Germany – After months of negotiations, the German government has agreed to add $250 million to its pension program for Holocaust survivors over the next decade.
The change, which is expected to benefit around 6,000 elderly Holocaust survivors around the world followed months of negotiations with the German Finance Ministry.
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The "Article 2 Fund" pensions will no longer be limited to survivors whose annual income is less than $16,000.
"This was, first and foremost, an issue of principle," said Gideon Taylor, Claims Conference executive vice president. Since its establishment, the Claims Conference has argued that payments should not be based on need, he said.
Germany determine eligibility for the pensions based on a survivor's persecution history, including incarceration in certain camps or ghettos, and time spent in hiding or living under false identity. [Jpost]
U/D: 09/03/07. 10:03
Jewish groups call the compensation offer ‘unacceptable’. Berlin’s offers so far have been ridiculously low. “They must have forgotten a zero,” commented one Israeli official.
how do i find out if my mother is qualified to get extra pension? how do they know if she has a low income? she was in auschwitz, bergen belsen and the polish ghetto.