yahoo.com
www.nextgenerations.org
A 501(c)(3) organization of children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors who wish to educate future generations by preserving the memories of the past, carrying forward the message into the future, and keeping the voices alive.
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