German court: Nazi-era laborers are due pensions
A German federal court ruled June 3 that two Jews who were forced by the Nazis to work in ghettos have a right to a pension for their labor, setting the stage for thousands of others to receive payments.
The Federal Social Affairs Court ruled that the two qualified for pensions because, although they did not receive financial compensation for their work, they received food and other items — meaning the German government was responsible for them.
The two plaintiffs, whose names were not released by the court, did cleaning and washing in a ghetto in Poland.
The ruling sets a precedent for some 70,000 people forced by the Nazis to work in ghettos, or their descendants, to make claims. Most would be able to claim payments of 150 euros ($213) per month, backdated to July 1, 1997. The payments could add up to more than 1 billion euros, according to estimates, which would come out of Germany’s federal pension program. — ap
Two Jews victims in plane crash
Two Jewish passengers were among those aboard Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, Chabad.org reported.
French businessman Serge Anidjar was traveling home to France after a business trip to Brazil, according to the Web site and Rabbi Michael Sojcher, a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary in Anidjar’s hometown of Boulogne-Billancourt.
Another Jewish passenger also was on board, but no other information was immediately available for publication, according to Chabad.org, which reported the Anidjar was married and had three children. — jta
British scholars vote to boycott Israel
Britain’s main academic union, the University and College Union, voted overwhelmingly at its annual meeting last week to boycott Israeli universities and colleges.
It is the fourth year in a row that the union has passed a resolution condemning Israel and supporting the boycott of Israeli academics and academic institutions.
The key resolution calls on UCU branches to discuss boycotting Israel, and commits the union to organize a pro-boycott conference for other trade unions to attend.
However, the vote was then declared invalid after union attorneys said that a boycott of that kind could trigger legal action against the union. Still, Sally Hunt, the union’s general secretary, said she “formally and personally commended” the union for holding the debate, the Guardian in London reported. — jta
Berlin seminary ordains its first rabbis
The first two graduates of a new Orthodox seminary in Berlin were ordained as rabbis in a ceremony broadcast live on German television this week.
Zsolt Balla, 30, and Avraham Radbill, 25, in a June 2 ceremony at Munich’s Ohel Jacob Synagogue, received their official papers from the Rabbiner-seminar zu Berlin in a ceremony attended by senior political figures.
Balla, who sometimes performs with a Jewish music group called Holy Smokes, sang a hymn of praise following the ordination. The Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation co-founded the institute. — jta
Aussie Maccabi scraps ban against non-Jewish athletes
The board of Maccabi Australia — Australian Jewry’s largest member organization — has abandoned a controversial plan to ban non-Jews from competing on its sports teams.
Last month, the board decided to enforce its constitutional right by
Dec. 31, 2010, ensuring it would be an exclusively Jewish club. Australia’s Equal Opportunity Act allows clubs to discriminate in order to preserve a minority culture.
But a backlash from within the Jewish community prompted the board to recant May 28. The letters pages of the Australian Jewish News were filled with debate on the issue before the board’s back flip.
The board said it believed there were about 50 non-Jewish members out of more than 9,000 members in Maccabi clubs across Australia. — jta