Holocaust

The Holocaust and Restitution

For more than half a century, the World Jewish Congress has led the international campaign to secure a small measure of justice for victims of the Holocaust and their Heirs. Through negotiations, , seeking the return of Jewish property lost and plundered during the Holocaust and establishing truth commissions to set the historic record of the Holocaust straight, we have struggled to ensure that no nation hide from its wartime past and that no government, organization or business profit from the greatest theft associated with the humanity's darkest genocide.

To help achieve this small measure of justice, the World Jewish Congress created two entities to represent the Jewish people in negotiations with governments and business: The Conference on Material Claims Against Germany (The Claims Conference) and the World Jewish Restitution Organization. Over the past five decades, we have:

Negotiated for compensation for injuries inflicted upon individual victims of Nazi persecution
Negotiated for the return of and restitution for Jewish-owned properties and assets confiscated or destroyed by the Nazis
Obtained funds for the relief, rehabilitation and resettlement of survivors of Nazi persecution, and aid in rebuilding Jewish communities and institutions devastated by the Nazis
Negotiated individual compensation programs for Holocaust survivors including pensions and slave labor payments.
Recovered unclaimed Jewish property and allocated the proceeds to institutions that provide social services to elderly, needy Nazi victims and that engage in Holocaust research, education, and documentation.
Recovered insurance policies held by Holocaust victims and denied by Insurance Companies.
Recovered over a billion dollars in bank accounts, confiscated and hidden by Swiss banks after the Holocaust.

As a result of negotiations with the World Jewish Congress the German government has paid more than $50 billion in indemnification for suffering and losses resulting from Nazi persecution. Our negotiations have also resulted in the creation of special funds for Holocaust survivors and Holocaust education from the Austrian Government, German and Austrian industry and many other European nations.

But our work is not yet complete. We continue to negotiate with representatives of governments and industries throughout Europe and through the Claims Conference we continue to administer compensation programs and distribute payments to individual survivors.

The World Jewish Congress remains painfully aware that the destruction of Jewish life during the Holocaust can never be made whole. However, we will continue to fight to achieve a small measure of justice for those persecuted by the Nazis and ensure that the legacy of those who lost their lives is never forgotten.

For information on specific programs or individual compensation please visit the Claims Conference at www.claimscon.org.