A few news stories in English are coming through. Conference hosts held a news conference before the official start of the agenda. The French wire service AFP reports on opening remarks by Elie Wiesel, who expresses anger at the many decades of inaction on Holocaust compensation & restitution. Our eyes and ears at the Conference note that Wiesel pointedly mentioned directly the plight of survivors in need.
The Associated Press reports on the background, noting how the conference organizers worked to shut out those advocating individual asset claims cases. The story also includes a quote from HSF on the marginalization of survivors at the Conference.
A few other short reports stress the looted art issue almost exclusively. Typical is this from the BBC. Headlines like "Summit addresses Nazi-looted art" probably please the art activists.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Holocaust Asset Recovery a Messy Business
While leading voices try to keep the focus on certain East European countries in the run-up to the international Holocaust assets conference, certain chickens are coming home to roost in Israel, particularly for Bank Leumi, one of a number of Israeli institutions accused of profiting from the Holocaust by keeping and basically absorbing dormant accounts or assets invested by Holocaust victims before the Second World War instead of seeking out rightful heirs or otherwise admitting what they had.
It's an old story with a new chapter -- formal legal proceedings brought by claimants against the bank are about to begin.
It's an old story with a new chapter -- formal legal proceedings brought by claimants against the bank are about to begin.
Senate Supports Prague Conference
The U.S. Senate on June 18 passed by unanimous consent a resolution in support of goals and objectives of the Prague Conference on Holocaust Era Assets. The resolution (S Con. Res. 23) was sponsored by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and 8 co-sponsors. It is the kind of symbolic message nobody objects to but that carries little weight. Still -- thanks, Senate, for paying attention.
The resolution includes language applauding the expansion of the original agenda to include the key issue of survivor welfare as a "major focus," but Cardin doesn't seem to have gotten the memo: in his statement for the record, the sponsor makes no reference to actual survivors or their urgent social, housing and health care needs, which would seem to be a key reason for holding the conference in the first place. Or is it?
The Senate resolution has been sent to the House for concurrence.
The resolution includes language applauding the expansion of the original agenda to include the key issue of survivor welfare as a "major focus," but Cardin doesn't seem to have gotten the memo: in his statement for the record, the sponsor makes no reference to actual survivors or their urgent social, housing and health care needs, which would seem to be a key reason for holding the conference in the first place. Or is it?
The Senate resolution has been sent to the House for concurrence.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Prague Holocaust Conference
The Conference on Holocaust Era Assets is scheduled to get underway in Prague, Czech Republic this Friday. Some early media coverage is beginning to appear and, as expected, reflects the priorities and desired spin of the main institutional players at the conference, primarily the Jewish Claims Conference, which has played a major role in shaping the goals and structure of the conference (and packing the speaker slots).
The priorities of the Claims Conference are art restitution and return or compensation of property -- particularly former Jewish communal property -- in eastern European countries like Poland and Lithuania, where open issues remain from six decades ago.
The formal sessions and speakers scheduled at the Prague conference reflect these priorities, but that really means issues of most direct concern to survivors are going to be given short shrift. The conference program does not bode well: a "special session" on survivor welfare was added relatively late in the process, without any working group of experts or stakeholders meeting over the last few months to consider ways to address the painful and tragic issue of survivor poverty, and to build consensus on practical solutions. It will likely mean symbolic talk, and no action.
Instead, we are going to hear a lot about stolen artworks and Judaica, and the need for more research and commemorative projects.
And many European governments, frankly, would like the conference to come & go with as little attention as possible, allowing them to duck potential public pressure to fulfill past promises or do more to address historic wrongs.
For most of the Holocaust restitution "establishment," survivors are a secondary concern, and even an annoyance at times. Just a handful have been granted speaking roles in Prague.
So, we will soon witness an international conference on the Holocaust play out with living survivors made to stand on the periphery, barely seen, with the pressing issue of survivor poverty relegated to the edges of the agenda.
It is a profound failure of leadership.
The priorities of the Claims Conference are art restitution and return or compensation of property -- particularly former Jewish communal property -- in eastern European countries like Poland and Lithuania, where open issues remain from six decades ago.
The formal sessions and speakers scheduled at the Prague conference reflect these priorities, but that really means issues of most direct concern to survivors are going to be given short shrift. The conference program does not bode well: a "special session" on survivor welfare was added relatively late in the process, without any working group of experts or stakeholders meeting over the last few months to consider ways to address the painful and tragic issue of survivor poverty, and to build consensus on practical solutions. It will likely mean symbolic talk, and no action.
Instead, we are going to hear a lot about stolen artworks and Judaica, and the need for more research and commemorative projects.
And many European governments, frankly, would like the conference to come & go with as little attention as possible, allowing them to duck potential public pressure to fulfill past promises or do more to address historic wrongs.
For most of the Holocaust restitution "establishment," survivors are a secondary concern, and even an annoyance at times. Just a handful have been granted speaking roles in Prague.
So, we will soon witness an international conference on the Holocaust play out with living survivors made to stand on the periphery, barely seen, with the pressing issue of survivor poverty relegated to the edges of the agenda.
It is a profound failure of leadership.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
"Surviving Surviving"
An eighth grader from Long Island has made a remarkable documentary focusing on survivor poverty. The video, "Surviving Surviving" can be viewed here. As part of a thesis project, Joe Klein interviewed survivors and staff from several New York-area agencies providing services to survivors living in poverty.
The video is also the focus of a feature article in the Jewish Star (Long Island, NY).
"Surviving Surviving" is honest and outspoken, a call to conscience. Elie Rubenstein, the Executive Director of Blue Card, Inc. (a non-profit social agency serving survivors), boils it down to the basics:
"If we allow...Holocaust survivors to live in poverty, I think it tells something about us as a community...people would like to ignore and not talk about it."
In thirty short minutes, Joe Klein's film gives voice to survivors and raises more awareness about their plight than practically all Jewish media coverage on the issue over the past few years.
It's worth a look.
The video is also the focus of a feature article in the Jewish Star (Long Island, NY).
"Surviving Surviving" is honest and outspoken, a call to conscience. Elie Rubenstein, the Executive Director of Blue Card, Inc. (a non-profit social agency serving survivors), boils it down to the basics:
"If we allow...Holocaust survivors to live in poverty, I think it tells something about us as a community...people would like to ignore and not talk about it."
In thirty short minutes, Joe Klein's film gives voice to survivors and raises more awareness about their plight than practically all Jewish media coverage on the issue over the past few years.
It's worth a look.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Breaking News on German Ghetto Pensions
(received from Leo Rechter)
In a case involving two Holocaust survivors, a German Court has ruled that survivors who worked in ghettos are entitled to German Social Security pensions, even if they cannot prove that they had worked for remuneration. This is a reversal of previous decisions.
In a case involving two Holocaust survivors, a German Court has ruled that survivors who worked in ghettos are entitled to German Social Security pensions, even if they cannot prove that they had worked for remuneration. This is a reversal of previous decisions.
90 percent of the 70,000 claimants who had previously applied had been rejected because of lack of proof. Now there is new hope. Details will follow.
Please note: These pensions are only for survivors who worked for remuneration, (ghetto money or extra rations, etc.) out of their own free volition. It is not for forced laborers or slave laborers.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
HSF Statement to President Obama
Holocaust Survivors' Foundation-USA has issued a statement coinciding with President Obama's visit to the Buchenwald memorial in Germany urging the President to address the needs of living survivors. The text of the statement can be viewed here.
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