Journal of Asian American Studies

Laremont, Ricardo Rene.
Jewish and Japanese American Reparations: Political Lessons for the Africana Community
Journal of Asian American Studies - Volume 4, Number 3, October 2001, pp. 235-250

The Johns Hopkins University Press

Ricardo Rene Laremont - Jewish and Japanese American Reparations: Political Lessons for the Africana Community - Journal of Asian American Studies 4:3 Journal of Asian American Studies 4.3 (2001) 235-250 Jewish and Japanese American Reparations: Political Lessons for the Africana Community ricardo ren� laremont Jewish Reparations In 1945 the German people, after having been defeated by the Allied forces, were forced to confront their aspirations of invincible military prowess and alleged racial superiority. After having been defeated in war, few Germans were concerned with the Jewish survivors of their concentration camps. Fewer considered claims for Jewish reparations seriously. Nevertheless, in 1945, Jewish people began raising demands for reparations. In 1952, they obtained reparations via an international treaty entitled the Luxembourg Agreement, which obligated the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) to pay 3.45 billion Deutsche Marks (DM) ($845 million) in reparations to Israel and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (the Claims Conference) for Jewish beneficiaries over a twelve-year period. Politics rather than benevolence forced the Germans to make this decision. When we reflect upon the social and political climate of immediate post-World War II Germany, it is probably very difficult for most of us to imagine the hostile climate and the vigorous political opposition that confronted Jews in their quest for...