Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., December 12, 2008 Kislev 15, 5769 | | Israel Time: 03:16 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate GA 2008 Travel Week's End Anglo File

Who benefits from Holocaust victims' money? By Tomer Zarchin Tags: Welfare, Israel News  The Company for Location and Restitution of Holocaust Victims' Assets has two functions, according to the law. One is to locate assets belonging Holocaust victims and see that they are given to their heirs. The other is to assist survivors and groups supporting survivors with funds belonging to victims, who do not have heirs or whose heirs cannot be located. As reported in Haaretz Wednesday, the majority of heirs have not yet received restitution. The company's other function, assisting organizations that support Holocaust survivors, is also controversial. In 2008, the company devoted NIS 100 million to assisting survivors, of which NIS 25 million were given to organizations and projects. However, not all the organizations are dedicated specifically to assisting survivors. In addition, the criteria for distributing the funds were not determined until December 2007, when the chairman of the Holocaust Survivors Welfare Fund, Ze'ev Factor, and Jenny Rosenstein, a survivor who needed false teeth, petitioned the High Court of Justice to order the company to assist needy survivors. The company then published its criteria and appointed an advisory committee to recommend organizations and projects that should receive assistance. Advertisement The 10-member committee has been headed by Prof. Mordechai Shani, formerly the head of Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, for more than 30 years. The groups receiving assistance include the Association for Dental Health; Amcha, which offers psychological counseling and social support to survivors; Ezer Metzion, which offers medical assistance to the disabled and disadvantaged; a legal aid association for the elderly; Meir Panim, a soup kitchen and relief center, and the Friends of Sheba Medical Center. A request by the Holocaust Survivors Welfare Fund to help survivors in need with funds to eat, dress and go to the bathroom was rejected. In October, the fund petitioned the court against the company and the nine organizations slated to receive funding from it. Shani told Haaretz he only found out about the Tel Hashomer funding proposal two weeks before the discussion held on it on August 26. Related articles: Germany pursues arrest of well-known Holocaust denier set free by U.K. court U.S. Jewish group to Mormons: Stop baptizing Holocaust victims Holocaust education taskforce teams up with Council of Europe to fight anti-Semitism Bookmark to del.icio.us   Off with your seat! Likud committee bumps Feiglin down to 36th on party ticket. Trotting for the Globe Israeli animated feature 'Waltz with Bashir' nominated for Golden Globe award.   1.   con-men first 13:47  |  in the know 11/12/08

Read & React Obama to offer Israel 'nuclear umbrella' against Iranian attack Responses: 343 Report: Israeli envoy to U.K. accuses church service of being anti-Semitic Responses: 203 Netanyahu to Haaretz: Likud is behind me; Feiglin will soon disappear Responses: 68 Amira Hass: Gilad Shalit campaign is no different to families of Palestinian prisoners Responses: 54 More Headlines 00:14 Likud committee bumps Feiglin down to 36th on party ticket 00:30 Iran summons French envoy after Sarkozy rules out shaking Ahmadinejad's hand 19:08 Livni: National aspirations of Israel's Arabs can be met by Palestinian homeland 22:04 Netanyahu looks to calm EU fears he'll halt peace talks 22:08 Bereaved mother to Olmert: Free my son's Hamas killer for Shalit 20:24 N.Y. fifth graders thank Indian nanny for saving 2-year-old Moshe from Mumbai terrorists 00:21 Israeli animated feature 'Waltz with Bashir' nominated for Golden Globe award 16:27 'Abbas vows to continue peace talks no matter who is elected Israeli PM' 17:34 Report: Iran arrests nuclear employees suspected of spying 16:42 Hebron settler who shot two Palestinians put under house arrest 18:35 Protesters try to block truck carrying NIS 100 million en route to Gaza 00:17 Hamas official: Shalit could be freed in a day if Israel were brave enough 18:04 Frozen body of Russian nuclear worker found in Iran 15:34 Obama's atomic umbrella: U.S. nuclear strike if Iran nukes Israel 15:36 Poll: If elections were held today, Fatah would win over Hamas 14:42 Committee: Gov't should formally recognize Bedouin villages in Negev 17:56 Four-year-old dies after being run over by truck Previous Editions Select Day 11 dec 10 dec 09 dec 08 dec 07 dec 05 dec 04 dec 03 dec 02 dec 01 dec 30 nov 28 nov

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