“Zedek” is Hebrew and means justice. Under this name some time ago, more than 80 personalities from politics, science and society have called on the Federal government and the Parliament, to combat old-age poverty among Jewish immigrants in Germany. Now the Initiative has produced a law proposal, submitted to the daily mirror.
Since 1990, about 200,000 Jews from the former Soviet Union came to Germany, today the majority of the municipalities. While repatriates may leave their in the States of the former Soviet Union provided years of service for pension credit, non-Jewish immigrants from the same countries, this possibility. That’s why more than a third of them were dependent on social assistance, said Sergey Lagodinsky, a member of the Parliament (representative Assembly) of the Jewish community of Berlin.
“the Holocaust to be dragged Survivors in Germany before the court”
“It is irresponsible and hypocritical of the government to highlight representative in all remembrance events, that there is a thriving Jewish life in Germany, and at the same time do not want to see, how this life really looks like,” said Lagodinsky to the daily mirror. “Because the Jewish life in Germany is not always flourishing.” To those ancient people, which received a small pension from the country of origin, will cut the support, if necessary with legal means: “Holocaust Survivors in Germany in front of a criminal court dragged and treated as if they were fraudsters,” criticized Lagodinsky.
Together with the former Green parliamentary deputies Volker Beck, and the researcher Micha Brumlik he has started in the past year, the Initiative “Tzedek”.
In the now of the Initiative submitted the law proposal to be linked to two Long-debated concepts: refugees, equality of Jewish Quota of ethnic German repatriates in the pension system should be complemented by a hardship Fund. “Jewish immigrants and ethnic German repatriates to finally be in the pension rights on an equal footing,” said Beck. For those in whom an increase of pension to fail, even with the legal hurdles, could access the Fund for cases of hardship. “From this Fund, the repatriates would benefit, their pensions are too low.”
“We take anybody something away”
The Initiative is “Tzedek” will at the same time, the accusation against Jews in Russia, German would be pitted against each other. It’s not a matter of “the fate of the Germans from Russia to downplay” said Lagodinsky. “We take away anything to anyone.”
criticized for His colleagues Volker Beck, the Federal government had previously rejected a legal equality of Jewish immigrants and ethnic German repatriates with the Argument that the Jewish immigrants were of German descent. There is no reason to make differences between the two groups. “The Ashkenazi Judaism is the Judaism of the Rhine,” said Beck.
The Problem of poverty in old age in the case of Jewish immigrants, is known for many years. But now there are at least a little movement on the subject, The Federal Council asked the government in February, for Jewish Holocaust Survivors from successor States of the Soviet Union to obtain an independent pension entitlement, so you are not dependent on the age longer due to the backup. In the Bundestag, FDP, Green party and the Left brought in the meantime a joint application, in calling for improved old-age security for Jewish immigrants.
Union and SPD had agreed in the coalition agreement only to a Fund for hardship cases. An adjustment in the pension rejects the right of the Federal government.
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the first signatories of the “Zedek” belong to the former Federal Minister Rita Süssmuth (CDU), Herta Däubler-Gmelin (SPD) and Gerhart Baum (FDP), the former President of the Bundestag Wolfgang Thierse (SPD), the writer Wladimir Kaminer and Navid Kermani, the singer-songwriter Wolf Biermann, many scientists as well as representatives of the Jewish communities.
