Essay On Holocaust

Thesis Statement

Submissions from the Jewish Agency to the US, France, USSR, and UK for indemnification, reparations, and restitutions and further quests for compensations from Germany are warranted. The German government is ready to pay $1 billion for Holocaust survivors. The United States and France have also agreed to pay $60 million to pay Holocaust victims transported to German through the national railway of France. The requests for compensation drew great interest in the 90s, but negotiations have often ended up in deadlocks until recently when Germany agreed to compensate the victims followed by agreements between France and the United States. The funds will go to different places; some will go to the Government of Israel, which incurred huge expenses in absorbing more than 500,000 victims, while others will go to cater for nursing care, social care, and pharmacological services, especially given that the survivors are now in their old age. Surrounding the Holocaust issue is the question as to why slavery victims are not entitled to reparations as well.

Research Questions

Given the Germans believes and practices austerity in its budget, are the reparations to Holocaust victims a true reflection of the country’s commitment to fulfilling its duty to Nazi victims?

How should the compensations be structured, divided, and used by the various victims of Holocaust across continents?

Is France obligated to compensate Nazi victims who were transported through the country’s national railway system to Nazi death camps as much as Germany is mandated to pay those victims?
What excuses does the United States have for not compensating slavery victims who experienced longstanding suffering and still face pervasive discrimination and economic disadvantage if Germany and France have taken initiatives to compensate Holocaust victims?
Are the Holocaust reparations for Holocaust victims a cause for arguments regarding compensating other victims of war and terrorism such as World War I, World War II, and September 11, 20011 attacks more than are an exemplification of the commitment and obligations of Germany and France to honor the victims?

References

Primary sources
Baker, Zachary M., Nina Warnke, and Yivo Institute for Jewish Research. Jewish Displaced Persons Periodicals from the Collections of the YIVO Institute [microform]. Bethesda, Md.: University Publications of America, 1990.
Claims Conference. 2012 Worldbook, 2012.
Lester, Robert, Blair Hydrick, Tripartite Commission for the Restitution of Monetary Gold, United States. Dept. of State, and University Publications of America (Firm). Records of the Tripartite
Secondary Sources
CHW. “Germany to Pay 772 Million Euros in Reparations to Holocaust Survivors.” Spiegel Online, May 29, 2013. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-to-pay-772-million-euros-in-reparations-to-holocaust-survivors-a-902528.html.
Commission for the Restitution of Monetary Gold, 1946-1998 [microform]. Bethesda, MD: University Publications of America, 2001.
Dresser, Michael. “France, U.S. Reach Accord on Holocaust Reparations.” Baltimore Sun, 2015. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-france-holocaust-20141205-story.html.
Elsass, Peter. Treating Victims of Torture and Violence: Theoretical, Cross-Cultural, and Clinical Implications. NYU Press, 1997.
O’Donnell, Thérèse. “The Restitution of Holocaust Looted Art and Transitional Justice: The Perfect Storm or the Raft of the Medusa?” European Journal of International Law 22, no. 1 (February 1, 2011): 49–80. doi:10.1093/ejil/chr004.