Thank you Mr Kaniuk for so eloquently saying what must be said. Jewish pride is not a negotiable commodity !!!!

The children of Holocaust survivors suffer from all sorts of psychological illnesses as a direct result of the inhuman treatment their parents received from the nazis. Germany as a nation has prospered from the Holocaust as many banks and engineering companies enjoyed slave labour, all the Jewish businesses taken over during that time - many still remain today generating income that is taxed by the Germany govt. Lots of bank accounts and properties still missing, the value is there in Germany enjoyed by today's Germans. Yes, they should pay shoudn't they? Take your self hating head out of the pseudo-ghetto gutter Yoram you don't ned to put Israel down just to feel normal.

You and people like you are a living caricature of the schnorrer Jew. We'll continue to be a hated nation around the world, as long as there are people like you.

On the one hand, it is intolerable that Wermacht and SS vets receive pensions while former vicitms wallow in emotional and financial misery. On the other hand, this issue must be analyzed fairly before jumping to emotional arguments. The question is: who is financially responsible for a certain segment of victim-survivors? Let's start at the beginning of the story. I have relatives abroad who were compensated directly by the German government. On the other hand, a different relative from Israel lost most of her reparations to the socialist Israeli government of that time, who needed to build and defend the country. The switchover from a direct Germany-victim compensation system to the 1950s negotiations with the Israeli government created two-classes of victims: one who received fair compensation, and one who had to give up most of their compensation to the Israeli government. Some of the latter live in poverty in Israel today while their cousins who left to Germany or America are financially stable, in part due to the reparations. Now, there' a new issue. In the past 15 years, more survivors from Russia came to Israel. I understand that they form a 3rd class - not covered by direct compensation nor fall under the 1950s agreement with the State of Israel. So who's responsible? I say it's a mixed answer. The Israeli government is responsible for making sure that survivors who came here live out their lives in honor. Yes, the German government signed an international agreement in the 1950s with Israel, but it didn't account for the (200 thousand?) Russian immigrant survivors. So who should foot the bill? It could go either way, so there's no reason for all the Israel-bashing on Ynet and latent anti-semitism on German forums and blogs. Indeed, the victims will never recover the real value of assets (billions of $) looted and stolen during the war, so the least that can be done is to cover all the elderly victims, with no exceptions.

Let's do a quick calculation: after the Lockerby bombing, Libya agreed to pay 10 million dollars per victim. If Jewish blood is equally worth (something anti-Semites would never agree to), Germany should have payed 60 trillion dollars---that's 30 years of its today's full GDP---only as the compensation for the deaths. Add to that the compensation for stolen property and for the survivors and you'll see that Germany got a real bargain. Just an example (one of many) of stolen property: the Opera House in Cologne stands on the place where formerly a synagogue stood.

The original compensations deal was not some kind of favor the Germans did to us. It was Germany paying the price for the damage it did, and buying its way out of its status of an international leper. They got away outrageously, ridiculously cheap- several thousand Deutche Marks per person to people whose lives were irreversibly ruined, property stolen, families murdered. Just compare it to the million dollar compensations awarded by courts today to smokers for having ruined their own lungs or to McDonalds clients who spilled coffee on themselves and sued the restaurant claiming the drink was a few degrees too hot. It's bloody ridiculous. What irks me the most is the arrogant scorn with which Kaniuk dismisses "those who suffered from the Holocaust while living in Russia". Yes Virginia, there are Holocaust survivors who were deprived of compensations because they lived in the Communist abomination of a state that wouldn't let them receive a cent. Why, pray tell, should they not be compensated now that the finally can be?

"Our pride ... shameful" automatically brings to mind last year's June-Pride...Shameful affair.

Its unfortunate that the state of israel took Holocaust reparations into its general coffers, and much of it was siphoned off by the corruption of the labor party and histadrut, but thats no reason to go back to Germany and ask for more reparations.

As has been published by various sources in Germany, this country has for decades shipped nuclear technology to Iran. It has extended a nuclear cooperation treaty with the mullah regime in 2002 and 2006, knowing very well that Iran is cheating about its nuclear activities. Germany is the closest and biggest trade partner of the mullahs in the West and is helping in this way the regime with exporting terror and going on with the bomb. Without massive help from Germany, Iran would not have been able to continue and declare his intention for a nuclear Holocaust against Israel. A united front of the West has also been torpedoed by Germany. It might not take long and Mr. Kaniuk will appeal to Germany and ask for nuclear- proof bunkers and radioactive protection units.

Mr. Yoram has every right to refuse any monies offered to him but he has no right to refuse on behalf of others. The solicitation of money for worthy causes is conducted by NGO's all the time and in every country in the world. While the Jews may have a perjorative word for it-shnorer- it is a perfectly legitimate and praiseworthy act. Israel should indeed be concerned with its image especially the ones produced by the behavior of Betar fans and the recent snub by David Grossman of the PM, tha was announced in advance to the PM.

I'm the one that moved my life to Israel investing a couple of hundred thousand dollars in property, starting a business, paying tax, paying employees. And I'm the schnorrer Jew? I've invested more financially and personally in Israel than you have probably a typical American Jew marrying out and becoming a self hater. Its tragic.

I don't know the exact situation regarding reparations, but I do know that if a government comes into your house, steals everything you own, and then kills off some or all of your family, you are definitely entitled to some money!!!

Those who either agree with the author of this column or not have good arguments. The author is right-few Germans alive today had anything remotely to do with the Shoah. Germany in its present form really didn't exist until the end of the Cold War. After WWII, the United States under the Marshall Plan gave great sums of money to Europe, incuding Germany, even though we had just fought Germany. Much of Germany's post WWII abundance was a result of American help and protection from the Soviets. The United States also has provided significant assistance to Israel, which continues to this day. In a sense, the US is paying Germany's debt. It's up to Medinat Yisrael to use this help wisely (which so far they basically have). I don't think Israel needs more money directly from Germany.

Between 70-80% of stolen Jewish property, robbed from Norway till Northern Africa, from France till deep inside Russia, has not been returned, even after more than 60 years. At the same time, Germany is paying for decades billions in pensions, called obscenely victims pensions, to former war criminals and former SS-hangmen, in the year 1998 the equivalent of 6.5 billion Euros alone. So for the perpetrators, there exists apparently a never ending source of pensions, whereas the victims did not even get their property back.

Instead Holocaust survivors and their heirs, backed by the Israeli government, should sue the German government TO RESTORE everything that was stolen by GERMANY. Because those crimes don´t prescribe and the German State is the legal responsible.

Very succint and very well put across. I am a regular visitor to Germany and am always impressed by the people and the country. There is a strong regard for the financial assistance given by the US under the Marshall Plan but there is also a very strong sense that WWII is over. And that includes guilt, reparations and self flagellation. Germany is a net contributor to the EU and is also the largest exporter in the world, thereby also contributing to the wealth of the EU. Germany is a strong, modern democracy and has never tried to hide or ignore its ignoble past. I would definitely say 'no more reparations'.

Of course Germany should pay pensions to its old people regardelss of their past. Despite the most obvious cases of criminality it isn't possible to collectively punish all Germans of a certain age. They have paid their taxes and made their conribution and what they did in the past was 'right' at the time (however much we disagree with it now). They fought for their country. As for suing Germany and demanding that Germany return everything it has stolen, there is no point. How would you then prevent a precedent from becoming a norm? Would France return all the art it stole from Italy during the Napoleonic wars? Would England return the many Islands it procured in the Pacific? Would israel return land it stole from the Palestinians? Would Australian return land it stole from the indigenous population? Or the US?

Kanuk is right: we should not ask the dditional moner from Germany, but he is right for wrong reason.The mistake was mad back to fifties, leading to a very bad and humiliating deal based on un-professional aproach and criteria. Because of this amaterish approach we recieved peanuts, and I can understand a frustration of Eitan. But the deal is a deal is a deal. You can;t reopen it now. But historically yoiu oqn an explanation to your people. To vclaim that the deal was fair is desinformation. As prowd people we should not insist on opening of a deal, but we should not conceal not from Israelis not from Germans how stupid and unfair it was.Thank you, Ben-Gurion, for the losy opportunity.

What they do very well OWE was not and cannot ever be repaid with $$$$$$.

Details about the Ben-Gurion - Adenauer deal and the entire compensation can be red in Asher Ben-Nathans memoirs. In the 50's the idea was a compensation of stolen Jewish estates, later a credit politic was established between the two countries until the 90's. compensation turned into support. Turning this again is impossible, however, the support has to be dramatically improved, especially under consideration of Iranian fanatism.

Reparations monies went into the State's coifers (who used it for its own purposes in disregard for the survivors themselves) and not directly to the victims. This has been the crux of the problem all along - the State absconded with the money. Today, the few poor and elderly survivors who desperately need that money that was taken from them by the State and the banks. And they need it now, and in full. This a terrible and shameful chapter in our country's early history.

The Germans of today owe us only friendship and moral support. They do not owe us anything more. We should stand on our own two feet. We can. We are Israel.

Where was the jewish pride when you extracted billions and billions in dolors and marks in the name of holocast and other percieved wrongs on the part of Christian West

Start with the Palestinians first.

A deal is a deal, break a deal face the wheel, Honor? No matter how I dislike the Germans etc. Israel made a deal and you need to stick to it. I would not ask for repirations I would ask for deals where Israel can purchase Arms, Subs and the German's have the best mobile Artilliary units in the World, That is what should be asked for and Israel needs to but perhaps at a discounted rate but fair is fair. Ask for UN support but no repirations it makes us look like that is all we care about money, when there is so much more we can achieve by fair and good relations.

I dont want money from Germany or Austria. I want to know my great grandparents who were killed. I dont buy German cars. Helped us? hardly, just stay out of our business. EU is too inter interfering where they dont belong. You want to help? help convince the Arabs that there is no need for another Arab Palestinian state and stop trading with any country that doesnt acknowledge, have peace with, and trade agreements with Israel. Buy more Israeli products too, after all, they are superior products on the world market. You want my respect, try doing some of those things. I dont want German money. I also dont blame Germany for what happened, just the Nazis and their appeasers.

Those who need the money now are mostly the ex USSR Israelis . Israel did'nt receive any Shekel for them , they were not here when those agreements were signed . So not the state nor the banks can have taken their money .