Heirs of property and assets located in what was East Germany have an additional two years to file a claim with the Claims Conference, the organization announced on Tuesday in a press release. The organization established a special Late Applicants Fund with a dedicated 50 million ($67 million) for that purpose. The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany said it had obtained a list of the property and assets "for which claims by the Claims Conference are still pending under the German Property Restitution Law, including the name of the former owners and/or businesses, as well as the addresses of the properties/assets." The list, which includes the supposed owners and additional information on each property, is available on the organization's website. The claims, the statement says, will be handled in accordance with the agreement the organization struck with the German authorities, which stipulates the Claims Conference is the "legal successor to individual Jewish property and property of dissolved Jewish communities and organizations in the former East Germany that went unclaimed after Dec. 31, 1992." "As a result [of the agreement], original Jewish owners and heirs gained the right to file claims for property in the former East Germany. ...Tens of thousands of owners and heirs filed claims and recovered assets under the legislation that resulted from these negotiations carried out by the Claims Conference." Due to its status, the Claims Conference could pay claimants "even after the German deadlines of 1992-93." The organization established a Goodwill Fund for such purposes, and with its latest decision to create the Late Applicants Fund, potential heirs can now file claims until the end of 2014.
