Jewish Leader Stole Millions Meant for Victims of Nazism
The former leader of West Germany’s Jewish community embezzled more than $10 million from official funds intended for victims of Nazism, his successor said today.
Heinz Galinski, head of the West German Jewish Central Council, said auditors were examining the community’s books. Galinski said the missing sum was “double-digit and in the millions.”
He said the “large-scale financial irregularities” were discovered after he took over as leader of West Germany’s 27,000 Jews from Werner Nachmann, who died in January.
“We have all been deceived, lied to and cheated,” said Galinski, a death camp survivor. The missing money was interest on ($238 million) of reparations payments made by Bonn between 1980 and 1987, he said.
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