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Claims Conference Obtains $320 Million for Holocaust Survivors in
German Negotiations; Homecare Funds Doubled
The Claims Conference negotiating delegation, left, secured an
additional $320 million for programs for Holocaust survivors at meetings
last week with German government officials.
In its annual negotiations with the German government last week, the
Claims Conference obtained an additional estimated $320 million for
programs for Holocaust survivors over the next decade. The additional
funds are a combination of increased payments to survivors, inclusion of
additional survivors in the pension programs, and funding for homecare
needs of Jewish victims of Nazism.
Increase in Payments
As of June 1, 2008, monthly payments from the Article 2 Fund and the
Central and Eastern European Fund (CEEF) to 65,800 survivors worldwide
will be raised 8 percent. Payment under the Article 2 Fund will increase
to €291 per month (increased from €270 a month).Payments under the CEEF
will be raised to €216 per month from €200 to survivors residing in
European Union countries.
Monthly CEEF payments to survivors residing in non-EU countries will be
€178 per month, up from €165. These increases will result in an extra
estimated $166 million being paid over the next decade. Currently, more
than 52,000 survivors are receiving Article 2 Fund payments and more
than 13,800 survivors are receiving CEEF payments.
Former Citizens of Western Europe
As well, the Claims Conference secured an agreement that certain
Holocaust survivors who were citizens of Western European countries at
the time of their persecution and were in concentration camps or ghettos
OR who lost a family member and received payment(s) from a German
government source, may now for the first time be eligible for a pension
from the Claims Conference Article 2 Fund.
It is anticipated that these amendments will enable approximately 2,000
additional Holocaust survivors to receive a pension from the Article 2
Fund and will amount to the payment of approximately $83 million during
the next 10 years.
This amendment concerns those Holocaust survivors from Western Europe
who were incarcerated in a concentration camp or ghetto (as defined by
the Article 2 Fund Agreement) and received a payment from one of many
compensation agreements that Germany reached with respective European
countries in order to provide payments to certain citizens of those
countries who suffered persecution due to Nazi occupation.
Such survivors may receive a pension from the Article 2 Fund if they
meet all the other eligibility criteria of the Article 2 Fund (which
encompass persecution history and current income, and which are
determined by the German government).
In addition, Holocaust survivors who received payments from a German
government source for the death of a family member and were previously
excluded from the Article 2 Fund due to the receipt of this payment, may
also now be eligible to receive a pension from the Article 2 Fund if
they meet all the other eligibility criteria of the Article 2 Fund.
The information here does not constitute a full and comprehensive
description of the criteria of the Article 2 Fund or CEEF or of any
amendments to those programs. For detailed information, see
www.claimscon.org.
Homecare
During the negotiations, the Claims Conference obtained funding for
vital social services for Jewish victims of Nazi persecution. The German
government agreed to provide a total amount of approximately $70 million
(€45 million) for these services for 2008 and 2009.
This amount is more than double the funds obtained in previous
negotiations. For 2006 and 2007, the Claims Conference had obtained €21
million for in-home services for Jewish victims of Nazism.
With the health needs of aging Holocaust survivors becoming increasingly
urgent, the Claims Conference has been pressing Germany to provide funds
so survivors may receive the assistance they need to remain in their own
homes, a matter of great im****tance to many.
The funds will be allocated by the Claims Conference to agencies
assisting needy Jewish victims of Nazism around the world. Information
on these agencies is at http://www.claimscon.org
Other Issues
Negotiations are continuing on a range of other issues.
The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims
Conference) represents world Jewry in negotiating for compensation and
restitution for victims of Nazi persecution and their heirs. The Claims
Conference administers compensation funds, recovers unclaimed Jewish
property, and allocates funds to institutions that provide social
welfare services to Holocaust survivors and preserve the memory and
lessons of the Shoah.
For more information: http://www.claimscon.org
"die jüdische" 12.06.2008 12:10
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