France

Nelly, Holocaust survivor from Marseille
Nelly receives home care, social visits and meal deliveries from the organization Casim Marseille through a grant from the Claims Conference.

Compensation Programs

Direct compensation payments are made from the Article 2 Fund and the Hardship Fund. The Claims Conference negotiates on an ongoing basis with the German government to include additional Nazi victims in compensation programs, increase payments, and provide increased funds for social services.

Vital Care for Holocaust Victims

Association D’Aide Aux Israelites Ages Et Malades (ADIAM), in Paris, provides homecare services for Nazi victims residing in Paris and the surrounding area. The agency has a guardianship program for mentally impaired elderly providing legal and financial management services to Nazi victims.

CASIP-COJASOR in Paris, along with the Comite d’Action Sociale Israelite de Marseille (CASIM) in Marseille, provides homecare, case management, guardianship services, and home-delivered meals.  In recent years, there has been a change in the clients seen by these agencies. Previously, most of the Nazi victim clients were survivors of camps in Europe or Jews who were hidden in France during the war, but recently a larger percentage of Nazi victim clients are immigrants from North Africa.

Fonds Social Juif Unifie, based in Paris, oversees the emergency assistance program for the entire country. Most funds are concentrated on minor home modifications and medical and dental needs. Many Nazi victims reside in older apartment buildings that are not equipped for their residents’ declining abilities. In many situations, Nazi victims’ medical and dental bills are so large that they do not have funds left to cover rent and minor home modification expenses. When Nazi victims apply to state organizations for help in modifying their apartments, answers are often postponed indefinitely. Building owners frequently take advantage of this situation, especially if there is a delay in paying rent due to the initiation of a modification project, to evict the elderly residents. Emergency assistance funded by the Claims Conference can help victims remain in their homes and make the changes necessary to keep living there.

Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah is a €390 million endowment established in 2000 by the government of France. Included in its activities is the provision of social welfare services for Nazi victims in France. The Claims Conference works closely with the Foundation.