Paying for Justice

Israeli filmmakers Guy Meroz and Orli Vilnai explore troubling issues of corporate corruption and dubious morality in Paying for Justice, a deeply disturbing documentary about denying compensation to Holocaust victims. Beginning in 1953, the German government began making reparations to Holocaust survivors. In Israel today, however, at least 25% of the nation's 280,000 Holocaust survivors are living in poverty, with many receiving little, if any, of their promised restitution. Meroz and Vilnai vigorously challenge both the Israeli government and commercial banks on the question of what happened to the money, but as the film progresses, it seems clear that both politicians and financiers are willfully conspiring to keep as much of the gains accrued from the billions paid in reparations as possible. The film also looks at Israelis who regretfully abandon their homes and return to live in Germany in order to receive their full compensation. Paying for Justice is a heartbreaking and gut-wrenching film to watch, as viewers witness elderly men and women suffering a new cycle of torment and anguish that began six decades ago. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)