Germany to pay pensions to Canadian Jews
 
Germany will pay pensions to German-speaking Canadian Jews who were living in Eastern Europe during the Second World War.

Germans Must Be Delighted

An agreement that will have the special pensions begin by next year was signed today by Jane Stewart, Canada's minister of human resources, and Christian Pauls, Germany's ambassador to Canada.

Germany has paid similar pensions to Jews and non-Jews living in Israel and the United States since 1995.
 

Finally Some Justice

Endre Altmann, an 77-year-old who worked in Nazi labour camps in Romania, wanted a pension. "I was asking simply what was the difference between a Jew who settled in New York City and Endre Altmann who settled in Toronto?" he said.

Altmann came to Canada in 1988, and is in line for tens of thousands of dollars in payments retroactive to 1990.

 

Anxious Survivors Line Up For A Payday

To qualify for the pension, people have to have been at least 16 years old when the Germans invaded their country. Stewart said she doesn't know how many Canadians will qualify, but money has the way of finding a home.