June 2



GLOBAL:

Holocaust Survivors to Get Annual Payouts


Thousands of elderly Holocaust survivors in 31 countries will share $15
million in humanitarian aid from German insurance companies this year in
the first of what will be 10 annual payouts, advocates for survivors
announced Monday.

The $132 million fund is part of a deal completed last October after years
of negotiations to compensate families of Holocaust victims whose
insurance policies were never honored after they were killed by the Nazis.

The money is coming from a consortium of insurance companies and the
German government.

Gideon Taylor, executive vice president of the Conference on Jewish
Material Claims Against Germany, said the money is a small step toward
providing for the needs of Holocaust survivors.

"We do not speak of justice," Taylor said. "We speak of a measure of
justice. Today we are trying to make a difference."

The money announced Monday will be distributed to social service agencies
and will be used to provide home care and other services to Holocaust
survivors.

Of the $15 million, $6 million will go to survivors in Israel and $2.4
million will be used in the United States. The 29 other countries where
funds will be disbursed include the nations of the former Soviet Union as
well as Western Europe.

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On the Net:

Claims Conference: www.claimscon.org

International Commission on Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims: www.icheic.org

German Foundation for Remembrance:
www.dgap.org/english/tip/tip3/lawfound120800.html

(source: Associated Press)