The German government has promised to provide an additional $1.4 billion in aid for Holocaust survivors globally in 2024, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany announced Thursday.
The aid package, negotiated with Germany’s Ministry of Finance, allocates $888.9 million for home care and supportive services to the vulnerable survivors of the Holocaust, the Associated Press (AP) reported. It also incorporates a $175 million increase in funds apportioned for the Hardship Fund Supplemental program, which has over 128,000 Holocaust survivors worldwide as beneficiaries.
Originally conceived as a one-off payment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hardship Fund Supplemental program is now set to run until 2027 under the new agreement, the outlet reported. The payments per person are scheduled to gradually rise, with $1,370 in 2024, $1,425 in 2025, $1,480 in 2026 and $1,534 in 2027.
The payments will primarily benefit Russian Jews. These survivors, who fled the Einsatzgruppen – Nazi mobile death squads – during their childhood, did not spend time in camps or ghettos, and thus are not currently eligible for any pension programs, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Poland To Demand $1.3 Trillion From Germany For Losses Suffered During WW2)
The organization that handles claims on behalf of Jews who suffered under the Nazis says that Germany has agreed to extend another $1.4 billion overall for Holocaust survivors around the globe for the coming year. https://t.co/IeSSg2VjZF
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 15, 2023
“By expanding payments to these survivors, the German government is acknowledging that this suffering is still being felt deeply, both emotionally and financially,” the Claims Conference said in a statement to AP. “While symbolic, these payments provide financial relief for many aging Jewish Holocaust survivors living around the world.”
The Claims Conference also successfully pushed for a continuation of funding for Holocaust education. The funding is set to increase yearly, with $41.6 million allocated for 2026 and $45 million for 2027. The German government has paid over $90 billion in individual compensation for the Nazi persecution since 1952, AP reported.