Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas among those Receiving Grants in the United States
Allocations Include Nearly $47 Million USD In Social Welfare Services In Ukraine As Claims Conference Continues Commitment To Support Holocaust Survivors In The Face Of Imminent Threat
March 2, 2022 – Gideon Taylor, President of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference), announced today the allocation of $720 million USD in funds to more than 300 social welfare organizations globally to support home care and supportive services for frail and vulnerable Holocaust survivors.
Gideon Taylor, President of the Claims Conference, said, “We are proud to announce this significant allocation at a time when these funds are critical, due to the age, poverty and increasing disability of our waning survivor population, and as they also continue to face the ongoing uncertainty and threat of COVID-19. We know these funds provide vital support during these difficult times.”
In recent years, during negotiations with the German government, the Claims Conference pressed the urgent need to increase home care funding for Holocaust survivors both in the United States and across the globe. The new allocations are distributed to social welfare organizations in regions where significant numbers of survivors live, to ensure vital services, such as home care, medical care, emergency assistance and food are available for Holocaust survivors in those regions. Funds for these vital services provide a critical lifeline to frail, elderly Holocaust survivors in need around the world, enabling them to live out their remaining days in the dignity that was stolen from them in their youth.
Greg Schneider, Claims Conference Executive Vice President, said, “Survivors will be supported wherever they live, whether war-torn areas or conflict zones, and no matter the obstacle. Whether in the face of the ongoing pandemic, issues of inflation, or threat of war, we are committed to providing home care, food and medicine to elderly poor Holocaust survivors. We will continue to fight for more year-after-year to ensure every survivor has the care they deserve.”
These considerable funds constitute one of the largest allocations from any grant-making organization globally in one year and the largest amount ever allocated for Claims Conference in a single year. In 2021, the Claims Conference distributed $653 million USD in grants to over 300 social service agencies worldwide and this year the Claims Conference estimates that the funds, through the grants and partner organizations, will reach approximately 120,000 survivors.
Among the organizations in the United States to receive grants is Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas (JFS Dallas), which provides immediate and long-term services to those in need as they work to create a stable and more prosperous future for their families. These funds will allow JFS Dallas to provide case management, counseling, homecare/homemaker service and financial assistance to Jewish Nazi victims and their families.
“At a time when many of our Holocaust survivors are becoming more frail and in need, the additional financial support the Claims Conference has committed to provide is received with tremendous gratitude,” said Yaffa Podbilewicz-Weinberg, PhD, JFS Dallas’ Clinical Psychologist, Holocaust Survivor Care. “These funds do so much to assist agencies like ours to help aging Holocaust survivors have a life with dignity.”
By state, the number of grants distributed comprise: Arizona (2); California (7); Colorado (1); Connecticut (1); Florida (6); Illinois (1); Maryland (2); Massachusetts (1); Michigan (2); Minnesota (1); Nevada (1); New Jersey (11); New York (9); Ohio (3); Oregon (1); Pennsylvania (2); Texas (2); and, Washington (1). In some cases, the grants are distributed to organizations that reach survivors in adjacent states.
Mark Sisisky, President of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), said, “I cannot overstate how critical these lifesaving funds from the Claims Conference are to ensure the well-being of survivors in the former Soviet Union. As we see in Ukraine, and throughout the region, crisis can erupt at a moment’s notice and increase the plight and needs of survivors and other elderly. The services we provide them in partnership with the Claims Conference are a literal lifeline of care, dignity, and hope for better days.”
Marian Turski, Auschwitz survivor and member of the Negotiations Delegation, said “Funds negotiated by the Claims Conference and allocated to social welfare agencies are used to finance life-sustaining social services for needy survivors of the Shoah around the globe, implemented by accomplished and dedicated social agencies. In my home country of Poland, for example, I was able to see for myself the lasting impact these services had for survivors during the past two years, especially under the conditions of the rampant pandemic,” he said.
Additionally, Claims Conference continues to provide direct compensation to survivors. In 2021, the Claims Conference distributed approximately $820 million USD in compensation to over 210,000 survivors in 83 countries.
Representatives from 23 major Jewish organizations founded the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) in 1951 in response to the West German government’s promise to make “material amends” to Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. The Claims Conference represents world Jewry in negotiating for compensation and restitution for Jewish survivors of the Holocaust and their heirs.
For more information about the Claims Conference, please visit: www.claimscon.org
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About the Claims Conference: The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference), a nonprofit organization with offices in New York, Israel and Germany, secures material compensation for Holocaust survivors around the world. Founded in 1951 by representatives of 23 major international Jewish organizations, the Claims Conference negotiates for and disburses funds to individuals and organizations and seeks the return of Jewish property stolen during the Holocaust. As a result of negotiations with the Claims Conference since 1952, the German government has paid more than $90 billion in indemnification to individuals for suffering and losses resulting from persecution by the Nazis. In 2021, the Claims Conference distributed approximately $820 million in compensation to over 210,000 survivors in 83 countries and allocated over $650 million in grants to over 300 social service agencies worldwide that provide vital services for Holocaust survivors, such as homecare, food and medicine.
About Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas: The mission of Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas is to provide effective, accessible, and comprehensive mental health and social services that promote lifelong self-sufficiency and well-being to the greater Dallas community. Since 1950, JFS has been an open door to those in need, regardless of age, race, religion, or ability to pay. The agency’s nationally accredited programs served approximately 39,000 clients in 2021 and are based on a comprehensive service model that is offered on a sliding-fee scale for as little as $0 and for as long as needed, with over 55 percent of clients paying $5 or less per visit.