Did Watchtower get any money from the Holocaust Victim Assets Litigation?

by jwfacts 6 Replies latest watchtower scandals

  • jwfacts
    jwfacts

    The Holocaust Victim Assets Litigation (Swiss Banks) CV-96-4849 is a fund to compensate people suffering from the Holocaust. As stated at swissbankclaims.com/index.asp (3 Mar 2006);

    "This is the official information website for the Holocaust Victim Assets Litigation against Swiss Banks and other Swiss Entities. You may have important rights under a proposed $1.25 billion (U.S.) Settlement of a class action lawsuit against private Swiss Banks and other Swiss Entities for their alleged conduct related to World War II and the Holocaust."

    In 1999, the Watchtower Society applied for compensation payable to itself. As of September 28th, 2009 www.swissbankclaims.com contains the letter from the Watchtower Society. Included is a request to receive a portion of the funds on the following basis.

    "Some Witnesses died prematurely and left no heirs to make a claim to the Swiss Bank Settlement Fund. However, the legacy of spiritual resistance that they left behind is of great value in the education of future generations about the importance of standing up for the dignity and value of human life. Representing these individuals, the Watch Tower would be pleased devote any allocated moneys solely to the interests of Holocaust education and the remembrance of the prisoners who bore the purple triangle, according as the court might stipulate."

    I am trying to confirm if Watchtower received any money from the fund. It appears that Watchtower did not, if I am reading correctly the statement of distribution as of 31 December 2015:

    "Inadmissibility decisions were claims that the CRT determined to be ineligible to participate in the Deposited Assets Class process. Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement, only the accounts of "Victims or Targets of Nazi Persecution" were payable from the Settlement Fund (with the exception of Slave Labor Class II, which was open to all Nazi victims). The Settlement Agreement defines "Victims or Targets of Nazi Persecution" as those who were, or were perceived to be, Jewish, Romani, Jehovah's Witness, disabled, or homosexual. Neither the CRT nor the Court had the authority to address Deposited Assets Class claims asserted on behalf of account owners who were not “victims or targets” as defined under the Settlement Agreement." See swissbankclaims.com/Documents/Distribution%20Stats.pdf.

    It does seem that individual Jehovah's witnesses did receive compensation as part of the fund, classified as part of the tens of thousands of "non-Jewish victims (Roma, Jehovah's Witness, disabled and homosexual)."

    Can anyone confirm if my conclusion is correct?

  • shepherdless
    shepherdless

    I thought I read a report a few years ago, giving quite a bit of detail about the actual distribution to the JW's who were victims. A surprisingly high proportion of the victims were from Eastern Europe, Ukraine, etc.

    I don't recall Watchtower itself getting any money. However, there was a paragraph in the report to the effect that Watchtower would only identify a victim for compensation if the victim was still a JW at the time money was being handed out (around year 2000). In other words, if a JW victim had DA'ed or was DF'ed after 1945, the JW victim got nothing.

    I am only going by memory, but there was definitely such a report and it was in the public domain somewhere. I will see if I can find it.

  • wheelwithinwheel
    wheelwithinwheel

    It's all about the money. Another question I'm wondering about is how many compensated victims made JW.Org the sole beneficiary of their estate i.e. the compensation? I mean let's face it, they're old and won't have time to spend it. Or perhaps they're deceased and the Org is already their estate's beneficiary.

    I believe the org's sudden interest in the victim's compensation fund also has a lot to do with this aspect. Every noticed how the elderly brother or sister with no surviving relatives often gets more congregation sponsored support? Could be just an elder looking for some personal compensation but I suspect the C.O. has some precise instructions in this area. Happens just too often! (Am watching 2 elderly couples with no kids in my parents old congo. So far they're leaving all to the Org. and the amount it significant. The elder's support, and I will add the branches support, is amazing.

    I remember a Km question some years back concerning funds being administered by a brother appointed power of attorney. The article actually called the money "dedicated" funds. The gist of the article was hey brothers 'make sure to keep your hand out of our cookie jar.'

  • Gorbatchov
  • Simon
    Simon

    So good of them to put themselves forward to receive compensation payments for what other people suffered due to their idiotic policies making them a specific target.

    Such selflessness.

  • shepherdless
    shepherdless

    I can't find the report I referred to in my earlier post. It was an attachment to a post on the JW Recovery site, which no longer exists.

  • The Rebel
    The Rebel

    As I understand it, if it wasn't for Rutherford changing his support for Hitler ( See the declaration of facts, printed in the 1934 yearbook) Here is a tit bit :-

    " Instead of being against the principals advocated by the government of Germany, we stand squarely for such principals"

    However when Hitler wanted to confiscate religious property, Rutherford went to "WAR" ( With his pen, and the safety of living in America) against Hitler. This and the fact he had members refusing to " Heil Hitler" nor join the army, and other stupid rules is why Hitler had J. Ws sent to concentration camps.

    So if any compensation is due, the claim should be made against the W.T by the relatives of those that perished, due to Rutherfords irresponsible behavior, to his faithful German followers. ( No witness went to a concentration camp due to following God, it was sadly for following a false organisation)

    Fortunatly claims against the W.T for ruining life's are now happening with Child abuse claims.

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit