In 1995, Jacques Chirac officially recognised France’s responsibility in the deportation of French Jews. Since then, the victims of anti-Semitic French laws can get compensation. The Commission for the Compensation of Victims of Spoliation was in New York last week to meet victims who now live in the US.

Erika Hurwitz was just 4 years old in 1942 when her father, an Austrian Jew, was arrested by the French police. She has nothing left of him, except for a family photo, taken in Austria, where they lived before taking refuge in Nice. Erika’s father was arrested in Marseille by the French police, then sent to Drancy and Auschwitz where he died.

A hidden child until the end of the war, she went to live in the United States a few years later. She settled there, married an American, became a teacher. But she never forgot her past. Now, she has decided to ask for compensation. We followed her to the French Consulate in New York. The Commission for the Compensations of the Victim of Spoliation was in session here for a week.

Since Jacques Chirac recognised the responsibility of the French state in the deportation of French Jews, the Commission has compensated more than 20,000 people. Erika will get 5,000 euros, but she doesn’t care about the money: "Finally, the government recognised that things happened that shouldn’t have happened."

Many of the sons and daughters of Holocaust victims who come before the Commission say it’s a painful experience. But they also appreciate the fact that France finally recognised its responsibility.

But the Commission doesn’t solve all issues. Ruth Schloss got compensated two years ago. But she decided to join 200 other American Jews who are suing the SNCF, the French railway company, for its role in carrying their parents to their death. "Had the railway not taken away my parents, I would have got love, education and everything, so I think the railway really should compensate," says Ruth.

They lost their case before an American court, because the judge ruled they couldn’t sue a foreign organisation in the US. Now, their group is trying to pass a bill allowing them to try their case again.