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Jewish
leader urges
Alarmed that some of their greedier brothers may be getting out of control, the Oberjuden are clearly concerned and are urging them to exercise restraint, lest they give away the game for all the Goyim to see. Here a top Jew has issued specific recommendations.
Jewish
Leader Calls on Lawyers By MELISSA EDDY, Associated Press Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP)—The head of Germany's Jewish community called on lawyers Sunday to forgo part of their payment for handling Nazi-era slave labor cases that were recently settled. Paul Spiegel, head of Germany's Central Council of Jews,urged the lawyers to think of their clients—the former slave laborers—and give up some of the estimated $51 million due them as a gesture of respect. The victims themselves will receive only a maximum payment of $6,550 each from the $4.3 billion compensation fund, which was set up by German companies and the government. "We have to put ourselves in the situation of those people, who learn that their lawyers earn several million marks for their work, while they only receive a very minimal compensation for the slave labor they did," Spiegel told the Welt am Sonntag weekly. While Spiegel said the lawyers had a right to compensation for their involvement in the more than 50 lawsuits, most filed in U.S. courts, he warned against losing sight of the purpose of the lawsuits. "Earning money should not come before moralistic intentions," Spiegel said. Spiegel's appeal comes days after trustees of the German fund announced that payments could be reduced because the number of victims qualifying is greater than anticipated. More than 1 million victims have filed for compensation in the first three weeks of registration. Trustees think that figure will rise beyond initial estimates of 1.2 million applicants before the Aug. 11 application deadline,which is likely to be extended. The lawyers' fees for cases settled as part of an agreement between the United States and Germany are also to be paid by German government and industry. While Spiegel told Welt am Sonntag none of the money intended for the lawyers should flow directly into the German compensation fund, he suggested the money could be used to set up a trust to be used for charitable causes. Also Sunday, officials in the eastern German city of Leipzig unveiled a sculpture of 140 bronze chairs on the site of the city's main synagogue in memory of local Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Leipzig Mayor Wolfgang Tiefensee said the sculpture would serve a reminder to ward against similar atrocities. "The memorial will be a thorn in the side of the city, forcing us to remain vigilant and keep a critical eye open," Tiefensee said. |
