Compensation & Restitution

Claims Conference Programs

There is no fee to apply for compensation from the Claims Conference. You do not need to pay anyone for application forms and you are not required to obtain assistance in completing and/or submitting application forms. If you need assistance to apply, you may contact your local Claims Conference or Liaison office – without any fee.

Article 2 Fund

The Article 2 Fund provides monthly pensions to certain Jewish victims of Nazi persecution. The Claims Conference administers the program according to German government regulations.

Persons who currently reside in any of the former communist-bloc countries of Eastern Europe or the former Soviet Union should apply to the Central & Eastern European Fund (CEEF).

Overview | Eligibility, Application Forms and Instructions | Appeals | Heirs

Central & Eastern European Fund (CEEF)

The Central and Eastern European Fund (CEEF) provides compensation for eligible Jewish victims of Nazi persecution in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Overview | Eligibility, Application Forms and Instructions | Appeals | Liaison Offices

Hardship Fund

The Hardship Fund provides a one-time payment to certain Jewish victims of Nazism.

Overview | Application Forms & Eligibility | Contact Information | Appeals

The Hardship Fund is now open to residents of all Eastern European countries, including the Baltic States. Current residents of the former Soviet Union (other than the Baltics), please see www.claimscon.org/FSU for information about eligibility and applications. 
 Hardship Fund теперь открыт для жителей всех стран Восточной Европы, включая страны Балтии. Жители стран бывшего Советского Союза (кроме стран Балтии), должны перейти по ссылке www.claimscon.org/FSU для получения информации о критериях и анкетах. 
 The Holocaust Victim Compensation Fund (HVCF) is now part of the Hardship Fund. If you did not yet apply to the HVCF, please apply instead to the Hardship Fund. You cannot apply for or receive a payment from the Hardship Fund if you received a payment from HVCF. 
 Фонд компенсаций жертвам Катастрофы ("HVCF") теперь является частью Фонда Hardship Fund. Если Вы еще не подали заявление в HVCF, пожалуйста, обращайтесь в Hardship Fund. Вы не можете получить выплату из Hardship Fund, если Вам уже была выплачена компенсация из HVCF.

Orphans Fund

Nazi victims living in former Soviet bloc countries in Eastern Europe who were born in 1928 or later, and were orphaned due to Nazi persecution (both parents were killed due to persecution), may be eligible for a one-time payment of €2,556.

Other Compensation & Restitution Programs (Not directly administered by the Claims Conference)

For additional programs by country, please see: compensation and restitution programs worldwide.

German Government Programs

German Federal Indemnification Law (BEG)
The original West German Federal Indemnification Law (known as the Bundesentschädigungsgesetz, or BEG) was enacted in 1952 by the government of West Germany as a result of agreements with the Claims Conference. This law encompasses three separate German laws that were adopted in 1953, 1956 and 1965 that provided for compensation to Holocaust survivors.

Ghetto Pension/Social Security (ZRBG)
German government Social Security pensions have been available since 1997 to Holocaust survivors who were employed for some form of wages during their internment in Nazi ghettos annexed to the Third Reich. The law, formally known by its German acronym of ZRBG, was further expanded in 2002.

Ghetto Fund (BADV)
In 2007 the German government established a compensation fund to recognize Holocaust victims who carried out work “without force” during their internment in a Nazi-era ghetto. The fund’s one-time payment of €2,000 was created to acknowledge ghetto survivors who had otherwise been rejected for German Social Securitypayments (known as the Ghetto Pension under the ZRBG law) and it came as a response to intense international pressure spearheaded by the Claims Conference.

Restitution Issues

Claims Conference/WJRO Looted Art and Cultural Property Initiative
The Claims Conference and the WJRO have begun to work with relevant Jewish communities and governments around the world to bring increased attention to the restitution of looted movable cultural and religious property. The organizations are focusing on the systemic issues involved in art restitution with the intent of improving and creating processes to enable more owners and heirs to recover their property.

Insurance Policy Issues

Restitution in Poland, Hungary, Romania and Other Countries in Eastern Europe