[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 137 (Monday, September 12, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H5263-H5266]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE GOAL OF ENSURING THAT ALL HOLOCAUST VICTIMS 
   LIVE WITH DIGNITY, COMFORT, AND SECURITY IN THEIR REMAINING YEARS

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the 
concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 46) 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 continue to reaffirm its commitment to comprehensively 
address the unique health and welfare needs of vulnerable Holocaust 
victims, including home care and other medically prescribed needs.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 46

       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 or curfew, or required to wear the 
     ``yellow star'';
       Whereas in fear of the oncoming Nazi Einsatzgruppen, or 
     ``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 Holocaust 
     victims is that they were targeted for extermination and 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, North Africa, and the former 
     Soviet Union between 1933 and the date of adoption of this 
     resolution;
       Whereas it is estimated that there are at least 100,000 
     Holocaust victims living in the United States and 
     approximately 500,000 Holocaust victims living around the 
     world, including child survivors of the Holocaust;
       Whereas tens of thousands of Holocaust victims are at least 
     80 years old, and the number of surviving Holocaust victims 
     is diminishing;
       Whereas at least 50 percent of Holocaust victims alive 
     today will pass away within the next decade, and those living 
     victims 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 a 
     systematic genocide against the Jewish people;
       Whereas many of the emotional and psychological scars of 
     Holocaust victims are exacerbated in the old age of the 
     Holocaust victims;
       Whereas the past haunts and overwhelms many aspects of the 
     lives of Holocaust victims 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 homes and enter institutional or 
     other group living residential facilities;
       Whereas tens of thousands of Holocaust victims live in 
     poverty and 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 individuals 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 the Minister of Finance of Germany in December 2015 
     relating to 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'';
       Whereas German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer acknowledged, in 
     1951, the responsibility of Germany to provide moral and 
     financial compensation to Holocaust victims worldwide;
       Whereas every successive German Chancellor has reaffirmed 
     that acknowledgment, 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, the spokesperson of Chancellor Angela 
     Merkel confirmed that ``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 the 
     responsibility for this crime against humanity is German and 
     very much our own''; and
       Whereas Congress believes it is the moral and historical 
     responsibility of Germany to comprehensively, permanently, 
     and urgently provide resources for the medical, mental 
     health, and long-term care needs of all Holocaust victims: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     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; and
       (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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include any extraneous material in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I would like to start by thanking Senator Nelson for advancing this

[[Page H5264]]

measure through the other body. I would also like to recognize the good 
work of Chairman Emeritus Ros-Lehtinen as well as Congressman Deutch 
for their companion resolution which passed this body in June with the 
unanimous support of our colleagues.
  The horrors wrought by the Nazi regime did not end when the prisoners 
finally walked out from behind the barbed wire fences in 1945. The 
aftereffects of Hitler's death camps still haunt the lives of those who 
remain.
  Tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors throughout the world live in 
poverty. The problem is staggering. There are 195,000 survivors and 
their families, according to the Registry of Holocaust Survivors, that 
remain. Most of those survivors, original survivors, are in their 
eighties today. The world loses 1,000 of those survivors every month.
  But today, more than one in four lack sufficient access to or funds 
for necessary medical, home care, mental health care, medicine, and 
transportation--essential tools which would allow them 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 moral obligation to guarantee for those 
survivors--to guarantee--a chance at such a life. However, as they age, 
Holocaust victims' health and assistance needs--already more demanding 
than those of their peers--evolve and intensify. German evaluations of 
government programs this year exposed gaps in home care, in mental 
health programs, and in long-term medical care, and this must be 
remedied.
  Chancellor Merkel has acknowledged Germany's responsibility to those 
who survived Hitler's terror. The government has also affirmed that 
more must be done. A high-level working group was recently established 
to develop proposals for more extensive assistance for home care and 
for social welfare needs, but the negotiations for these changes, these 
program changes, under German law have stalled.
  Time is of the essence. Every day that decisions are stalled, we lose 
another survivor, we lose another story, and we lose another chance to 
show our respect for those individuals who have already endured what no 
one should. That is why our ranking member, Eliot Engel, and I are 
supportive of this measure and would urge all Members to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution.
  I want to thank the chairman, as always, for being so cooperative and 
important in passing this legislation. I want to thank my friends from 
Florida, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen and Mr. Deutch, who introduced the House 
companion to this resolution, which I was proud to cosponsor and which 
passed the House in June.
  Mr. Speaker, there are roughly a half million survivors of the 
Holocaust alive today--many people think it is not much, but it is, a 
half million--all over the world. Many of these men and women are now 
reaching their eighties and nineties, and some even older.
  These individuals, of course, lived through the darkest chapter in 
human history. They endured unspeakable horrors, and many still suffer 
the physical and emotional trauma stemming from that experience. So it 
is absolutely tragic that so many survivors today are forced to live in 
poverty with inadequate health care, food, and access to 
transportation. It is unconscionable that, at the end of their lives, 
these people find themselves without adequate support.
  Now, the Government of Germany accepts responsibility to support 
these survivors and, over the decades, has done a great deal, but even 
their officials acknowledge that more needs to be done. This resolution 
calls on the authorities in Germany to make sure every Holocaust 
survivor has the support and resources they need to live in dignity.
  We know it is never easy for a government to dig deeper, but in the 
case of this generation of survivors, there should not be any question 
that they should be able to live out their lives without worrying over 
how to pay the medical bills or the grocery bills. It is important that 
we do this. I am glad to support this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, our wonderful 
chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for the time, and I thank 
the ranking member as well. What a joy it has been to work with my 
Florida colleague, Ted Deutch, on this important bill.
  Mr. Speaker, we have before us a concurrent resolution introduced by 
our wonderful Florida Senator, Bill Nelson. This measure follows a 
similar bipartisan resolution that my south Florida friend, Ted Deutch, 
and I introduced earlier this year, which this body passed unanimously 
in June. The vote was 363-0.
  I want to thank Senator Nelson as well as Senator Collins for taking 
the lead on this initiative in the Senate and for the Senate taking 
action, passing this important resolution, and bringing it back to us. 
I want to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for their 
support on this measure and helping it get to the floor today.
  This bipartisan resolution, Mr. Speaker, is simple, but it is so 
important. It calls on Germany to honor its moral and historical 
obligations to all Holocaust survivors and to provide for their unmet 
needs immediately and comprehensively. That is something that is going 
to happen thanks to all of the good men and women here.
  For Ted, for Senator Nelson, and for me, this issue hits very close 
to home, Mr. Speaker. As Members of Congress from the State of Florida, 
we represent thousands of Holocaust survivors. Some 15,000 are 
estimated to be living in south Florida alone.
  But it hits even closer to home today. Why? Because, when I spoke on 
this floor in June in support of the version that Mr. Deutch and I 
introduced in the House, I mentioned several of the Holocaust survivors 
whom Ted and I have been honored to call our dear friends. Among them 
was a remarkable and incomparable gentleman named Jack Rubin. Sadly, 
Jack passed away July 11, at the age of 88.

                              {time}  1445

  Jack and his two sisters survived the unimaginable, Mr. Speaker--the 
atrocities of humanity's darkest period. Jack managed to survive the 
nightmares of Auschwitz and three other death camps, four in total, 
until he was, as he testified in Congress in 2008, ``liberated on May 
1, 1945, from hell, by the U.S. Army.''
  Once Jack came to the United States, he served in the U.S. Army. That 
is how much he loved his new country.
  For all that Jack had witnessed, for all that Jack had lived through, 
somehow he drew strength from his trials and tribulations and became a 
leading force in the fight for justice and dignity for all Holocaust 
survivors. And on this issue that we have before us today, Mr. Speaker, 
Jack was an unwavering voice and a force for justice. He led the call 
for Germany to honor its commitments to provide for all of the 
survivors' medical, mental, and home care needs.
  Thankfully, Jack lived to see the House pass our resolution. He even 
lived to see the Claims Conference in Germany announce an alleged major 
expansion in home care for Holocaust survivors.
  But, Mr. Speaker, I think that if Jack were here today, he would say: 
But we must do more.
  You see, as part of the heralded announcement by the Claims 
Conference in Germany, Germany was supposed to lift the home care caps 
for all concentration camp and ghetto survivors.
  Yet, the sad truth is, Mr. Speaker, according to the reports that we 
have seen, this claim is just not true, and many survivors are still 
subjected to arbitrary caps on home care hours, some even having their 
weekly hours reduced.
  What has happened?

[[Page H5265]]

  To make matters worse, the Claims Conference in Germany's recent 
negotiations did not even address the horrendous shortfalls in funding 
for emergency services such as medicine, medical care, dental care, 
hearing aids, and other vital services for survivors. This omission is 
inexcusable, Mr. Speaker. It will cause further needless suffering and 
deaths among survivors in need of help.
  Germany has an obligation to do better than that, and I am optimistic 
that it will. We have an obligation to Holocaust survivors to do better 
to ensure that they live out their days in the dignity and comfort that 
they deserve.
  What does this mean, Mr. Speaker?
  It means full funding for all health and welfare needs for all 
survivors. That is why this resolution before us today is so timely and 
so important.
  My friend, Jack Rubin--and I know that he was Mr. Deutch's friend as 
well--dedicated his life to justice for all Holocaust survivors. It is 
up to us to keep fighting for all the Jack Rubins of the world to 
continue Jack's legacy until justice is finally won. I will keep 
fighting for Jack's legacy and for all survivors.
  I urge my colleagues to do the right thing and to support this 
resolution. We must urge our German friends to do more, to do the right 
thing for all Holocaust survivors. Passing this resolution will send a 
strong message that we believe the job is not yet done and that more 
must be done.
  Those of us--like Mr. Deutch, like Mr. Royce, and like Mr. Engel--who 
have been in the forefront--Senators Nelson and Collins--of the fight 
for Holocaust survivors' rights, needs, and interests are grateful for 
the unanimous support of our colleagues in the House and in the Senate 
for these resolutions.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been over 70 years since humanity's darkest 
period, yet many survivors today still face lingering injustices of the 
Holocaust. We have had opportunities to address these injustices and, 
indeed, we have had an obligation to address them and to try to fix the 
wrongs of the past.
  Germany has acknowledged its responsibility and its obligations to 
Holocaust survivors. Congress has acknowledged that we have a moral 
obligation to survivors--many of whom are American citizens, many of 
whom are our constituents, and many of whom live today at or below the 
poverty line.
  We must acknowledge that too many Holocaust survivors are forced, 
even today, over 70 years later, to continue to suffer the injustices 
of the past and the indifference of the present. But for the survivors 
who remain and for all whom we have lost, we must--and we are here 
today--take a stand. We hope Chancellor Merkel of Germany and the 
German Government will hear our pleas for action and take them to heart 
so that the remaining survivors may live out their lives in the comfort 
and the dignity that they deserve.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would say that if we are going to stand 
for justice for all survivors, then we must also acknowledge the other 
still unresolved injustices being inflicted on Holocaust survivors in 
our time--specifically, the act of being denied their day in court. It 
is simply unconscionable that insurance companies such as Allianz and 
Generali have managed to dishonor tens of thousands of insurance 
policies they sold to Jews in Europe before the Holocaust, and continue 
to deny Holocaust survivors and their families these paid-for 
obligations. To this day, they refuse to acknowledge this.
  The obligations of the insurers are moral and financial. I believe it 
is imperative that this Congress rectify the unfortunate reality that 
makes Holocaust survivors second-class citizens by denying them access 
to U.S. courts to attempt to reclaim these family legacies.
  It is quite simply a right they have been denied far too long. We 
cannot bring them back, we cannot correct the problems that happened in 
the past, but we can correct them now, Mr. Speaker. We can correct them 
for the heirs who deserve justice. It is within our power to do so.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud my colleagues in Congress for supporting this 
resolution. I thank them for lending their voices to the cause of 
justice for all Holocaust survivors. This is just one step--it is an 
important step--in the long road to justice. I implore my friends and 
colleagues to continue to do more in support for all Holocaust 
survivors.
  I thank my good friend, the chairman of our committee, for this time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I want to first congratulate my colleague 
from south Florida for her outstanding statement and her outstanding 
work.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Deutch), a valued member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and an author 
of the House companion to this resolution.
  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friends, Ranking Member Engel and 
Chairman Royce, for their efforts. A sincere thanks to my dear friend, 
Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for her partnership on this effort, her 
unyielding commitment to seeing that there is justice. She has been a 
tireless advocate for Holocaust survivors and the entire community. I 
also want to thank our Florida colleague, Senator Bill Nelson, and 
Senator Collins, for spearheading this effort in the Senate. We share a 
deep commitment to ensuring that every survivor can live out his or her 
life with dignity. It is a commitment that was inspired each and every 
day by those in our own communities. But for me, especially, it was 
a commitment inspired every day by our great friend and Holocaust 
survivor, my constituent, Jack Rubin.

  Jack survived Auschwitz and three other death camps before he was 
liberated at age 16. He was the only member of his family to survive.
  For decades, Jack fought for the needs of the survivor community. He 
fought for the right to seek justice. He was a voice for so many of 
those who had no one to speak for them. He traveled to Washington, 
D.C., many times at his own expense, well into his eighties. He 
testified in front of Congress. For me, Jack was a friend and a mentor. 
He was a cheerleader, he was an eternal optimist. He believed that it 
wasn't too late, it was never too late, to make a real difference in 
the lives of those who had suffered history's greatest tragedy.
  When the House version of this resolution passed back in June, Jack 
was watching from his home in Boynton Beach, Florida. When I returned 
to my office from speaking on the floor, I had a message from Jack 
telling me that he had tears in his eyes as he watched the House vote 
and that it was the best birthday present he could have asked for.
  Jack Rubin passed away in July, just days before the Senate passed 
this resolution. His wife, Shirley, his children, and especially his 
grandchildren, understood the commitment that he made throughout his 
lifetime to help those in need, especially in the survivor community. 
And while significant progress has been made on survivor care, Jack did 
not, unfortunately, live to see the day when every Holocaust survivor 
has his or her medical and mental health care needs met. So we continue 
this fight. We will press on, and passing this resolution today is the 
first step in continuing the legacy of my friend, Jack Rubin.
  When the House passed a version of this resolution in June, we were 
awaiting the results of a special round of negotiations between the 
German Government and the Claims Conference. In December 2015, the 
Government of Germany acknowledged the significant gap in funding for 
survivor care. As a result, Germany agreed to a new, high-level working 
group that would conduct additional negotiations aimed to close the gap 
for funding of home care needs.
  In an effort to make clear the severity of the needs and the critical 
importance of these negotiations, Chairman Ros-Lehtinen and I 
introduced the House companion to this resolution. The introduction and 
passage of that resolution, which urged the German Government to 
fulfill its moral and financial obligations to victims of the 
Holocaust, sent a very clear message to our German friends that the 
U.S. Congress was watching these negotiations. As we watched, a 
significant increase in home care funding was announced for 2016 and 
2017, and a new agreement reached for 2018. Arbitrary caps placed on 
the number of home care hours allowed were also lifted. This is a 
commendable step forward, but there are still so many unmet needs.
  I am deeply appreciative of the decades-long commitment of the German 
Government to caring for survivors. I

[[Page H5266]]

have spoken directly to Chancellor Merkel about this commitment, and I 
know that it is personal for her. I want our German friends to 
understand that this isn't about getting to a specific dollar figure. 
This is about continuing to meet all needs for a very small, very 
fragile part of the population that is rapidly aging.
  This is the last chance to make sure that those who suffered through 
the most horrific crimes against humanity are cared for. Survivors are 
in their eighties, nineties, and into their one hundreds. There is a 
finite amount of time left. This is not an indefinite commitment on the 
part of Germany.
  The resolution before us today continues to support 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.
  No amount of money can ever erase the tragedies of the past. No 
amount of money is ever a substitute for justice. But the day-to-day 
suffering of this very vulnerable population can be eased. The needs of 
elderly survivors are exacerbated by their physical and mental 
experiences during the Holocaust. Leaving their own homes for 
institutionalized care is often not an option. The tragic loss of many 
family members at the hands of Nazis means that many survivors rely on 
social services for meal deliveries or rides to doctor appointments. 
These are the most basic of human needs, and they deserve to have them 
met.
  I want to thank my friend, Chairman Ros-Lehtinen, and I want to thank 
Ranking Member Engel and Chairman Royce for their support, and Senator 
Nelson and Senator Collins for their efforts in the Senate.
  I want to urge my colleagues to join us in urging Germany to ensure 
basic dignity and comfort for survivors.
  When you look into the eyes of survivors in my district, as I do 
quite often, they worry about others. They say: Never again.
  But we should worry about them. For their remaining time on this 
Earth, they deserve peace through living out their lives with dignity. 
Germany can help make sure that they do. Jack Rubin knew and fought for 
that literally until his last breath, and this resolution commits 
Congress to that fight for dignity.

                              {time}  1500

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Our colleagues have been very eloquent this afternoon, and I agree 
with everything that has been said here, along with what the chairman 
has said.
  Mr. Speaker, every year we lose more and more of those who lived 
through the Holocaust, and it is unthinkable that many spend their last 
days in poverty with no support network. Nobody wants that.
  With this resolution, we are simply saying that this should not be 
the case. We are saying that these survivors should never go without 
assistance and resources and that it is time for the Government of 
Germany to work with its partners and correct this problem.
  So for all the reasons that were mentioned, I support this measure. I 
urge my colleagues to do the same.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  So I think, for the Members here, we all understand that we have to 
commit to do all we can to honor and to support those survivors who are 
still with us. Their stories serve as testaments to the consequences of 
doing nothing in the face of evil.
  Within these victims' lifetimes, we have already seen the 
minimization and the outright denial of the nightmares visited 
personally upon them during the Holocaust. We have already seen those 
who deny the existence of the Holocaust, as Iran did in May of this 
year again when it hosted yet another denial of the Holocaust and 
Holocaust cartoon contest.
  We owe it to those who suffered through Hitler's genocide to empower 
them to live the remainder of their lives in dignity and to hold to 
Elie Wiesel's pledge: that we shall never forget.
  I urge every Member's support for this resolution.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules 
and concur in the concurrent resolution, S. Con. Res. 46.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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