Whereas during the Holocaust, which took place between
1933 and 1945, an estimated 6,000,000 Jews and other targeted groups were
murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators;
Whereas prior to and during World War II, the United
States consistently refused to permit large-scale immigration of Jewish
refugees, including the refusal of 936 Jewish refugees on the SS St. Louis in
1939;
Whereas after the end of World War II and the liberation
of the concentration, labor, and death camps, many Jewish refugees who returned
home were the victims of numerous violent pogroms, and those who did not return
were housed in displaced persons camps in Europe;
Whereas between 1945 and 1952, approximately 96,000
Holocaust survivors displaced after the end of World War II were admitted to
the United States;
Whereas since 1952, more than 100,000 additional Holocaust
survivors, including Russian immigrants who suffered from persecution and
anti-Semitic acts under the Soviet regime, emigrated to the United
States;
Whereas approximately 127,000 Holocaust survivors remain
in the United States, and many pass away each year;
Whereas those who survived torture and forced labor under
Nazi occupation in concentration, labor, and death camps, as well as those who
were forced to flee to a country or region not under Nazi rule or occupation
during that time, continue to live with the scars of this unconscionable
tragedy;
Whereas all Holocaust survivors are at least 65 years old
with approximately three-quarters of them older than 75 and a majority in their
80s and 90s;
Whereas approximately two-thirds of Holocaust survivors
are elderly women who have challenges such as family caregiving, face risks
such as isolation and financial insecurity, and have specific health
needs;
Whereas Holocaust survivors are 5 times more likely to be
living below the poverty line than other older people living in the United
States, and more than half of all Holocaust survivors fall beneath 200 percent
of the Federal poverty threshold;
Whereas Holocaust survivors are more reliant on social
service programs than most people in the United States over the age of 65, with
proportionally more survivors than other older people needing home health
care;
Whereas approximately two-thirds of Holocaust survivors
live alone, and living alone is a risk factor for institutionalization;
Whereas while institutionalized settings are beneficial
for some older people in the United States, institutions have a
disproportionate adverse effect on Holocaust survivors by reintroducing the
sights, sounds, and routines of institutionalization that are reminiscent of
experiences during the Holocaust;
Whereas Holocaust survivors are getting older and frailer,
and will be seeking support and assistance from social service providers to
enable them to age in place; and
Whereas the United States represents and defends the
values of freedom, liberty, and justice and has a moral obligation to
acknowledge the plight and uphold the dignity of Holocaust survivors to ensure
their well-being in their remaining years: Now, therefore, be it
That Congress—
(1)supports the goal of ensuring that all
Holocaust survivors in the United States are able to live with dignity,
comfort, and security in their remaining years;
(2)applauds the
nonprofit organizations and agencies that work tirelessly to honor and assist
Holocaust survivors in their communities;
(3)urges the
Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services, in conjunction
with the Administration on Aging (AoA), to provide Holocaust survivors with
needed social services through existing programs; and
(4)encourages the
Administration on Aging to expeditiously develop and implement programs that
ensure Holocaust survivors are able to age in place in their communities and
avoid institutionalization during their remaining years.
Passed the House of
Representatives December 1, 2010.
Lorraine C. Miller,
Clerk