New York, July 16, 1999 "The Forward" newspaper. "Heirs of World War II-era slave laborers would be excluded from getting a piece of the settlement with German industry, under a proposal being floated by a lawyer for claimants who is involved in the settlement negotiations. The proposal from attorney M. H. would release German companies from having to pay heirs. In return, the companies would be required to create a "Humanity Fund" that would dole out money for human rights projects. Ms. Pollak said that her father, who was a slave laborer for BMW during the war, asked her before his death more than a year ago, to claim whatever money would have gone to him. "Given the 50 years since the end of the war, and the number of heirs that have been created during the time, it would have to be divided by so many more people that there would be minimal amounts for each person" said attorney H. We're talking 50 to 70 million claimants! It becomes impractical" he said. Today, 2018, the Jewish population sadly to report, is not anywhere near the 50 to 70 millions. The survivors numbered 82,000 people in 1999, at the time when the article in the Forward came out, and now almost 19 years later, the worldwide Jewish population stands at just a bit more than at 16 millions. I will take the reader on the roads I had to spend the last 16 years only to realize that nothing has changed in the attitude of my birth country's brutal attitude towards its deported Jews, and their heirs. An inheritance of loss to all: survivors, their children and most of all the victims who never returned "home".
New York, July 16, 1999 "The Forward" newspaper. "Heirs of World War II-era slave laborers would be excluded from getting a piece of the settlement with German industry, under a proposal being floated by a lawyer for claimants who is involved in the settlement negotiations. The proposal from attorney M. H. would release German companies from having to pay heirs. In return, the companies would be required to create a "Humanity Fund" that would dole out money for human rights projects. Ms. Pollak said that her father, who was a slave laborer for BMW during the war, asked her before his death more than a year ago, to claim whatever money would have gone to him. "Given the 50 years since the end of the war, and the number of heirs that have been created during the time, it would have to be divided by so many more people that there would be minimal amounts for each person" said attorney H. We're talking 50 to 70 million claimants! It becomes impractical" he said. Today, 2018, the Jewish population sadly to report, is not anywhere near the 50 to 70 millions. The survivors numbered 82,000 people in 1999, at the time when the article in the Forward came out, and now almost 19 years later, the worldwide Jewish population stands at just a bit more than at 16 millions. I will take the reader on the roads I had to spend the last 16 years only to realize that nothing has changed in the attitude of my birth country's brutal attitude towards its deported Jews, and their heirs. An inheritance of loss to all: survivors, their children and most of all the victims who never returned "home".