Les « pensions de ghetto » accordées par l’Allemagne.Errements d’une indemnisation, 1997‑2015

• Main Author: Stephan Lehnstaedt
• Format: Article
• Language: fra
• Published: Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales 2018-04-01
• Series: Yod
• Subjects: ‘Jewish Goods’; Spoliations; Lootings; Restitutions; Compensation; Repair
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/yod/2599

The article examines German compensation politics at the beginning of the 21st century on the example of the so‑called Ghetto labour pensions. Basis are documents acquired via the Freedom of Information Act. After 2002, former Ghetto inmates could get payments from the German social security system if they proved they had worked under specific conditions. However, until 2009 more than 90% of all claims were rejected, because pension funds and the government wanted to save money – and judges were not willing to put a stop to this scandal. Only in 2009 a groundbreaking verdict changed this behaviour, but even afterwards it is quite clear that compensation in Germany still is, just like in the 20th century, an unwanted burden.