A German court has rejected the claim of two Jewish women for extra pension payments for work they did under the Nazis in ghettos.
The Feb. 7 ruling by the Federal Social Affairs Court in Kassel could affect 20,000 people who worked for meager wages in the ghettos.
A 2002 law set the stage for such pensions to be paid, but only retroactive to 1997. In 2009, a court ruling made it easier to qualify.
The unidentified plaintiffs’ initial applications were rejected. After the 2009 ruling, they applied again — this time, successfully.
The plaintiffs argued their payments should begin from 1997, despite their initial rejections. But the court ruled the monthly payment of approximately 150 euros could only be backdated to 2005. That’s four years back from the second date, in accordance with German pension law. — ap