[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference taveng::bagels

Title:BAGELS and other things of Jewish interest
Notice:1.0 policy, 280.0 directory, 32.0 registration
Moderator:SMURF::FENSTER
Created:Mon Feb 03 1986
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1524
Total number of notes:18709

469.0. "Holocaust Funds Embezzled!" by LABC::FRIEDMAN () Fri May 27 1988 16:47

    There is a news story about millions of dollars of West Germany's
    Holocaust reparation funds being embezzled by the funds' (Jewish?)
    administrator.  Does anyone know more details?  The story seems
    to have gotten much more attention in the foreign press than in
    the U.S.
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
469.1it was on NPRTAZRAT::CHERSONFri May 27 1988 17:196
    re: .0
    
    No, the story was carried on NPR a few weeks ago.  However I will
    agree that it didn't get much coverage in the printed press.
    
    David
469.2CIRCUS::KOLLINGKaren, Sweetie, & Holly; in Calif.Fri May 27 1988 17:417
    There were at least two stories in detail in the New York Times
    recently.  I'm a little fuzzy on the details.  Apparently the German
    government had set up a fund to pay reparations to Jews who missed
    some previous deadline for applying.  The (Jewish) person in charge of
    it died suddenly and it seems a lot of the money is missing and
    seems to have gone into attempts to rescue his various businesses.
    
469.3As written in "DER SPIEGEL"ULYSSE::LEHKYI'm phlegmatic, and that's coolFri Jun 03 1988 09:1366
    This is the (partly) translation of an article which appeared in the
    German weekly Magazine "DER SPIEGEL". This newspaper is really
    independent and well known for the accuracy and correctness of their
    investigations
    
    Personal remark: Last year, a Bavarian politician had to publicly
    present his apologies to Nachmann for the sentence: "Wherever there is
    money, there are Jews". So, this scandal will give quite a decent push
    to antisemitism in Southern Germany, I think. 
    
    Chris
    
    				The left hole 

    WERNER NACHMANN, THE LONGTIME CHAIRMAN OF THE CENTRAL COUNCIL OF GERMAN
    JEWS, HAS MADE DISAPPEAR MILLIONS OF REPARATION PAYMENTS.
    
    The "terrible message" reached Heinz Galinski, 75, the freshly elected
    chairman, on Sunday evening after Easter. On the phone was Professor
    Leo Rubinstein form the Superior Council of the Jews of Baden. He had
    discovered dubious money transfers on accounts of the Jewish
    communities. He reported of 9.48 Million Marks that where transferred
    "strangely", out of which 5 Million marks had disappeared.
    
    The man who had access to and all rights on these accounts died
    in January: Werner Nachmann.
    
    [...]
    
    The public auditor, Eberhard Braun, soon discovered that an account of
    the Jewish Council, on which the transfer of 22 M marks took place, had
    served to diverge money into Nachmann's companies.
    
    Galinski was shocked: "It can be 25, 33 or 40 Millions, nobody knows
    exactly, up to now". What makes this criminal act a political affair,
    is that the money comes from interest revenues of a 400 Million
    reparation fund from the German government for the German Jews.
    
    [...]
    
    When he died, Nachmann was honoured in many speeches (amongst others
    by Chancelor Kohl) as a "moral authority, a great German Patriot,
    and a friend who represented a piece of common German-Jewish history".
    
    [...]
    
    Nachmann could cover his manipulations for years. Since 1980, the 400 M
    from Bonn were transferred to the account in shares. Nachmann had plain
    rights on the accounts, located in Germany and New York. Since 1980,
    Nachmann falsified (probably several hundred) cheques of one of his
    companies in the following way: he barred the account number of his
    company and replaced it with the number of the Central Council. No bank
    did consider this practice as being irregular.

    [...]
    
    Hundreds of thousands of Marks went to a Rothschild foundation and to a
    Jewish High School in Karlsruhe, "who nobody knows", says Galinski,
    "very dubious". Sometimes, the transfer orders were simply given by
    phone, as a council member remembers.
    
    [...]
    
    Galinski believes that other persons had well known and/or profited
    of Nachmanns manipulations.
469.4East Germany to spend $100M!!ULYSSE::LEHKYI'm phlegmatic, and that's coolWed Jun 08 1988 14:196
    Galinski met with Honecker, the East German #1. Honecker indicated
    that Eastern Germany intends to soon transfer $100M for reparation.
    
    Chris
    
    P.S.:	This is also mentioned in today's VNS News.
469.5Nachmann and 'Schwitzers'ULYSSE::LEHKYI'm phlegmatic, and that's coolTue Jun 28 1988 12:5815
    The auditor tracked back the cash flow on the involved accounts,
    and it is for sure, now, that Nachmann has transferred 22M Marks
    into his 'own' pocket:
    
    	7M were transferred to his wife's boutique
    	The rest went to his (recently dissolved) companies in Germany
    	and France.
    
    Chris
    
    P.S.:	Galinski decided to continue the investigations. A private
    		detective has been given the charter to 'sniff out'
    		the details. More when it comes in. Galinski thinks
    		that several 'Schwitzers' have taken profit of these
    		transfers, as well.