France pays $60 million to Jewish victims transported by SNCF in WW2.

Posted on December 6, 2014 by bill

Paris va verser 60 millions aux victimes américaines de la Shoah

par Mathilde Lemaire vendredi 5 décembre 2014

Quelque 1,1 million de personnes, dont environ un million de juifs de différents pays d’Europe, ont péri entre 1940 et 1945 dans le camp d’Auschwitz-Birkenau installé par l’Allemagne nazie dans le sud de la Pologne occupée. Photo d’illustration © Maxppp. Some 1.1 millions people, including about one million jews from different European countries, perished between 1940 and 1945 in the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp built by Nazi Germany in the south of occupied Poland.

Depuis de nombreuses années, des survivants et des héritiers de victimes de la Shoah (La Shoah hébreu : שואה, « catastrophe ») est l’extermination systématique par l’Allemagne nazie d’entre cinq et six millions de Juifs) pointent la responsabilité de la SNCF dans l’Holocauste. Certains, installés aux Etats-Unis, réclament depuis longtemps une indemnisation. Plus de 70 ans plus tard, cette indemnisation va être versée. C’est l’Etat français qui va payer. On vient de l’apprendre vendredi après-midi. Montant : 60 millions de dollars.

For many years, survivors and descendents of the victims of the Holocaust, (systematic extermination of Jews by the Nazis) have pointed to SNCF (Syndicat National de Chemin de Fer -French railways) for their responsibility in the Holocaust. Some, living in the USA, have claimed for a long time an indemnity. More than 70 years later, this indemnity is going to be distributed. The French state are going to pay. We learned the amount on Friday afternoon: $60 million.  

C’est en fait un accord qui va être signé lundi prochain entre Paris et Washington. La France va verser  60 millions de dollars, environ 49 millions d’euros, aux autorités américaines qui s’occuperont ensuite des critères d’attribution, de la répartition des versements à plusieurs centaines de personnes de plusieurs nationalités, des victimes de l’Holocauste, ou conjoint de victimes, enfants ou héritiers. Chaque déporté survivant devrait percevoir environ 100.000 dollars, environ 80.000 euros.

The agreement is going to be signed next Monday. France will give €60M, about €49M, to the American authorities who have been following instructions in the attribution to many hundreds of people of many nationalities, victims of the holocaust, or relatives and children and descendents. Each surviving person deported should receive about $100,000, about €80,000. 

Depuis plusieurs années, des élus américains faisaient un intense lobbying pour empêcher  la SNCF de répondre à des appels d’offre aux Etats-Unis. Ces élus dénonçaient le refus persistant des chemins de fer français de reconnaître leur  rôle dans la déportation, leur refus aussi d’indemniser le victimes. L’indemnisation va donc finalement se faire et c’est l’Etat français qui va payer.

“Il s’agissait de mettre un terme à une injustice”, explique Romain Nadal, le porte-parole du quai d’Orsay
For many years, the American agents have been lobbying intensely for SNCF to respond to calls from the USA. these representatives denounce their persistent refusals of French railways to accept their role in the deportation, and their refusal to indemnify the victims. This has now to be paid by the French state. “This will put an end to the injustice” said Romain Nadal, the spokesperson for Quai d’Orsay.   
Le député européen Europe-Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV), Alain Lipietz, avait lui-même mené un combat en France pour que la SNCF indemnise son père et son oncle déportés. Il estime que l’accord est “une bonne nouvelle sur le fond”, mais la forme laisse -t-il entendre laisse à désirer.”La SNCF est rattapée par un chantage économique” (Alain Liptiez, député EELV)
The EU deputy Europe-Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV) Greens, Alain Lipietz, himself battling in France for SNCF indemnity for his deported father and uncle. He estimates that the agreement is “good news for the fund”, but the wait and battle is less desirable. “SNCF are trapped by their economic blackmail”. 

Il avait fallu attendre 2010 pour voir le patron de la SNCF,  Guillaume Pepy, exprimer publiquement “sa profonde peine et son regret” pour la contribution de la SNCF à la solution finale. C’était lors d’un voyage Outre-Atlantique.  Et en 2011,  là le groupe a clairement reconnu avoir été un “rouage de la machine nazie d’extermination”. La SNCF, réquisitionnée par le régime de Vichy, a déporté au total 76.000 juifs dans des wagons de marchandises.

They had to wait until 2010 to see the boss of SNCF Guillaume Pepy express publically “his profound sorrow and regret” for SNCFs collaboration in the final solution. That was during a trans Atlantic crossing. And in 2011, that the company clearly recognised that it was a “cog in the wheel of the Nazi extermination machine”. SNCF, requisitioned by the Vichy Govt, deported in total 76,000 Jews in freight wagons.

About bill

Worked in the technical / engineering area as a Science Laboratory Technician and as an Aeronautics Engineer. The artistic side involves writing under the nom de plume of Billy Olsenn, his recently written play 'A Case of Wine' was staged by the players group Straight Make-Up at the 2012 Birr one act drama festival. It's next staging was in the one act circuit is in Cavan, at Maudebawn on Sat 10 Nov 2012. Then it was performed in the Bray, Co.Wicklow at the very popular one act festival in January 2013. Next play is FEAR. A dark tale about revenge on the cruel death of two pensioners by young thugs. Neighbours hatch a devious and dangerous plan to exact old-style revenge. Bill is a member of the Drama League of Ireland and his plays have been critically vetted and certified as original pieces of work by the DLI. Another literary project is that of commemoration of an aircraft crash on Djouce mountain in Wicklow in 1946. Bill wrote articles for the 50th, 60th and most recently the 70th anniversary, (12 Aug 2016) all were published in the Wicklow Times and ensured the survivors of the crash, all French Girl Guides, were not forgotten. Articles reproduced on this website. But mostly this site gives a more general European and specific French slant on popular and not so popular articles of French news, translated to English by the author. Each article is translated on a paragraph by paragraph basis so easy to read in either language and even possible to improve either language by comparison of the short English and French paragraphs. Amusez vous bien. The author is currently writing an easy to read technical aviation book centered around the Fokker 50. Another interest is that dealt with in another of Bill's websites www.realnamara.net, a Statue of the mother of God, Mary. It was erected in 1972 in Dublin, at the end of the Bull Wall near Clontarf, and my grandfather William Nelson, was the main instigator of that project. I give talks on the history of the statue and my grandfather's adventurous and dangerous life at sea. Technical assistance with each website is by J O'N.
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