ACTIVELY SENIOR Helping to Right a Historic Wrong

Helping to Right a Historic Wrong Aviva Silberman believes that Holocaust survivors deserve to live in dignity and comfort By Sharon Gelbach

The statistics are grim: a quarter of Holocaust survivors in Israel and a third of those in the US are living in poverty. Tese now-elderly people, who experienced some of the worst traumas in modern times, are subsisting on so little they can’t aford both food and medicine, or dental treatment, or house repairs, or to replace a broken appliance. Many are childless; many are the last remnant of their extended families, with no support network to advocate for them in their twilight years.

According to attorney Aviva Silberman, founder of Aviv for Holocaust Survivors, an organization that helps survivors apply for special benefts, thousands of Holocaust survivors fail to take advantage of the compensation that’s legally coming to them. “Tey simply don’t know about the benefts and what they’re entitled to, what forms to fll out, how to fll them out, or where to submit them,” she says. Tere are several reparation payment or allowance programs available to survivors living around the world; however, deciphering the fne print as to who is eligible for which payment, which forms need to be completed; and what supporting documents must be provided for each can be overwhelming. Aviv for Holocaust Survivors was founded in 2007 with the goal of helping Holocaust survivors access the benefts available to them. In its 13 years of operation, with the help of fve lawyers and hundreds of volunteers, Aviv has helped 65,000 survivors actualize their rights and access more than $1.2 million payments and allowances completely free of charge.

NO LONGER RELUCTANT

Silberman explains the roots of this rampant poverty: “Due to their wartime experiences, some survivors continued to sufer psychological and physical problems that hindered their ability to work. Tis pattern has also carried over to the next generation.” In the past, many people opted not to accept money from Germany, irrespective of their fnancial situation, observes Silberman. “Today, however, survivors realize that they are not helping anyone by refusing the money, and that at their stage of life, they certainly deserve to enjoy a higher standard of living.” In addition to not knowing how to go about accessing payments and reparations, Silberman says that survivors are often fearful that by applying for additional benefts they will lose what

56 FEBRUARY 2020 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE they already have. In reality, however, about half the survivors who are assisted by Aviv are, in fact, eligible for more than they are currently receiving. “We encourage survivors to inquire about their benefts. In many cases, what they were told several years ago about not being entitled, has changed.” A case in point, and one that afects thousands of survivors globally, is the new law, from July 2019, recognizing 20 Romanian cities as being ghettos. Te signifcance of the revised legislation cannot be overstated: survivors from Romania who previously were not eligible for any of the German “rentas” or pensions, are now eligible for various grants and monthly allowances.

Leah, a survivor from Ramnicu Sarat, Romania, had previously fallen between the cracks in terms of receiving any fnancial aid, due to various technical and bureaucratic reasons. With the help of Aviv’s attorney Yael Gertler, she was able to receive a lump sum of $2,800 as well as a monthly allowance of $1,100. “Finally, at the age of 89, I’m fnally recognized as a Holocaust survivor!” Leah says. “For decades, Germany never acknowledged the sufering we endured in Romania. I’m gratifed that I am still alive to see Germany taking responsibility for what they did to us!”

DAUNTING RED TAPE

Holocaust survivors and their children are often daunted by the seemingly endless paperwork and complex bureaucracy associated with applying for compensation. Working for 13 years with a team of professional lawyers, Aviv for Holocaust Survivors is uniquely positioned to assist survivors receive what is coming to them, thereby improving their quality of life immeasurably. Gila, an 84-year-old survivor from Bulgaria, sufers various ailments along with dementia. For many years, she received a $700 monthly reparations allowance. In view of her mother’s degenerating state, Gila’s daughter Ronit requested an increased stipend from the government, but was turned down because they said Gila did not meet the necessary criteria. It never occurred to Ronit to try again, until she spoke to Linda Levy, one of Aviv’s consultants, who investigated the case and discovered that Gila had spent the war years in the ghetto in Sophia. Familiar with the updated rights due Holocaust survivors, she applied to various agencies including the Israeli Treasury and the German government. Te applications were approved, and Gila began to receive $2,000 monthly from the Israeli government, as well

as a lump sum of $16,700 and another $90 monthly allowance from Germany. Tanks to the extra income, Ronit can now aford to give her mother the best care available including costly treatments to ease her health issues.

Aviv for Holocaust Survivors founder, Attorney Aviva Silberman with survivor Yafa Einhorn. PHOTO COURTESY AVIV FOR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS

IN THE WAR IN UTERO

One of the more unexpected criteria for eligibility is “one who was a fetus at the time their mother sufered persecution by the Nazis.” Henia Klatsch, a survivor from Haifa, was born just two months after the end of World War II. Her parents had survived the Holocaust by hiding together with their two children in the home of a Polish family. Henia grew up with parents and siblings who emerged from the war alive in body, but severely scarred emotionally. After a turbulent childhood, Henia married Aryeh, also a Holocaust survivor.

A chance visit to the Aviv Entitlement Center in Haifa proved to be life-changing for the Klatches. Attorney Liora Zamir informed Henia that she might be eligible for Holocaust reparations due to her having been an unborn baby while her mother sufered persecution, and thus began a protracted bureaucratic process that included procuring several hardto-get documents. “I wanted to give up a hundred times over, but Liora never let me,” Henia shares. “She fought like a lioness on my behalf! It’s only thanks to her caring, and her professional, devoted service that my application was eventually approved.” Te couple, which had previously subsisted only on Aryeh’s reparations, received a substantial fnancial boost. “A stone has been lifted from my heart,” Henia says. “I never had a childhood, but no one acknowledged my sufering before. Tis allowance is helping us make ends meet, and now I can even give something to our grandchildren, something that had not been possible before.”

Aviv for Holocaust Survivors works to raise public awareness of the rights of Holocaust survivors and to make that information freely accessible. Te organization operates 18 Entitlement Centers, in collaboration with local municipalities and the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, to assist survivors in actualizing their rights. Aviv’s lawyers accompany survivors throughout the process, providing all services completely free of charge.