U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, made the following statement today at a joint Middle East and North Africa and Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats Subcommittee hearing entitled, "The Struggles of Recovering Assets for Holocaust Survivors." Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:
"This is a hearing we never should have to hold, yet it is a topic that must be addressed, as Holocaust survivors around the world continue to suffer injustices of the past and their needs and well-being go neglected.
I want to acknowledge our late Congressman, the Chairman of this Committee, Tom Lantos, whose painting adorns the wall, a Holocaust survivor with whom I worked closely during his time here on the committee.
Six million Jews were murdered at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust and millions more suffered unspeakable atrocities committed against them and their loved ones. All of their properties and belongings were stolen, as the Nazis deported them to ghettos and concentration camps, where most of them died of starvation, exhaustion, torture or in gas chambers.
The toll the Holocaust has taken on survivors is unimaginable and it is unforgiveable, but we cannot forget that it takes a tremendous toll on the second generation as well, as we will hear from our brave witnesses.
Today there are less than half a million survivors of humanity's darkest period, with nearly half of all Survivors worldwide living at or below the poverty level. And it is painful to see those who have suffered so greatly continue to struggle day in and day out -- as if they had not suffered enough.
And with the average age of Holocaust survivors estimated at 82, time is truly running out for us to bring them some form of justice, some kind of closure so that they can live out the rest of their days in dignity and comfort. I believe that more can and must be done.
Holocaust survivors are barred--barred--from suing in federal courts those insurance companies that failed to pay out Holocaust-era policies. At the very minimum -- given that no money can ever replace the experience of suffering under the Nazis -- at the very minimum, we should let the survivors and their families have their day in court.
Another avenue for the survivors was the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC), which closed in 2007 -- no matter how many times they say, it's never closed. This system was flawed due to problems with accountability and oversight which led to--listen to this--84% of the claims being rejected.
These survivors and their families need to be made whole; and this is why it is vital for Germany and other nations to fulfill their obligations, and for insurance companies that have been running out the clock in a deliberate attempt to avoid paying out rightful claims, to be held accountable and to finally pay for what they owe these survivors.
These countries and these greedy insurance companies owe these survivors. This is what is rightfully theirs and what has been denied to them for decades, forcing them to relive this atrocity over and over again. And it is not just these insurance companies and foreign governments that have let our Holocaust Survivors down, we need to take a closer look at what more our own Government, the United States Government, can be doing as well.
As a Member of Congress who represents Holocaust survivors, I hear from my constitutions that we in Congress must do more; folks like Joe Sachs, like David Mermelstein, folks we will hear from today, they tell me that all the time. I have heard repeatedly concerns from some of my constituents regarding the failure, the deception, the lies of the Claims Conference and how, though this is intended to help survivors receive fair compensation, it has been an impediment in the process.
Just like so many other senior citizens, Survivors need extensive medical care. They are likely to have greater health needs than the general population and are more likely to face a number of certain illnesses such as chronic depression, cognitive impairments, osteoporosis, post-traumatic stress syndrome. It is therefore vital for survivors to receive the financial, medical and social support that so many so desperately need.
Struggling to make ends meet and still fighting to correct the injustices of the past, it is important to hear from Holocaust Survivors and their relatives as they share their stories and the daily struggles that they face as they seek to live out the remainders of their lives in security and dignity -- is that too much to ask?
ICHEIC has let Holocaust survivors down no matter how the members of ICHEIC spin this, so it is up to us in Congress to step-up and help the survivors.
Thank you and I'm looking forward to hearing from our witnesses, and I'd like to point out that we have a person in the audience who is very interested in this, I'm sorry if I don't pronounce your name correctly, Yael Fuchs, who's the Assistant Attorney General, Charity's Buru of the State of New York Office of the Attorney General. Thank you very much and they've been closely following the plight of Survivors and want to seek justice for them.
And with that I turn to a fighter for Holocaust Survivors and from his early days as college activist and even before, Congressman Ted Deutch. Thank you Ted."