An information center for Holocaust survivors -- the first
of its kind in the country -- has begun operation in Bnei
Brak. The center is sponsored by the Municipal Department
for Social Services of the city along with a group of
volunteers, headed by Mr. Michael Orich.
Municipal Secretary and Spokesman Avrohom Tannenbaum related
that today there are 300,000 Holocaust survivors in Israel
aged 65 and over who constitute 40% of the country's elderly
population. In addition, there are many East European
immigrants who spent the war in forced labor camps or in
exile.
During recent years, new avenues of communication with this
sector have been opened, mainly on issues involving rights
to compensation and the return of assets. In addition,
solutions for dealing with survivors' unique problems have
been clarified; these include the natural aging process, the
resurgence of feelings engendered by the loss of their loved
ones and the rekindling of the trauma of the entire
Holocaust experience. Such solutions are only partially
provided through documentation of the survivors' personal
experiences and through various other organizations.
This has paved the way to exploitation and a demand for fees
for information and for receipt of various rights which are
actually available at no cost from regular channels. Many of
those eligible for such compensation find it difficult to
understand the notices which appear in newspapers and on
public billboards regarding their rights. Such a situation
occurred recently about the Compensation for Forced Labor
Camps Law that enables every Holocaust survivor to receive a
one-time compensation payment through the Worldwide Claims
Committee without resort to professional or legal
intermediaries. The same holds true regarding benefits and
additional rights from various funds, where confusion, a
lack of clarity and disinformation prevails.
Rabbi Tannenbaum added that this irresponsible situation is
what motivated the Municipality and the volunteers to
establish an information center to oversee issues involving
various types of compensation and the necessary criteria for
their receipt. It will also coordinate documented historical
information from the Holocaust period.
The center opened with a unique program held in the
municipal conference room. It was attended by the Chief
Rabbi of Israel Yisroel Meir Lau, himself a Holocaust
survivor. The program took place under the aegis of Mayor
Rabbi Mordechai Karelitz and Deputy Mayor Rabbi Shmuel
Levinger, head of the Social Services Department. The center
is located in Beit Hakashish on Achiya Hashiloni Street and
will be a homelike meeting place for Holocaust survivors.
Many second generation Holocaust survivors have volunteered
their services for this endeavor. A team of professional
lawyers and experts on Holocaust survivors' rights, as well
as specially trained members of the Department for the
Elderly Care and the Federation for the Aged, will serve the
survivors. The center will have an answering service and
regular reception hours. The staff will also conduct house
calls. The steering committee is headed by the Municipal
Director of the Department for Social Services, Mrs. Shlomit
Gidron, and Deputy Director, Mrs. Arlette Moyal.
