Germany has reached an agreement with the organization responsible for handling claims on behalf of Holocaust survivors, extending an additional $1.4 billion in compensation for the coming year. This negotiated compensation includes $888.9 million for home care and supportive services for vulnerable survivors. The Hardship Fund Supplemental program will also see an increase of $175 million, benefiting over 128,000 survivors worldwide.
According to the Claims Conference, these negotiations are increasingly critical as the last generation of survivors age and their needs grow. Greg Schneider, the executive vice president of the Claims Conference, emphasized the importance of direct payments and expanded social welfare services, ensuring that every survivor is cared for and their individual needs are addressed.
Originally established as a one-time payment during the COVID-19 lockdowns, the Hardship Fund Supplemental payment has been extended through 2027. The amount for each additional year has been set at approximately $1,370 per person for 2024, $1,425 for 2025, $1,480 for 2026, and $1,534 for 2027.
The recipients of these payments are primarily Russian Jews who did not experience camps or ghettos and are therefore ineligible for pension programs. These survivors fled the Einsatzgruppen, Nazi mobile killing units responsible for the murder of over 1 million Jews. The group emphasized that while these payments are symbolic, they provide financial relief for many aging survivors worldwide, acknowledging the deep and ongoing suffering they endure.
In addition to compensation, funding for Holocaust education has been extended for two more years and increased by $3.3 million each year. The Claims Conference projects that in 2023, they will distribute hundreds of millions in compensation to over 200,000 survivors in 83 countries, while allocating over $750 million in grants to social service agencies that provide essential support to survivors.
Stuart Eizenstat, the special negotiator for the Claims Conference negotiations delegation, stressed the urgency of these negotiations, stating that every negotiation is a near-last opportunity to ensure survivors receive justice and regain the dignity that was stripped from them in their youth. The ultimate goal is to ensure that every survivor is cared for until their last breath.
Since 1952, the German government has paid over $90 billion for the suffering and losses endured by individuals as a result of Nazi persecution.
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