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The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) has launched a new initiative to provide direct support for Holocaust survivors in Israel, the organization announced on Monday.
The program, developed in collaboration with the Veterans Administration within Israel’s Ministry of Social Welfare and Social Security, is already operational with the backing of local authorities across the country.
The initiative includes special funding from the Claims Conference to hire social workers dedicated exclusively to assisting Holocaust survivors. These professionals play a critical role in helping survivors, many of whom are in advanced age, access their rights, secure services, and utilize available support systems.
“The Claims Conference is fully committed to ensuring that every Holocaust survivor in Israel can access the rights and services they deserve—we can’t allow even one survivor to be alone,” said Tziona Koenig-Yair, the Claims Conference’s Associate Executive Vice President in Israel. “Some survivors have no family and require more individual attention. Social workers can step in like family and provide this much-needed care.”
Koenig-Yair noted that the program has already shown success, crediting its impact to the partnership between the Claims Conference, the Ministry of Social Welfare, and an increasing number of Israeli municipalities. The organization funds a wide range of services, including food assistance, mobile health vans, income supplement food cards, community support programs, friendly visitation, psychological services, and senior day centers.
"Creating an appropriate care plan and matching each survivor’s needs with the right programs is essential," she added.