Warsaw suspends restitution for Polish Jews
Jewish organisations and the US government have raised objections to Poland's decision to suspend work on the restitution of Jewish property confiscated by the Nazis during WWII and under communism.
Jewish organizations and the US administration have both raised objections to Poland's decision to suspend work on the restitution of Jewish property confiscated by the Nazis during World War II and under communism.
The Polish government suspended work on the restitution package on March 10, due to its spiraling budget deficit. The decision comes just three years after Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that a piece of legislation would be drafted to offer compensation totaling 20 percent of the property value for the Jewish families of former property owners.
"It is unacceptable that Poland cannot find some way to meet its responsibility," said Ronald S. Lauder, chairman of the World Jewish Restitution Organization, in response to the decision.
"Most Central and Eastern European countries have adopted some type of law to provide for the restitution of or compensation for confiscated property. Poland stands out for its failure to do so," he added.
While recognizing that not enough has been done to address past wrongs when it comes to Jewish property restitution, Tusk explained that budget deficits simply wouldn't allow payments to continue. The country is wary of exceeding the public debt ceiling, which could jeopardize Poland's entry into the eurozone, a goal set for as early as 2015....
Read entire article at Deutsche Welle (Germany)
Jewish organizations and the US administration have both raised objections to Poland's decision to suspend work on the restitution of Jewish property confiscated by the Nazis during World War II and under communism.
The Polish government suspended work on the restitution package on March 10, due to its spiraling budget deficit. The decision comes just three years after Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that a piece of legislation would be drafted to offer compensation totaling 20 percent of the property value for the Jewish families of former property owners.
"It is unacceptable that Poland cannot find some way to meet its responsibility," said Ronald S. Lauder, chairman of the World Jewish Restitution Organization, in response to the decision.
"Most Central and Eastern European countries have adopted some type of law to provide for the restitution of or compensation for confiscated property. Poland stands out for its failure to do so," he added.
While recognizing that not enough has been done to address past wrongs when it comes to Jewish property restitution, Tusk explained that budget deficits simply wouldn't allow payments to continue. The country is wary of exceeding the public debt ceiling, which could jeopardize Poland's entry into the eurozone, a goal set for as early as 2015....