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December 12, 2007
Elderly Nazi victims in Sderot and other areas who have come under rocket and missile fire from Gaza will benefit from approximately $550,000 in additional assistance from the Claims Conference to help them cope with the difficulties of life in the conflict zone. This will supplement existing Claims Conference-funded services in the area. In addition, the Claims Conference is working toward funding reinforcement of the emergency room at Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, to withstand rocket and missile attacks.
The following initiatives of the Claims Conference were announced at a December 12 visit to Sderot of a delegation of Claims Conference leaders. The Claims Conference Executive Committee is meeting on December 13 at Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon.
In addition, the Claims Conference is working toward funding reinforcement of the emergency room at Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, to withstand rocket and missile attacks. This is part of an effort toward reinforcing and securing four hospitals in Israel in conflict areas, undertaken in partnership with the Prime Minister’s office. Barzilai serves hundreds of Nazi victims every year. In 2005, the Claims Conference allocated $810,000 to upgrade the internal medicine department, where the majority of patients are Nazi victims, and another $10,000 to renovate the physiotherapy department. The Claims Conference had previously allocated funds to Barzilai to upgrade the geriatric and physiotherapy departments in order to better treat Nazi victims in the area. Total Claims Conference allocations to Barzilai exceed $1.5 million.
The Claims Conference has funded a number of other projects recently in this area of Israel. The Foundation for the Benefit of Nazi Victims in Israel uses $260,000 yearly from its Claims Conference allocations to provide nursing care to Nazi victims in Otef Azza.
In 2006, allocations of $499,800 were made to three Amigour sheltered housing complexes in Ashkelon to provide protected areas on every floor of the complex in order to shelter residents during attacks. This was part of a larger Claims Conference allocation of $1.7 million to construct protected areas in 13 complexes in vulnerable areas of Israel.
Meir Panim in Sderot receives $22,800 per year in allocations to provide daily hot meals to 250 Nazi victims. In 2007, the Claims Conference also allocated $145,360 to Eshel Ashkelon for two years of hunger relief for needy Nazi victims. The agency provides hot meals to 140 Nazi victims. The Claims Conference has also funded Passover food packages for Nazi victims in Sderot.
To learn more about Claims Conference initiatives to help Nazi victims in conflict zones, please visit: www.claimscon.org/North-Israel