General Discussion

steve2470

(37,457 posts) Fri Jun 13, 2014, 01:30 AM Jun 2014

Jewish Family Gets $68 Million for 1938 Nazi Store Seizures

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-12/jewish-family-awarded-68-million-for-1938-nazi-store-seizures.html

The heirs of a Jewish family that owned Schocken AG, a German department-store chain seized by the Nazis, were awarded an extra 50 million euros ($68 million) in compensation by a Berlin court.

The German government, which has already paid about 15 million euros to the family for a building in Chemnitz, must put up the additional amount for the assets, the court ruled. The heirs live in Israel and the U.S., court spokesman Stephan Groscurth said in an e-mailed statement today.

Salman Schocken -- who established the chain with his brother Simon -- also founded in 1931 a publishing house in Germany, which began selling in the U.S. in 1945 under the name Schocken Books. The stores were seized by the Nazis in 1938.

“You find us very happy to finally have the Jewish victims compensated after almost a quarter of a century of legal battles,” said Bernd-Wilhelm Schmitz, the lawyer for the Schocken family. “This hasn’t been a case like any other, moving us very much on a personal level as well.”

10 replies

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Highlight:

Jewish Family Gets $68 Million for 1938 Nazi Store Seizures (Original Post) steve2470 Jun 2014 OP

Fantastic! I hope they do something good with the money. Behind the Aegis Jun 2014 #1

The internet isn't kind to Jews or women. joshcryer Jun 2014 #4

Totally not shocked JustAnotherGen Jun 2014 #6

I don't care how they spend the money. dilby Jun 2014 #9

one reason Germany today is seen in a positive way today JI7 Jun 2014 #2

agreed ! nt steve2470 Jun 2014 #3

At least the West has DFW Jun 2014 #5

There's an Anne Frank Elementary School in Philadelphia Nye Bevan Jun 2014 #7

I never knew DFW Jun 2014 #8

Me neither. I was curious after reading your post so I Googled it. Nye Bevan Jun 2014 #10

Behind the Aegis

(53,955 posts)

1. Fantastic! I hope they do something good with the money.

Reply to steve2470 (Original post)

Fri Jun 13, 2014, 02:32 AM

Jun 2014

Did you read some of the comments? Aren't they a pip!

Party Like its 1929 • 4 hours ago

If a Jewish family can get money for past German seizures, then can I get money from the Jewish banksters running the Federal Reserve for seizing of my dollar's value?

It's just as absurd.

Party Like its 1929 > Jim Alderson • 4 hours ago

WRONG
Genghis Khan killed millions more than Hitler; 40 million in total; but many his victims were Iranian.

Should Khans ancestors pay off the Iranian ancestors families?
Or is it only a Jewish privilege to profit from atrocities?

moveyacar • 14 hours ago

What about the compensation to the Palestinian people? Maybe they don't matter. If so sounds like Israel and Nazi Germany are more simular than not. And no I'm not anti-semitic just calling a spade a spade.

They will be scrutinized for their win and how they spend/invest their money.

joshcryer

(62,270 posts)

4. The internet isn't kind to Jews or women.

Reply to Behind the Aegis (Reply #1)

Fri Jun 13, 2014, 03:55 AM

Jun 2014

It's disgraceful how any articles pertaining to women or Jews get hammered by racists or sexists.

JustAnotherGen

(31,816 posts)

6. Totally not shocked

Reply to Behind the Aegis (Reply #1)

Fri Jun 13, 2014, 07:37 AM

Jun 2014

By the comments. They oughta be ashamed of themselves - but they aren't.

dilby

(2,273 posts)

9. I don't care how they spend the money.

Reply to Behind the Aegis (Reply #1)

Fri Jun 13, 2014, 12:35 PM

Jun 2014

They deserve it and people on the internet can go keyboard commando all they want.

JI7

(89,247 posts)

2. one reason Germany today is seen in a positive way today

Reply to steve2470 (Original post)

Fri Jun 13, 2014, 02:45 AM

Jun 2014

and has for some years now is they have faced their horrible history . and things like this show they are willing to do more than just token acknowledgement .

steve2470

(37,457 posts)

3. agreed ! nt

Reply to JI7 (Reply #2)

Fri Jun 13, 2014, 02:46 AM

Jun 2014

DFW

(54,365 posts)

5. At least the West has

Reply to JI7 (Reply #2)

Fri Jun 13, 2014, 04:58 AM

Jun 2014

The old East German regime claimed "no Nazis here" and as such denied/ignored the huge vestiges they inherited. Even their army's uniform, except for the helmets, were very similar to the old Wehrmacht uniforms.

The West, granted under the Allies' watchful eye, made many efforts to face the past and educate its people not only not to repeat it, but WHY they shouldn't repeat it.

My two girls, born in Germany and raised as Germans (my wife is German), albeit very special Germans, went to the Anne Frank Elementary School right outside of Düsseldorf. It was purposely chosen for that name, as the building it now occupies was the Gestapo HQ for the area during the Nazi era. The kids learn who Anne Frank was, and why her name means something.

I know of no such institutions so named in the East. For that matter, I don't even know if there are any schools so named in the United States. You can't change the nature of a people overnight, and German bureaucrats are sometimes frightening to try to work with, but many of our best friends are German, and I can't imagine that having happened 70 years ago.