[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 100 (Tuesday, July 15, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7503-S7504]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 39--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE CONGRESS
THAT THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT SHOULD EXPAND AND SIMPLIFY ITS REPARATIONS
SYSTEMS TO HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS
Mr. MOYNIHAN (for himself, Mr. Graham, Mr. Hatch, and Mr. Dodd)
submitted the following resolution which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Relations.
S. Con. Res. 39
Whereas the annihilation of 6,000,000 European Jews during
the Holocaust and the murder of millions of others by the
Nazi German state constitutes one of the most tragic episodes
in the history of man's inhumanity to man;
Whereas there are more than 125,000 Holocaust survivors
living in the United States and approximately 500,000 living
around the world;
Whereas aging Holocaust survivors throughout the world are
still suffering from permanent injuries suffered at the hands
of the Nazis, and many are unable to afford critically needed
medical care;
Whereas, while the German Government has attempted to
address the needs of Holocaust survivors, many are excluded
from reparations because of onerous eligibility requirements
imposed by the German Government;
Whereas the German Government often rejects Holocaust
survivors' claims on the grounds that the survivor did not
present the claim correctly or in a timely manner, that the
survivor cannot demonstrate to the Government's satisfaction
that a particular illness or medical condition is the direct
consequence of persecution in a Nazi-created ghetto or
concentration camp, or that the survivor is not considered
sufficiently destitute;
Whereas tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors in the
former Soviet Union and other formerly Communist countries in
Eastern and Central Europe have never received reparations
from Germany and a smaller number has received a token
amount;
Whereas, after more than 50 years, hundreds of thousands of
Holocaust survivors continue to be denied justice and
compensation from the German Government;
Whereas the German Government pays generous disability
pensions to veterans of the Nazi armed forces, including non-
German veterans of the Waffen-SS;
Whereas in 1996 the German Government paid $7,700,000,000
in such pensions to 1,100,000 veterans, including 3,000
veterans and their dependents now living in the United
States;
Whereas such pensions are a veteran's benefit provided over
and above the full health coverage that all German citizens,
including veterans of the Waffen-SS, receive from their
government; and
Whereas it is abhorrent that Holocaust survivors should
live out their remaining years in conditions worse than those
enjoyed by the surviving former Nazis who persecuted them:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the German Government should expand and simplify its
system of reparations so that all Holocaust survivors can
receive reparations, regardless of their nationality, length
or place of internment, or current financial situation;
(2) the German Government should provide reparations to
Holocaust survivors in the
[[Page S7504]]
former Soviet Union and other former Communist countries in
Eastern and Central Europe;
(3) the German Government should fulfill its
responsibilities to victims of the Holocaust and immediately
set up a comprehensive medical fund to cover the medical
expenses of all Holocaust survivors worldwide; and
(4) the German Government should help restore the dignity
of Holocaust survivors by paying them sufficient reparations
to ensure that no Holocaust survivor be forced by poverty to
live in conditions worse than those generally enjoyed by the
surviving former Nazis who persecuted them.
Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, it is now over half a century since the
end of the Second World War. Millions of us who served in that war
returned home to resume our lives and enjoy the blessings of peace. To
all of us the end of the war was a relief. To the survivors of the Nazi
concentration camps it was the difference between certain death and a
chance to continue life after years of unspeakable deprivation and
horror.
Much has been written and said about the 6 million European Jews who
were slaughtered during the Holocaust. A magnificent museum not far
from this building pays moving and appropriate tribute to them, and to
the millions of non-Jewish victims of Nazi Germany, as well. Much has
been said about the dead. But far too little has been said about, or
done for, the survivors. Almost half a million of them are still alive,
including over 125,000 in this country and about the same number in
Eastern and Central Europe and Israel. The youngest among them are now
in their sixties; most of them are in their seventies and eighties and
in increasingly frail health, complicated in many cases by the
suffering they endured over half a century ago.
The German Government has long recognized its moral obligation to
assist the survivors of the Holocaust. The landmark reparations
agreements of the early 1950's between the West German Government and
Jewish groups were predicated on this simple premise. Yet, as years go
by, it has become increasingly apparent that a large number of
survivors, particularly those living in Eastern and Central Europe,
were excluded from these agreements and are now being denied assistance
on the flimsiest of technical grounds. In addition, tens of thousands
of Holocaust survivors in North America and Israel have been similarly
refused reparations for a variety of reasons that all pale when
contrasted to Germany's half-century of generous pensions to German and
non-German veterans of the notorious Waffen-SS. It is only fair and
logical that the survivors of the Holocaust be treated in their old age
with at least the same measure of support being afforded their
torturers and prison guards. It is also only fair and logical that
these aging survivors, as well as those who already receive
reparations, be assisted in meeting their increasing medical expenses.
It is for this purpose that I join Senators Graham, Hatch, and Dodd
in submitting this resolution which speaks to the simple proposition
that it is the sense of Congress that the German Government should
expand and simplify its reparations system, provide reparations to
Holocaust survivors in Eastern and Central Europe, and set up a fund to
help cover the medical expenses of Holocaust survivors.
Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today with Senator Moynihan and my
other colleagues to submit a resolution that will allow Holocaust
survivors to receive the reparations they so rightly deserve.
There are over 125,000 Holocaust survivors living in the United
States. My State of Florida houses the second largest population in the
United States Approximately 500,000 survivors worldwide are living out
their final days. Many still suffer from the injuries they received
during the Nazi occupation. While the German Government has acted in
good faith in attempting to take responsibility for the horrible
actions of the Nazi regime, many survivors have been prevented from
receiving reparations due to burdensome eligibility requirements.
We recognize that since 1952, Germany has contributed to the
compensation of those that survived the Holocaust. However, after 50
years, hundreds of thousands of elderly Holocaust survivors are still
unable to afford critically needed medical care, and many of their
medical problems are a direct result of their years in Nazi
concentration camps.
In May, it was acknowledged that, in addition to the regular pensions
and medical insurance the German Government provides, war disability
pensions are still being paid to veterans of the Nazi armed forces and
the non-German Waffen-SS, Hitler's special death squads. According to
the Wiesenthal Center, the SS disability pensions alone are three times
the reparations paid to the Holocaust survivors.
This resolution calls for the German Government to expand and
simplify its system of reparations so that a medical fund may be
established to cover medical expenses for Holocaust survivors
throughout the world. Regardless of nationality or the length or place
of internment, Holocaust survivors will be guaranteed the opportunity
to live the remainder of their lives with the knowledge that they will
always be able to receive the medical care they need.
Holocaust survivors have lived enough of their life in suffering. We
must now insure that they live the rest of their lives in dignity. We
hope the German Government will continue to accept responsibility and
set up a fund to help the victims of Nazi terror. I urge my colleagues
to join us in this endeavor.
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