Holocaust Survivors File for Over $2 Million in Reparations Claims From the Hungarian Government, Assisted by Bet Tzedek Legal Services
Monday, July 31, 2006
- Organization: Brennan Center
Holocaust survivors hope to receive reparations from the Hungarian government after filing claims this week with the assistance of Los Angeles-based Bet Tzedek Legal Services (BTLS).
The survivors submitted claims under a new program of the Hungarian government that provides $1800 for each immediate family member lost in the in the Holocaust, and that pays a stipend as compensation for forced labor. To meet the needs of the large number of survivors who sought to file a claim, BTLS recruited and trained more than 300 volunteers in less than three weeks. In addition to supporting applications locally, an advocate from Bet Tzedek's Holocaust Reparations Project traveled to San Francisco and Cincinnati to train workers in those regions on procedures for filing the claims. "I am proud that Bet Tzedek was able to continue its fine tradition of serving Holocaust survivors by quickly adapting and expanding our program to meet the extraordinary demand," says Mitchell Kamin, Executive Director of BTLS. "With 25% of all survivors living below the poverty line in Los Angeles, I am conscious that too many are desperate for financial assistance, and hopeful that their applications will be swiftly approved." Based on original reporting by the Brennan Center staff.
The survivors submitted claims under a new program of the Hungarian government that provides $1800 for each immediate family member lost in the in the Holocaust, and that pays a stipend as compensation for forced labor. To meet the needs of the large number of survivors who sought to file a claim, BTLS recruited and trained more than 300 volunteers in less than three weeks. In addition to supporting applications locally, an advocate from Bet Tzedek's Holocaust Reparations Project traveled to San Francisco and Cincinnati to train workers in those regions on procedures for filing the claims. "I am proud that Bet Tzedek was able to continue its fine tradition of serving Holocaust survivors by quickly adapting and expanding our program to meet the extraordinary demand," says Mitchell Kamin, Executive Director of BTLS. "With 25% of all survivors living below the poverty line in Los Angeles, I am conscious that too many are desperate for financial assistance, and hopeful that their applications will be swiftly approved." Based on original reporting by the Brennan Center staff.
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