(JTA) — Holocaust survivors in Israel relived their trauma on Oct. 7, when Hamas’ attack on their country was the deadliest day for Jews since the Nazis were defeated. Some were injured, hid for their lives and were displaced from their homes, in echoes of their experiences as children.
Now, they will get a lump-sum payment from the organization that negotiates reparations from Germany as a show of solidarity in the wake of the attack.
The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany announced on Tuesday that it is allocating 25 million Euros in a one-time payment for survivors in Israel. The “Solidarity Fund for Israel” will yield about 220 Euros ($238) for each of the roughly 120,000 survivors in the country.
The payment follows a different one-time stipend given in December to Israeli survivors who were evacuated from their homes following the Oct. 7 attack. It also comes on top of the total amount that Germany agreed to pay survivors and related organizations this year — more than $1.4 billion, the most ever — in a reflection of the high costs of caring for elderly survivors.
“Supporting Holocaust survivors is always our number one concern. Immediately following the horrific attacks of October 7, we began working to ensure every survivor was first safe, then secure in a location where they could be comfortable, and to ensure that they have financial support while the conflict continues,” Claims Conference President Gideon Taylor said in a statement. “This additional symbolic acknowledgment payment by Germany to Holocaust survivors in Israel is a message of solidarity.”
A spokesperson for the Claims Conference said it had announced the payment only in Israel to avoid creating confusion for survivors who live elsewhere. According to an analysis the organization released in January, the most detailed of its kind, half of all remaining survivors live in Israel, followed by 18% each in North America and Western Europe and 12% in the former Soviet Union.
