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Feb 12, 2010

Re: Holocaust survivors // Hungarian hebes, Auschwitz [1 Attachment]

 
[Attachment(s) from ReporterNotebook included below]



Here's something of a treat from Primo Levi, who was there.


In regard to the Hungarian Jews' deportation to Auschwitz, Levi writes in an apparently non-fiction text that the place was chock full of them, an observation that hardly sqares with their extermination. Please see enclosure, pdf of p. 25 of Primo Levi, Lilit e altri racconti, Turin, Einaudi, 1981.



Le 12 févr. 10 à 11:54, ReporterNotebook a écrit :

 

Holocaust survivors sue Hungarian railway in US court
by: AFP Updated: 12/Feb/2010 00:15
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WASHINGTON (AFP)---A group of survivors and descendants of victims of the Holocaust victims of the Holocaust are suing the Hungarian state railroad company in US court for its role in transporting Jews to the Auschwitz death camp.

 

The class action suit was filed Tuesday in a US district court in Chicago by attorneys representing the group of 95 plaintiffs.

   

The suit, seen by AFP, seeks 1.24 billion dollars in compensation and punitive damages.

   

According to the document, the Hungarian railroad company "knowingly provided the trains for delivering 437,000 Jews to their death in Auschwitz" between March and October 1944.

   

Railroad employees are accused of "looting the plaintiffs' possessions, valuables, heirlooms, stock certificates, currency and jewelry from the plaintiffs' luggage.

   

«Without the trains provided by (the defendant), hundreds of thousands of Jews could not have been transported to Auschwitz," the suit charges.   T

 

The plaintiffs are asking for 240 million dollars for the stolen property and one billion dollars "as punitive damages reflecting the heinous and zealous participation by the defendants in genocide.

   

"Even though discussion of money is necessarily crass in the context of the unspeakable evil that was inflicted upon the Holocaust victims, nevertheless the law is powerless to do anything other than to obtain financial restitution," it said.

   

According to the plaintiffs, by US law the Hungarian railroad company can be sued if it is "engaged in commercial activity in the United States.

   

"This final requirement is satisfied by the fact that the defendant sells tickets and passes for its railways through its agents in the United States," the document reads.

   

In the period 1940-45 some 1.3 million people perished at Auschwitz, 1.1 million of them Jews from across occupied Europe.


+++

The secret to happiness--is it good for the Jews?

"Before Prof. Dershowitz accused me of being an anti-Semite (news to me), I was a happy person. Since then, I'm still a happy person". --Michael Santomauro

Be Happy! 

Become a member of a new political party: 

"An Ethnie without a sense of peoplehood will end up being used to achieve the goals of other ethnies." -- Michael Santomauro 


Start:

A Sense of Peoplehood is not a Pathology

It is not racist for a professor such as Alan Dershowitz or for a professor like Kevin MacDonald to advocate for their ethnic group interests.

The words for bigotry, that are often used, such as: ant-Semitic, anti-white, anti-black, anti-Arab, anti-feminist, anti-gay and hundreds of other labels, are for the most part overstated. Instead, it should be seen as pro-white, or pro-Jewish or pro-women or pro-traditional family and not be ashamed of it.

These "pro" sensibilities are part of the human condition, not to be pathologized into an "anti."

It is about group interests.

A race or an ethnie without a sense of peoplehood or ethnichood will end up being used to achieve the goals of other ethnies. (Yes, ethnie, not ethnic).

The feelings or thoughts for peoplehood is not a pathology. The European-American will have White ethnic interests and it is not racist to have them. Just as Hispanics, Asians, Jews and Blacks have their own ethnic interests, it should not be a pathology for Whites to have ethnic interests. 

Become a member:


Peace.

Michael Santomauro
Editorial Director
Call anytime: 917-974-6367
ReporterNotebook@Gmail.com

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Holocaust survivors sue Hungarian railway in US court

 

Holocaust survivors sue Hungarian railway in US court
Updated: 12/Feb/2010 00:15
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WASHINGTON (AFP)---A group of survivors and descendants of victims of the Holocaust victims of the Holocaust are suing the Hungarian state railroad company in US court for its role in transporting Jews to the Auschwitz death camp.

 

The class action suit was filed Tuesday in a US district court in Chicago by attorneys representing the group of 95 plaintiffs.

   

The suit, seen by AFP, seeks 1.24 billion dollars in compensation and punitive damages.

   

According to the document, the Hungarian railroad company "knowingly provided the trains for delivering 437,000 Jews to their death in Auschwitz" between March and October 1944.

   

Railroad employees are accused of "looting the plaintiffs' possessions, valuables, heirlooms, stock certificates, currency and jewelry from the plaintiffs' luggage.

   

«Without the trains provided by (the defendant), hundreds of thousands of Jews could not have been transported to Auschwitz," the suit charges.   T

 

The plaintiffs are asking for 240 million dollars for the stolen property and one billion dollars "as punitive damages reflecting the heinous and zealous participation by the defendants in genocide.

   

"Even though discussion of money is necessarily crass in the context of the unspeakable evil that was inflicted upon the Holocaust victims, nevertheless the law is powerless to do anything other than to obtain financial restitution," it said.

   

According to the plaintiffs, by US law the Hungarian railroad company can be sued if it is "engaged in commercial activity in the United States.

   

"This final requirement is satisfied by the fact that the defendant sells tickets and passes for its railways through its agents in the United States," the document reads.

   

In the period 1940-45 some 1.3 million people perished at Auschwitz, 1.1 million of them Jews from across occupied Europe.


+++

The secret to happiness--is it good for the Jews?

"Before Prof. Dershowitz accused me of being an anti-Semite (news to me), I was a happy person. Since then, I'm still a happy person". --Michael Santomauro

Be Happy! 

Become a member of a new political party: 

"An Ethnie without a sense of peoplehood will end up being used to achieve the goals of other ethnies." -- Michael Santomauro 


Start:

A Sense of Peoplehood is not a Pathology

It is not racist for a professor such as Alan Dershowitz or for a professor like Kevin MacDonald to advocate for their ethnic group interests.

The words for bigotry, that are often used, such as: ant-Semitic, anti-white, anti-black, anti-Arab, anti-feminist, anti-gay and hundreds of other labels, are for the most part overstated. Instead, it should be seen as pro-white, or pro-Jewish or pro-women or pro-traditional family and not be ashamed of it.

These "pro" sensibilities are part of the human condition, not to be pathologized into an "anti."

It is about group interests.

A race or an ethnie without a sense of peoplehood or ethnichood will end up being used to achieve the goals of other ethnies. (Yes, ethnie, not ethnic).

The feelings or thoughts for peoplehood is not a pathology. The European-American will have White ethnic interests and it is not racist to have them. Just as Hispanics, Asians, Jews and Blacks have their own ethnic interests, it should not be a pathology for Whites to have ethnic interests. 

Become a member:


Peace.

Michael Santomauro
Editorial Director
Call anytime: 917-974-6367
ReporterNotebook@Gmail.com

__._,_.___
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The 25 Most Important Pro-White Organizations

 

BY RUSSELL A. JAMES

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010

The 25 Most Important Pro-White Organizations

As most of my readers are aware, White people are under attack. From demands that we leave countries, over-seas, that we built; to demands that we accept the invasion of hostile non-Whites into our indigenous lands; to intentional changes in our way of life that rob us of our traditions, denigrate our heritage, lie about our past, and destroy our culture; to deliberate changes in our national policies that harm us and favor those that wish to continue to harm us; we are being hounded, attacked, and even "genocided" all over the world.

Fifty years ago, Whites were roughly 33% of the world's population, today we are less than 13% and shrinking. It is estimated that by the end of this century - if current anti-White trends continue - we will constitute less than 3% of the world's population. As globalization increases and the tiny minority of ultra-rich globalists and their collaborators continue to expand their power and impose one-world government on us, we will be a tiny, despised, and oppressed minority without any hope for justice.

We must prevent both the decimation of our population and the impositions of a "one-world government" on our people. The best way to do that is to become informed and get active in the struggle against the globalist agenda. I've compiled a list of organizations that are committed to helping you do just that. Here's a count-down of 25 that I consider to be most important. These organizations run the gamut from political parties, to cultural preservation societies, to educational institutes, to commercial enterprises, to news/entertainment media outlets. Some of them are nascent and not well-developed yet, but that is why it is important for you to get involved and ensure they develop to a point where they can be useful in our struggle against genocide. Visit their websites, learn what they are about, and get involved.


25. Racist-Jokes
What is it?
Just as it sounds, Racist-Jokes is a large collection of racially-oriented jokes. Visitors can not only read, but post jokes to the site.

Why is it important?
It's important because, in this business, we all need a laugh sometimes, plus it can develop into a traffic generating hub, that points those racially unreconstructed enough to enjoy a site of this nature, to other, more important sites.

24. European Americans United (EAU)
What is it?
EAU is a White Rights Advocacy group built around the simple concept that racial preservation is moral. Although racially-aware they are not explicitly Jew-wise.

Why is it important?
This group offers good White people the opportunity to organize and fight for their rights in a world increasingly intent on robbing them of those rights. It also has a news division and an education section. They are developing a home-schooling curriculum that could prove crucial to our people's self-preservation.

23. Original Dissent (OD)
What is it?
OD is an online bulletin-board or forum. It was originally named Texas Dissent and preserves those origins in its "paleo-conservative" outlook. It has gained an international membership of bright, committed, and extremely helpful folks.

Why is it important?
It offers all of the same benefits of other forums, but it's constituency of older, more mature (elder-statesmen?) folks makes it more suitable for newbies than the other more raucous, off-putting forums.

22. Institute for Historical Review (IHR)
What is it?
The IHR is a site devoted to accurate historical research, with a focus on events of the early to middle part of the last century.

Why is it important?
Simple - it exposes the myths, inaccuracies, and outright lies of those that won WWII and therefore were able to (re-)write history.

21. David Duke Report
What is it?
The David Duke Report is an alternative news site.

Why is it important?
Dr. Duke and crew do a great job of presenting original investigative reports and explaining the events of the day from the correct perspective, rather than with the usual biases of the Jewish-controlled "Mainstream Media."

20. Council of Conservative Citizens (CofCC)
What is it?
Like European Americans United above, the CofCC is a national organization dedicated to the preservation of White cultural achievements and the advancement of our interests. It is older and more experienced than EAU, which is why I ranked it higher on the list. It also differs from EAU in that it is explicitly Christian. EAU has no religious association.

Why is it important?
It's a place where racially-responsible White people can get active in preserving a future for their children.

19. Local 1488
What is it?
Local 1488 is an online shop owned and operated by good White people.

Why is it important?
Every purchase you make goes to the good White owners and they spend it in a racially-responsible way, including supporting other sites they run like Racist-Jokes above and North East White Pride, a local activist organization in New England. If Whites are to make any inroads into the depredations against us, we must develop a market-place that is outside of the control of the Jews and their collaborators. Local 1488 is a good first step toward that goal.

18. CasteFootball
What is it?
A sports news and analysis site.

Why is it important?
It exposes the blatant anti-White biases present in the Jew-controlled sports of football, soccer, basketball, baseball, boxing, and more. If you like sports, you'll love CasteFootball. It, and its complementary forum, are the best sources for sports-related news on the web.

17. Resisting Defamation
What is it?
Its purpose is to fight against the campaign of defamation so frequently expressed against the diverse white American peoples by media, films, government officials, college professors, and texts. 

Why is it important?
Those that would destroy us, believe that power is essentially the ability to define, valorize, and label. They use this power to induce, what they call, "cultural pessimism in White males." In other words, they use it to rob White men of our confidence, so that we will meekly accept subjugation and ultimately our destruction. Bo Sears has created a portal where you can learn not only about their tactics and strategies, but how you can resist them.

16. U.S. National Militia Directory (USNMD)
What is it?
Just as it says. A directory of constitutional militias.

Why is it important?
Every able-bodied White man between the ages of 17 and 45 is a member of the Militia by law. You should exercise this right. The USNMD helps you find a Militia in your area. 

15. Gun Owners of America (GOA)
What is it?
GOA is the nation's premier gun-rights advocacy group. Its leader, Larry Pratt, has proven his racial loyalty, repeatedly, in the past by speaking to explicitly pro-White groups.

Why is it important?
That other gun-rights group is suspect in some of its dealings. Mr. Pratt and company won't disappoint.

14. Committee for Open Debate on the Holocaust (CODOH)
What is it?
Like the IHR above CODOH maintains an extensive library of works related to the "Holocaust."

Why is it important?
It is a well-designed, organized, and run site that is committed to exposing the truth about the so-called "holocaust."

13. American 3rd Position (A3P)
What is it?
An explicitly pro-White political party.

Why is it important?
Both "mainstream" parties are openly hostile to the interests of White people. The A3P is a necessary ingredient of the recipe to restore the rights of White people and advance our interests.

12. Metapedia
What is it?
A user-editable online encyclopedia.

Why is it important?
Access to reliable information is central to freedom. Unlike that other online encyclopedia (Wikipedia) it was not founded by a Jewish pornographer and therefore lacks all of the usual biases one would expect from such origins.

11. Eurspace
What is it?
A social networking site explicitly for White people. (As of this writing the site was down, due to the fact that it was being upgraded.)

Why is it important?
All other people have sites devoted to them. Whites need areas that are off-limits to non-Whites so that we can rest, relax, recreate, and network, without their corrupting influences.

10. ANU News
What is it?
A news aggregation site.

Why is it important?
ANU News collects the most important news of the day, from the most trustworthy sources, and presents it to the public. If the right of the people to comment on the news is infringed by the source then that source can't be trusted. ANU News allows its readers to comment without uncalled for moderation or registration procedures.

9. Voice of Reason Radio Network (VoR)
What is it?
A pro-White radio network online. A source of, as prominent program host, Dr. Tom Sunic, likes to say, "staggering erudition."

Why is it important?
This should be self-explanatory. News by, for, and about White people and their interests is an imperative if we are to maintain viability.

8. National Policy Institute (NPI)
What is it?
The first (and only, as of this writing) pro-White think tank/policy institute.

Why is it important?
We need quality research, ideas, and writings presented to the public at-large as well as to those in power. NPI provides it.

7. Aryan Volk of Midgard (AVM)
What is it?
AVM is a national charity with a focus on helping good White folks who have been harmed by the disruptions to our society caused by our nation's treacherous leadership and the policies like Affirmative Action, Open Borders, and endless wars for Israel that they've imposed on us. The linked site is he forum for the charity.

Why is it important?
As the saying goes, "charity starts at home." Whites are the most benevolent, charitable people on earth, we need to start directing that charity toward our own and stop benefiting those that despise us. AVM will help you do just that.

6. The Occidental Quarterly (TOQ) & The Occidental Observer (TOO)
What is it?
The Occidental Quarterly is (as it's title would suggest) a quarterly publication that addresses the ongoing denigration and displacement of the diverse European peoples. The Occidental Observer is its online companion site (although TOQ is published online now, as well).

Why is it important?
They reclaim and rehabilitate lost events and personalities from our rich history, restore our cultural artefacts, and give us the tools necessary to retake our societies from the hostile aliens that currently rule over us. They are the most informative and reliable sources of written information for White people.

5. The Political Cesspool
What is it?
The Political Cesspool is a no-holds barred, weekly, 3-hour radio program broadcast nationally and online every Saturday night that pulls no punches concerning the elements that harm White society.

Why is it important?
It gives you the information necessary to make informed decisions about your future.

4. American Dissident Voices
What is it?
A series of radio broadcasts, by Dr. William L. Pierce and his associates dating primarly from the 1990's and early double-aughts. The shows broadcast prior to Dr. Pierce's passing in July of 2002 are of particular interest.

Why is it important?
Dr. Pierce examines and identifies the causes of White cultural and racial decline and gives a penetrating assessment of those who, in his opinion, bear primary responsibility - the Jews and their allies. His focus is on how they use the media to destroy us and on what we can do to counteract their control of our media.

3. Culture Wars
What is it?
Culture Wars is a website by Catholic traditionalist scholar, E. Michael Jones. Dedicated to exposing the ongoing and clandestine Jewish war on Christianity, particularly as it applies to Catholicism. He is non-racialist and, in fact, often expresses disdain for racial-consciousness. This makes his site no less compelling, or perhaps even moreso, because despite its racial neutrality it identifies the Jews as the primary culprits of the destruction of Western Civilization.

Why is it important?
The site's primary importance are two books that it sells. Libido Dominandi and The Jewish Revolutionary Spirit. The former exposes how the Jews use sexuality to subjugate the masses and the latter is Jones's Magnum Opus it is a master-work exposing the Jewish root of every movement - from Marxism, to multi-culturalism, to feminism - detrimental to Western Society.

2. Kevin MacDonald
What is it?
Dr. Kevin MacDonald's personal website containing his works examining the psychological underpinning of the Jewish desire to destroy everything White.

Why is it important?
Professor MacDonald's works are an imperative for any one trying to understand why Jews behave as they do and what we might do to protect ourselves from their continuing depredations.

1. Stormfront
What is it?
Put simply, as the oldest, biggest, most trafficked online forum in the world it is the center of mass of the pro-White movement.

Why is it important?
If you want to get involved in pro-White activism this should be your first stop. There are sections where you can learn the rudiments of White identity, get the scoop on breaking news stories, by civilians on the scene with their cellphones and Blackberries all long before the MSM drones are even aware that a story has broken, and places where you can learn to bake a peach cobbler, or grow a vegetable garden. When you're ready you can even find people in your own area to get involved with.
+++

The secret to happiness--is it good for the Jews?

"Before Prof. Dershowitz accused me of being an anti-Semite (news to me), I was a happy person. Since then, I'm still a happy person". --Michael Santomauro

Be Happy! 

Become a member of a new political party: 

"An Ethnie without a sense of peoplehood will end up being used to achieve the goals of other ethnies." -- Michael Santomauro 


Start:

A Sense of Peoplehood is not a Pathology

It is not racist for a professor such as Alan Dershowitz or for a professor like Kevin MacDonald to advocate for their ethnic group interests.

The words for bigotry, that are often used, such as: ant-Semitic, anti-white, anti-black, anti-Arab, anti-feminist, anti-gay and hundreds of other labels, are for the most part overstated. Instead, it should be seen as pro-white, or pro-Jewish or pro-women or pro-traditional family and not be ashamed of it.

These "pro" sensibilities are part of the human condition, not to be pathologized into an "anti."

It is about group interests.

A race or an ethnie without a sense of peoplehood or ethnichood will end up being used to achieve the goals of other ethnies. (Yes, ethnie, not ethnic).

The feelings or thoughts for peoplehood is not a pathology. The European-American will have White ethnic interests and it is not racist to have them. Just as Hispanics, Asians, Jews and Blacks have their own ethnic interests, it should not be a pathology for Whites to have ethnic interests. 

Become a member:


Peace.

Michael Santomauro
Editorial Director
Call anytime: 917-974-6367
ReporterNotebook@Gmail.com

__._,_.___
.

__,_._,___

Feb 11, 2010

The secret to happiness--is it good for the Jews?

 

The secret to happiness--is it good for the Jews?


"Before Prof. Dershowitz accused me of being an anti-Semite (news to me), I was a happy person. Since then, I'm still a happy person". --Michael Santomauro

Be Happy! Become a member of a new political party: 

The American Third Position




+++

An Ethnie without a sense of peoplehood will end up being used to achieve the goals of other ethnies.  -- Michael Santomauro 


A Sense of Peoplehood is not a Pathology

It is not racist for a professor such as
Alan Dershowitz or for a professor like Kevin MacDonald to advocate for their ethnic group interests.

The words for bigotry, that are often used, such as: ant-Semitic, anti-white, anti-black, anti-Arab, anti-feminist, anti-gay and hundreds of other labels, are for the most part overstated. Instead, it should be seen as pro-white, or pro-Jewish or pro-women or pro-traditional family and not be ashamed of it.

These "pro" sensibilities are part of the human condition, not to be pathologized into an "anti."

It is about group interests.

A race or an ethnie without a sense of peoplehood or ethnichood will end up being used to achieve the goals of other ethnies. (Yes, ethnie, not ethnic).

The feelings or thoughts for peoplehood is not a pathology. The European-American will have White ethnic interests and it is not racist to have them. Just as Hispanics, Asians, Jews and Blacks have their own ethnic interests, it should not be a pathology for Whites to have ethnic interests. –Michael Santomauro


Become a member:


Peace.

Michael Santomauro
Editorial Director
Call anytime: 917-974-6367
ReporterNotebook@Gmail.com

__._,_.___
.

__,_._,___

Blair’s Million Dollar Israeli Peace Prize

 


Former British Prime Minister and Mideast mediator Tony Blair, right, Israel's President Shimon Peres, center, and Dan David, attend the $1 million Dan David Prizes in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, May 17, 2009.


+++

An Ethnie without a sense of peoplehood will end up being used to achieve the goals of other ethnies.  -- Michael Santomauro 


A Sense of Peoplehood is not a Pathology

It is not racist for a professor such as
Alan Dershowitz or for a professor like Kevin MacDonald to advocate for their ethnic group interests.

The words for bigotry, that are often used, such as: ant-Semitic, anti-white, anti-black, anti-Arab, anti-feminist, anti-gay and hundreds of other labels, are for the most part overstated. Instead, it should be seen as pro-white, or pro-Jewish or pro-women or pro-traditional family and not be ashamed of it.

These "pro" sensibilities are part of the human condition, not to be pathologized into an "anti."

It is about group interests.

A race or an ethnie without a sense of peoplehood or ethnichood will end up being used to achieve the goals of other ethnies. (Yes, ethnie, not ethnic).

The feelings or thoughts for peoplehood is not a pathology. The European-American will have White ethnic interests and it is not racist to have them. Just as Hispanics, Asians, Jews and Blacks have their own ethnic interests, it should not be a pathology for Whites to have ethnic interests. –Michael Santomauro


Become a member:


Peace.

Michael Santomauro
Editorial Director
Call anytime: 917-974-6367
ReporterNotebook@Gmail.com
Third revised edition: Debating The Holocaust: A New Look At Both Sides  by Thomas Dalton_

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Claims Conf. Fraud Put At $350,000; No Survivor Funds Bilked

 

Claims Conf. Fraud Put At $350,000; No Survivor Funds Bilked

by Stewart Ain
Staff Writer

Feb.11, 2010 / JTA

The Claims Conference fired three employees last week who allegedly approved more than 100 fraudulent Holocaust-era claims — filed primarily by Russians now living in Brooklyn — that bilked the German government out of more than $350,000, The Jewish Week has learned. 

A federal investigation has reportedly been launched but it is not known if the employees, one of whom was the supervisor of the Hardship Fund, were complicit in the fraud. The Claims Conference declined to reveal their names.

"The German government was defrauded," said Gregory Schneider, the Claims Conference's executive vice president. "No money was taken from Holocaust survivors. ... This was done by very sophisticated persons or a group whose aim it was to defraud. And the fact that 

it is connected with the Holocaust makes it even more disgusting."

Julius Berman, chairman of the Claims Conference, said he was "outraged that anyone would engage in a fraud of what we consider holy money."

Schneider said the dismissals came last Thursday, a little more than two months after two of 10 employees processing Hardship Fund claims brought fraudulent documents to him. Two different claimants submitted them two weeks apart. 

"I was unwilling to accept within a space of two weeks that this was a coincidence," he said. "So within 72 hours of those claims being brought to me we hired an outside party to confirm my suspicions. They began to document what we thought was fraud going on."

He said the information gathered in a forensic audit by the law firm of Proskauer Rose was subsequently turned over to the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, Preet Bharara. Bharara's spokeswoman, Yusill Scribner, said only: "It is the office policy not to confirm or deny the existence of investigations."

Schneider said he also directed that neither the New York office nor the other processing offices in Germany and Israel pay Hardship Fund claims in December, January and February while the investigation proceeded. Thus, he said, about 4,500 claims have gone unpaid.

The law firm found that the fraud was limited to the Hardship Fund and to the New York office, Schneider said. He said Brooklyn residents claiming to be survivors from the former Soviet Union submitted most of the fraudulent claims, although some applications were also sent from other parts of the United States. He said it is "too early" to know how many fraudulent claims had been paid, but he put the number at "likely more than 100."

Schneider said he has now directed that all pending Hardship Funds claims from the German and Israeli offices be paid this month. There are 1,500 pending claims in New York and Schneider said those that have been verified are also to be paid in coming days; he declined to say if additional fraudulent claims had been filed since November.

Each verified claimant receives a onetime payment from the government of Germany if he or she was forced to flee to the East during the Holocaust and was then compelled to remain in Soviet bloc countries after the war. By the time they were able to migrate to the West, the deadline to file for German reparations had ended. 

But in negotiations in 1980 with the Claims Conference, which is formally known as the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, Germany agreed to pay each of them a flat $3,500 under the newly created Hardship Fund that to date has paid more than $940 million.

In the last 12 months alone, payments were made to about 92,000 survivors worldwide.

In the last two years, there has been a surge in Hardship Fund applications because Germany broadened the eligibility criteria to include Jews who were in Leningrad at any time during the Nazis' 900-day siege of the city from September 1941 through January 1944, or fled from Leningrad during those years; Germany paid 7,000 claims in 2008 and 18,000 last year. 

There is no deadline for filing an application, and those who were previously rejected because they did not meet all German government criteria may file a second application.

"The tremendous expansion of the program made it easier for the fraud to be perpetuated," Schneider said. "There were so many more claims filed that a few doctored documents could slip through."  

Applicants must submit proof of their birth date and place of birth as part of the qualification process. It was those documents that were found to have been fraudulent, Schneider said. In addition, all claimants must sign their application and have it notarized. 

"We believe beyond a doubt that we were defrauded and a victim of a crime," Schneider said. "We have cooperated in every possible way with the authorities."

Berman, the Claims Conference chairman, has formed a three-member task force headed by Sheldon Rudoff to recommend what measures to take to "ensure that no fraudulent claims slip through the cracks again," Schneider said.

Under the current process, three separate people — a caseworker, the supervisor and a person in another country — must approve each application. 

"I'm angry and upset," Schneider said. "The fact that some thugs perpetrated a fraud will not deter the Claims Conference from making sure survivors live their final years with some dignity as we pursue a measure of justice for them."

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