[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 7, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H3475-H3479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING GOAL OF ENSURING ALL HOLOCAUST VICTIMS LIVE WITH DIGNITY,
COMFORT, AND SECURITY
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree
to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res 129), expressing support for
the goal of ensuring that all Holocaust victims live with dignity,
comfort, and security in their remaining years, and urging the Federal
Republic of Germany to reaffirm its commitment to this goal through a
financial commitment to comprehensively address the unique health and
welfare needs of vulnerable Holocaust victims, including home care and
other medically prescribed needs, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:
H. Con. Res. 129
Whereas the annihilation of 6,000,000 Jews during the
Holocaust and the murder of millions of others by the Nazi
German state constitutes one of the most tragic and heinous
crimes in human history;
Whereas hundreds of thousands of Jews survived persecution
by the Nazi regime despite being imprisoned, subjected to
slave labor, moved into ghettos, forced to live in hiding or
under false identity, forced to live under curfew, or
required to wear the ``yellow star'';
Whereas in fear of the oncoming Nazi Einsatzgruppen (``Nazi
Killing Squads'') and the likelihood of extermination,
hundreds of thousands of Jewish Nazi victims fled for their
lives;
Whereas whatever type of persecution suffered by Jews
during the Holocaust, the common thread that binds these
Holocaust victims is that they were targeted for
extermination and that they lived with a constant fear for
their lives and the lives of their loved ones;
Whereas Holocaust victims immigrated to the United States
from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and the former
Soviet Union from 1933 to today;
Whereas it is estimated that there are at least 100,000
Holocaust victims living in the United States and
approximately 500,000 living around the world today,
including child survivors;
Whereas tens of thousands of Holocaust victims are in their
80s or 90s or are more than 100 years in age, and the number
of Holocaust victims is diminishing;
Whereas at least 50 percent of Holocaust victims alive
today will pass away within the next decade, and those alive
are becoming frailer and have increasing health and welfare
needs;
Whereas Holocaust victims throughout the world continue to
suffer from permanent physical and psychological injuries and
disabilities and live with the emotional scars of this
systematic genocide against the Jewish people;
Whereas many of the emotional and psychological scars of
Holocaust victims are exacerbated in their old age, the past
haunts and overwhelms many aspects of their lives when their
health fails them;
Whereas Holocaust victims suffer particular trauma when
their emotional and physical circumstances force them to
leave the security of their own home and enter institutional
or other group living residential facilities;
Whereas tens of thousands of Holocaust victims live in
poverty, cannot afford and do not receive sufficient medical
care, home care, mental health care, medicine, food,
transportation, and other vital life-sustaining services that
allow them to live their final years with comfort and
dignity;
Whereas Holocaust victims often lack family support
networks and require social worker-supported case management
in order to manage their daily lives and access government
funded services;
Whereas in response to a letter sent by Members of Congress
to Germany's Minister of Finance in December 2015 regarding
increased funding for Holocaust victims, German officials
acknowledged that ``recent experience has shown that the care
financed by the German Government to date is insufficient''
and that ``it is imperative to expand these assistance
measures quickly given the advanced age of many of the
affected persons'';
[[Page H3476]]
Whereas German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer acknowledged in
1951 Germany's responsibility to provide moral and financial
compensation to Holocaust victims worldwide;
Whereas every successive German Chancellor has reaffirmed
this position, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, who in
2007 reaffirmed that ``only by fully accepting its enduring
responsibility for this most appalling period and for the
cruelest crimes in its history, can Germany shape the
future'';
Whereas in 2015 Chancellor Merkel's spokesperson again
confirmed ``all Germans know the history of the murderous
race mania of the Nazis that led to the break with
civilization that was the Holocaust. . . we know that
responsibility for this crime against humanity is German and
very much our own''; and
Whereas Congress believes it is Germany's moral and
historical responsibility to comprehensively, permanently,
and urgently provide the resources for all Holocaust victims'
medical, mental health, and long-term care needs: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress--
(1) acknowledges the financial and moral commitment of the
Federal Republic of Germany over the past seven decades to
provide a measure of justice for Holocaust victims;
(2) supports the goal of ensuring that all Holocaust
victims in the United States and around the world are able to
live with dignity, comfort, and security in their remaining
years;
(3) applauds the nonprofit organizations and agencies that
work tirelessly to honor and assist Holocaust victims in
their communities;
(4) acknowledges the ongoing process of negotiations
between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Conference on
Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) in
order to secure funding for Holocaust victims and for vital
social services provided through nonprofit organizations and
agencies around the world;
(5) acknowledges that the Federal Republic of Germany and
the Claims Conference have established a new high-level
working group that will develop proposals for extensive
assistance for homecare and other social welfare needs of
Holocaust victims;
(6) urges the working group to recognize the imperative of
immediately and fully funding victims' medical, mental
health, and long-term care needs and to do so with full
transparency and accountability to ensure all funds for
Holocaust victims from the Federal Republic of Germany are
administered efficiently, fairly, and without delay; and
(7) urges the Federal Republic of Germany to continue to
reaffirm its commitment and fulfill its moral responsibility
to Holocaust victims by ensuring that every Holocaust victim
receives all of the prescribed medical care, home care,
mental health care, and other vital services necessary to
live in dignity and by providing, without delay, additional
financial resources to address the unique needs of Holocaust
victims.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.
General Leave
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and to include extraneous material on this resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, first I would like to thank my good friend and south
Florida colleague, Mr. Ted Deutch, for his work on this resolution and
for cointroducing it together. It is an important resolution, Mr.
Speaker. I also want to thank our chairman, Chairman Royce, and the
ranking member, Mr. Engel, for always working in a bipartisan manner,
for recognizing the importance of this resolution, and for moving this
bill out of our Committee on Foreign Affairs in an expeditious manner.
This resolution, simply put, Mr. Speaker, urges Germany to honor its
moral and historical obligations to Holocaust survivors and to provide
for their unmet needs immediately and comprehensively. I know that for
Mr. Deutch and for me, this is an issue that deeply impacts many of our
constituents in south Florida.
There are just over 500,000 Holocaust survivors worldwide. About a
quarter of that number live right here in the United States, with over
15,000 living in our south Florida communities, Mr. Speaker. I have had
the honor and privilege to work closely with survivors from south
Florida, many of whom I have come to call dear friends: my friends
David Mermelstein, David Schaecter, Herbie Karliner, Joe Sachs, and
Alex Gross; and Jack Rubin, who has testified before Congress on issues
related to Holocaust survivors, including a hearing that I chaired
alongside Mr. Deutch in the year 2014.
There are also many more to thank, those who have made justice for
Holocaust survivors their life's work, individuals like Sam Dubbin,
Mark Talisman, and the list goes on and on, Mr. Speaker.
It has been my close relationship with these individuals that has
really helped me to understand the realities that survivors have
endured during humanity's darkest period and, unfortunately, the sad
reality that they face today--today--Mr. Speaker, especially when it
comes to their home healthcare needs, to their mental health needs, to
their medical care needs.
Do you know, Mr. Speaker, that nearly half of all survivors worldwide
live at or below the poverty level? After going through what is almost
indescribable horror, these survivors are living at or below the
poverty level. Many survivors are unable to maintain even a modest and
dignified standard of living: they lack funds for home care; they don't
have the money for medicine; they don't have the funds for food; they
can't pay the utilities; and they can't pay their rent. As Jack Rubin
said before our subcommittee in the year 2014: the existing system has
fallen tragically short of what survivors need and deserve.
The current funding and care delivery systems are difficult for
survivors to access, and they are severely underfunded. That is why it
is so important that we pass this resolution and urge our friends in
Germany, our good partners in Germany, to honor the obligations and the
commitments that they have made to provide for the needs of Holocaust
survivors.
German Governments have provided some support through income
assistance programs and have doubled funding for home care services in
the past 5 years, so they are trying. They want to do better. In fact,
even by Germany's own admission, the care financed by the German
Government to date has been insufficient for those in need of intensive
long-term care.
Mr. Speaker, because of the horrors that these survivors have endured
and the emotional and physical scars they continue to carry with them,
their medical, mental, and home care needs are far more complex, far
more extensive than those of other elderly individuals.
{time} 1630
These survivors have endured the torture; they have endured the labor
camps, experiments, the loss of loved ones, and even the loss of entire
families. We owe these survivors the opportunity to live out the
remainder of their days in the dignity and comfort they deserve.
Germany owes it to the survivors to alleviate and end the continuing
injuries inflicted by the Nazi regime by finding a way to provide for
all of their medical, mental health, and home care needs, directly and
without delay.
I urge my colleagues to join Mr. Deutch and to join me in urging
Germany to do the right thing, because time is of the essence.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of this resolution. And I thank Chairman Royce and
Ranking Member Engel for moving so quickly to pass this resolution
through committee and bring it to the floor, because time is, sadly,
very much of the essence.
Today we will vote on H. Con. Res. 129, which calls upon Germany to
fully fund the needs of aging Holocaust survivors. I want to thank my
friend, Chairman Emeritus Ros-Lehtinen, for her steadfast leadership
and for her longstanding commitment to championing the needs of
Holocaust survivors.
More than anything else, I want to thank the survivors in south
Florida and throughout the Nation. You are my constituents, my friends,
and my heroes. This includes Jack Rubin, whose tireless advocacy
through trips
[[Page H3477]]
to Washington to educate and testify in Congress shaped this very
effort; and Norman Frajman, whose dedication to educating students in
our own community helped ensure that they will never forget.
My friend, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, mentioned so many of the
people that she is so close to. I want to thank her for giving me the
opportunity and the blessing of getting to know and spend time with
David Schaecter, David Mermelstein, and others.
It breaks my heart that today in the United States there are tens of
thousands of survivors who live in poverty and cannot afford, and thus
do not receive, sufficient medical care, home care, and other vital
life-sustaining services.
Today we have an opportunity to send a clear message that these
survivors, who made it through the darkest time in history, deserve to
live out their lives with the dignity that they are so worthy of and
have long been promised.
Some of my colleagues might wonder: Why is this resolution needed?
It is simple: Holocaust survivors are not receiving the care that
they need.
For decades, the German Government has remained committed to funding
survivor needs. This is something I know Chancellor Merkel cares a
great deal about, as she has reaffirmed that commitment. But the
survivor population is aging into their eighties, their nineties, and
hundreds. Their needs are greater.
Unfortunately, despite the payments of the German Government over
decades, significant gaps in survivor care remain. And German officials
have acknowledged that shortfall. Right now there are special
negotiations going on with the German Government. In the coming days,
decisions will be made in Berlin that will determine whether or not
survivors will receive the funding and the care that they so
desperately need.
But I am worried. I am worried that time is running out. I am worried
that this is our last chance to ensure that, once and for all,
survivors have what they need. Every survivor deserves to receive the
care needed to live in comfort.
So many survivors are struggling. And, again, while we appreciate the
decades-long commitment of the German Government, I am not certain that
our ally, Germany, understands the scope of the true need--the needs
that Chairman Ros-Lehtinen and I see in our communities in south
Florida every day. That is why passing this resolution here will send a
message that is unmistakable; and that is that Congress is fully
united.
We stand at a decisive moment in the lives of our aging survivor
population. Each month it seems that there is another funeral in my
community and another survivor passes. So it is with a heavy heart that
we must acknowledge that these current negotiations are likely the last
opportunity for Germany to comprehensively address the unique health
and welfare needs of survivors before it is too late.
Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us today urges our German partners
to fulfill the moral and financial commitment to the victims of the
Holocaust. The shortfall is the most dramatic when it comes to home
care. For survivors, the need to stay in their homes as they age is
critical. The thought of institutionalized care or being removed from
their home is a devastatingly painful reminder of the past. As they
age, they rely more on home care services.
Under the current system, home care is capped so that even the most
infirmed, isolated, and poor Nazi victims can only receive a maximum of
25 hours of home care per week. That is 5 hours a day for 5 days a
week. There is no funding for additional hours.
In committee I spoke about my 91-year-old constituent who survived
Bergen-Belsen. He fell and suffered a fracture. He requires assistance
with all of the activities of daily living. He now needs round-the-
clock care, but the current funding system does not provide it.
Many of those who survived also lack family support to help with
transportation to doctors' appointments or help preparing meals. They
deserve to have these most basic needs met. They deserve to be able to
access care for all of their mental and medical health needs. And they
deserve our support.
Today I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the passage of
this resolution and for Germany to seize upon this opportunity to
alleviate the suffering of survivors. While no amount of money can ever
erase the horrors faced by Nazi victims, there is a moral
responsibility to ensure that they can receive all of the vital
services and medical care necessary to live out the remainder of their
days with dignity.
No more limitations on home care hours. Complete the negotiations.
And fund the needs now, once and for all.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Connolly), my friend.
Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Ted Deutch, for his
leadership, and also my good friend, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Florida
twins who have so steadfastly brought this matter of conscience and
history to the floor of the House of Representatives.
It was said about the Holocaust that ``we should never forget'' and
``never again.'' What a legacy it would be that those who survived the
darkest chapter of human history should live out the remainder of their
years in want--in want of basic medical care, in want of home health
care and caregiving so that they can have dignity in their twilight
years.
How can we ignore that plight? How can we say to that generation, You
should go without?
They are living reminders of the dark side of human nature and of how
history can go so terribly wrong. Honoring them with this resolution
and engaging our partner, our ally, Germany, in this one last endeavor
is a noble cause.
I am pleased to support H. Con. Res. 129, and I applaud the
leadership of my colleagues from Florida in reminding this House of the
duty still in front of us.
Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, today we are talking about the frailest people in our
community who have endured the worst, most unimaginable horrors. They
are people whose entire families were destroyed.
Mr. Speaker, Hitler tried to destroy them. He succeeded in killing
millions, but his goal was genocide. His goal was to wipe the Jewish
people from the face of the Earth.
We can't imagine the magnitude of that evil, but we have just a few
years left with those who managed to survive, to escape death--
sometimes multiple times--to endure concentration camps when everyone
around them was sent to the gas chambers, and to flee death squads that
roamed the European countryside killing--and mass killings--again and
again and again.
For them to live through all of that, to survive all of that, should
we tell them that we are sorry, we must cap the amount of care you can
receive in your home? Or that the social service agencies and their
employees and their volunteers who know what their clients need should
tell them to need less?
Mr. Speaker, let's pass this resolution and tell every person sitting
at the negotiating table in Berlin that we will not accept half
measures. The German Government has reiterated its moral obligation to
act. This resolution calls for action. The time to act is now.
Survivors of the Holocaust deserve dignity.
I would like to again thank my dear friend and fierce advocate for
survivors, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. We have stood together on
their behalf for years. She is remarkably committed to justice.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, there are Holocaust survivors who are
watching us now. When we pass this resolution, many will cry. They told
me that. I cannot and I will not go back to south Florida on Friday and
look into the eyes of these sweet people whom we are so fortunate to
know, so privileged to have in our community, and tell them that
Congress passed a resolution to make them feel better. They don't need
symbolism.
What I will tell them is that the United States House of
Representatives overwhelmingly spoke on their behalf--
[[Page H3478]]
a group that 80 years ago had no one speaking for them. And we expect
the German Government to hear what we are saying.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I want to thank Mr. Deutch and Mr. Connolly. What a joy it has been
for me to have worked with them, especially with my twin. The poor guy.
That was a low blow by Mr. Connolly. Mr. Deutch might not forgive him
for that. But what heartfelt words from Mr. Deutch. I thank him for
that.
We are indeed fortunate, Mr. Speaker, that we have so many
constituents in our districts for whom this issue is so important. We
are blessed that we have so many Holocaust survivors in our districts.
But, sadly, as Mr. Deutch, Mr. Connolly, and I have pointed out, time
is of the essence. These survivors are passing away without the urgent
care that they have been promised and without the comforts that they
need.
So I want to close by saying, Mr. Speaker, just how important this
measure is. Mr. Deutch talked about how our constituents are watching
in south Florida. And it is so true. How important it is that we send a
clear message to the German Government that time is of the essence.
For over 70 years, Holocaust survivors have had to live with the
painful memories and the toll that their experiences have had on their
minds and their bodies.
{time} 1645
Successive German Governments have acknowledged Germany's
responsibility for the Nazi regime's atrocities. Most recently,
Chancellor Merkel's office stated: ``We know the responsibility for
this crime against humanity is German and very much our own.''
I agree with Chancellor Merkel's office. We don't have time for
negotiations, Mr. Speaker. How long will those negotiations take while,
every day, yet another Holocaust survivor passes away.
We don't need Germany to engage with the bureaucratic nightmare that
is the Claims Conference. This was a process that was set up to deal
with these issues, but it has not worked out that way. Why add another
layer to the process when Germany can and should provide this
assistance directly?
The proof that this Claims Conference process has been nothing short
of an abject failure is that nearly half of the survivors today, Mr.
Speaker, are living at or below the poverty level. Under this current
system, many have died well before their time as a result of this
current broken system, to say nothing about the fraud, the corruption,
and the embezzlement that has been documented.
Mr. Speaker, the Claims Conference has failed to live up to its
mandate to advocate and work on behalf of survivors. The Claims
Conference provides artificial caps on survivors' needs. When those
caps are reached, good luck.
Just recently, a survivor from our own area right here in D.C. was
told by a local service agency that the Claims Conference would no
longer fund her Lifeline button. This woman lives alone, Mr. Speaker.
She needs this service, but she was cut off.
The Conference stops assistance for many, and many others receive no
assistance at all, while their pleas fall on deaf ears.
With the Claims Conference, there is no transparency, little
accountability, and a shocking disregard for the actual survivors,
themselves; but I believe Chancellor Merkel's heartfelt expression of
concern about Germany's responsibility to survivors and her leadership
on moral issues, and this will finally resolve this longstanding
tragedy for survivors.
That is why our resolution, Mr. Speaker, to fund, directly,
survivors' needs is so important. We have seen what happens when the
Claims Conference gets involved. Survivors are just not afforded the
assistance they desperately need.
So I urge my colleagues to join Mr. Deutch and me in urging Germany
to fund, directly and comprehensively, all of the needs of survivors
like it has pledged. There is no time to waste.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Ros-Lehtinen and
Ranking Member Deutch for their work on this resolution, and their
continued work on Holocaust issues.
The horrors wrought by the Nazi regime did not end when prisoners
finally walked out from behind the barbed wire fences in 1945. Today,
the after-effects of Hitler's death camps still haunt the lives of
those who survived.
Tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors throughout the world live in
poverty, forced to choose between feeding themselves and purchasing
necessary medication.
The problem is staggering. Five hundred thousand survivors remain--
most of them in their 80s. Today, more than one in four lack sufficient
access to the care they need to live their final years in comfort and
in dignity.
For decades, Germany has instituted and funded a number of aid
programs in recognition of its obligation to these survivors. However,
Germany's own evaluations made clear that more needs to be done.
We urge the German government to immediately and fully fund
programming for victims' medical, mental health, and long-term care
needs.
Time is of the essence. Every day that decisions are stalled, we lose
another survivor, another story, another chance to show our respect for
these individuals who have already endured what no one should.
Today's resolution recognizes the moral imperative for us--all of
us--to work to ensure a life of dignity, security, and comfort for
Holocaust survivors.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.
Con. Res. 129, urging the Federal Republic of Germany to further
fulfill its commitment to support the welfare of Holocaust survivors by
ensuring that they receive the medical, mental health, and long-term
care they require.
In 1952, the West German government concluded an agreement with
representatives from major Jewish national and international
organizations and the State of Israel to provide indemnification and
restitution directly to survivors of the Holocaust. This agreement
reflected an overdue but basic recognition at the time by many,
including then-German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer who saw such
restitution as, quote, ``easing the way to the spiritual settlement of
infinite suffering.''
Mr. Speaker, that infinite suffering inflicted by the genocidal Nazi
regime continues to this day. It is a daily reality for the aging
survivors of that infamous crime who live with the mental and sometimes
physical consequences of being tortured and abused.
There are over 500,000 Holocaust survivors living around the world
today, and over 100,000 live here in the United States--witnesses to
both the stunning evil and miraculous resilience of which humanity is
capable. Their quiet presence in our midst is a treasure seldom
sufficiently cherished. Today, as they age, they are increasingly in
need of support and assistance that will allow them to live their
remaining days with access to quality care and the peace that comes
with it.
Mr. Speaker, I support H. Con. Res 129 because I think it is right
that the Federal Republic of Germany deliver direct support to
Holocaust survivors to guarantee that they live the rest of their lives
with the dignity, comfort, and security that was deprived them decades
ago.
The resolution calls on the German government to make every effort--
whether through direct assistance or negotiated arrangements--to
support the medical, mental health, and long-term care needs of
Holocaust victims. This support would be fully consistent with the
German government's longstanding commitment to Holocaust survivors and
it cannot wait.
It is important, Mr. Speaker, to also note the important steps
already taken by the Federal Republic of Germany and the tremendous
efforts and achievements it has made in making amends for the genocide
committed under the Nazi dictatorship. H. Con. Res. 129 urges Germany
to continue on this path and as such deserves our support in the House.
Finally, I would like to thank my friend and colleague Rep. Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen, for introducing this laudable resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 129, as
amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
[[Page H3479]]
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