Congress Wants States To Plan for Aiding Holocaust Survivors

A Holocaust survivor displays tattoo Nazis inked on his arm. Image by Uriel Sinai

By JTA April 10, 2016

A new provision in the bill funding assistance for the elderly directs the federal government to issue guidance to states on serving Holocaust survivors.

The Jewish Federations of North America lobbied for the inclusion of the provision in the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, first approved in 1965.

In a statement on April 7, the day the Senate reauthorized the Act after the U.S. House of Representatives had already done so, the JFNA praised Congress for the vote and for including the Holocaust survivor provision.

“With more than 1 in 5 Jewish Americans over 65 years old, Federations have been a steadfast supporter of the OAA, which helps enhance vital services at Federation-affiliated agencies,” said William Daroff, the director of JFNA’s Washington office, in the statement.

Federations draw on funding provided through the act for day care and transportation for the elderly and kosher meals on wheels, among other services.

“We are also thrilled about the new provision that will ensure the comfort and security of Holocaust survivors, and look forward to working on its implementation with the Administration for Community Living,” Daroff said.

The act directs the assistant secretary for the aging “to issue guidance to states on serving and conducting outreach to this vulnerable population,” the JFNA said.

Last month, the JFNA distributed the first funds to assist Holocaust survivors made available under a separate federal government program.

Of more than 100,000 survivors in the United States, the JFNA estimates that one in four is 85 or older and that the same number live in poverty.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO