Complete Document of “Compensation and Restitution by Country” is now available online.

Take a look at the online document issued by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. [click here]


Deadlines Approaching for Various Compensation and Restitution Programs

A number of compensation and restitution programs for Holocaust survivors and heirs of victims have application deadlines that need to be noted.

Any questions about individual programs should be directed through the contact information provided below. Please do not direct questions about these programs to the Claims Conference.

Further information is on the Claims Conference Web site, www.claimscon.org.

The information presented herein is intended for information purposes only and as a general guide to certain issues involved in compensation and restitution in Europe. The information is not intended as legal advice. It is a summary of specific issues and does not represent a definitive or complete statement of the programs and policies of the governments or agencies mentioned. This guide may not address the special needs, interests and circumstances of individual applicants. The information is correct as of the date of this document and this information may change subsequent to the said date. In addition, deadlines must be checked with the responsible agency. Individuals seeking specific information on a claim or program are urged to contact the relevant program or to consult their social service agency or help center representative.


3,100 new Swiss bank depositors identified

Click here to see the names of the additional 3,100 Swiss bank depositors from the Nazi era who have been identified. Descendants can apply to recover these funds.


Claims Information for Canadian Survivors of the Holocaust

The Material Claims Conference Claims Conference Web Site, New York Office
www.claimscon.org

Czech Republic Claims

For assistance in the process of re-possession of property in the Czech republic, and for assistance in locating Holocaust survivors: www.remember.org/unite/

Claims Conference Addresses Ghetto Pension Issues with Germany

A Claims Conference delegation led by President Israel Singer met on March 17, 2004, with the German Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ulla Schmidt, to discuss problems with the Ghetto Pension Law (ZRBG). The Claims Conference delegation raised concerns regarding the way the law is being interpreted by the regional pension authorities.

The Minister responded positively to the concerns and indicated that she would raise them with the independent authorities responsible for implementation of the law.

Since 1997, the German government has been awarding old age pensions to Holocaust survivors based upon work performed, for some form of salary, payment or benefit in Polish ghettos during World War II. In 2002, Germany expanded the existing legislation, enacting a Law for the Payment of Pensions for Periods of Employment in a Ghetto (Gesetz zur Zahlbarmachung von Renten aus Beschaftigungen in einem Ghetto, known as the ZRBG or “Ghetto Pension”). Former residents of any European Ghetto that was incorporated into, or annexed to the German Reich may now qualify, providing that certain work-related preconditions are met.

The “Ghetto Pension” is not awarded on the basis of slave or forced labor performed for the Nazis. Since survivors, however, went through various stages of persecution, it is possible to collect both the one-time payment for slave or forced labor (Claims Conference Program for Former Slave and Forced Laborers) and the ZRBG pension for compensated work. The two payments cover different work circumstances.

The Claims Conference has been actively engaged in assisting the survivor community to understand the new regulations and in pressing the German government for any interpretation or implementation of the new legislation that could secure this pension for as many survivors as possible. The Claims Conference intends to continue to press the German government on the interpretation of the law so all survivors who are eligible will receive the social security payments.


Eligibility Criteria

A 5-year (or 60-month) qualifying period must include contribution time of voluntary and compensated work in a recognized Ghetto. Substitution periods, such as periods of Nazi persecution or foreign working times after the war, may supplement the ghetto employment period in order to achieve the required qualifying period.

There is no deadline to apply for the ZRBG pension. A June 30, 2003 deadline applied only to eligibility for retroactive awards to 1997. Approved claims filed after June 2003 receive retroactive payment to the date of application.

The Claims Conference is not involved in the administration, implementation or processing of Social Insurance pensions for the German government or its social security institutions. To learn more about the ZRBG “Ghetto Pension” consult the Claims Conference Handbook on German Ghetto Pensions on our Web site, www.claimscon.org. The Handbook is available in English, German, Hebrew and Spanish.

The negotiating delegation included Claims Conference President Israel Singer; Karl Brozik, Representative of the Claims Conference in Germany; former Executive Vice President Saul Kagan; Roman Kent, Chairman of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors; Noach Flug, Chairman of the Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel; Ben Helfgott, Chairman of the '45 Aid Society, a British Holocaust survivor organization; and Executive Vice President Gideon Taylor.

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: www.claimscon.org


1,200 Austrian Jewish Nazi Victims Receiving Nursing Care Due to Agreement Negotiated by Claims Conference

Critically needed nursing care allowances worth a total of $900,000 every month are being paid to 1,208 formerly Austrian Jewish victims of Nazi persecution as a result of a 2001 agreement with the Austrian government negotiated by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference). In addition, several hundred Austrian Jews are receiving pensions due to the agreement.

The nursing allowances and pensions are benefits routinely granted to Austrian citizens, and the Claims Conference insisted they also be paid to Jews who were expelled from the country by the Nazis, fled for their lives, or left Austria after surviving the Holocaust.

Before the 2001 agreement was reached, Austrian Jews born between 1933 and 1938 and currently living abroad were not eligible for the nursing allowance benefits and pensions that had been negotiated in previous years for former Austrian Jews born by the end of 1932. The agreement entitled Austrian Holocaust survivors born between Jan. 1, 1933 and March 13, 1938 to the same rights as their older counterparts.

The benefits for those born between 1933 and 1938 are valued at approximately $100 million over 10 years and were a crucial issue in Holocaust restitution negotiations with Austrian government and business, which concluded Jan. 17, 2001 with a signing at the U.S. State Department. The Claims Conference considered the benefits matters of the utmost moral importance, and emphasized that they must be included in any final agreement.

The value of individual nursing allowance payments depends on the recipient’s level of need. The pensions average about $300 per month.

Information and applications are available from the following sources:

Pensionsversicherungsanstalt
Friedrich Hillegeist-Straße 1
1021 Vienna, Austria
www.sozvers.at/pvang
Tel: (43-1) 211-350
Fax: (43-1) 211-352-5949
E-mail: pvang@pvang.sozvers.at

Please visit our Web site: www.claimscon.org


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