Alfred Landecker Foundation Pledges 5 Million Euros To The Claims Conference To Support Holocaust Survivors

NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Julius Berman, President of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference), announces a new emergency assistance fund for Holocaust survivors provided by the Reimann family and administered through their new humanitarian arm, the Alfred Landecker Foundation.

"The funds being provided through the Alfred Landecker Foundation will make a significant difference in the lives of so many who deserve so much," said Berman of the new partnership between the Foundation and the Claims Conference. "Elderly, poor Holocaust survivors need food, medicine and heat in the winter. These funds will enable thousands of survivors to live in dignity."

Using existing infrastructure, the Claims Conference will absorb 100 percent of the administrative costs associated with management and distribution of the five million euros to ensure that the full amount of funding goes to Holocaust survivors. Funds will be disseminated to the Claims Conference over three years, starting in 2020 with $2.2 million (€2m), another $2.2 million in 2021, and the final installment of $1.1 million (€1m) in 2022.

"We are delighted to partner with the world-respected Claims Conference to help realize our much-needed financial commitment to survivors of the Holocaust. This also marks a significant step for the Alfred Landecker Foundation and our ambition of researching and remembering the atrocities of the Holocaust, as well as providing humanitarian assistance for survivors of the Holocaust and former forced labor in World War II," said David Kamenetzky, Chair, Alfred Landecker Foundation.

The Claims Conference will allocate nearly $610 million for social welfare next year, prioritizing the majority for homecare, and approximately $10.2 million for emergency assistance; a 25% increase over the prior year. This additional $2.2 million in financial resources will have a profound impact on programs and services in 34 countries. The money will help support programs across the Claims Conference's existing global network of social welfare agencies, supporting items like food packages, medicine, transportation to doctor appointments and programs to alleviate social isolation for Holocaust survivors.

"As survivors age their needs are growing ever greater. Our goal is to identify every funding source available to ensure more care and more programs for survivors," said Claims Conference Executive Vice President, Greg Schneider.  "The funding from the Reimann family through the Alfred Landecker Foundation will help bring us closer to that goal."

The Reimann family established the Foundation in honor of Alfred Landecker, who died at the hands of Germans when he was deported in 1942. Alfred Landecker's fate is inextricably linked to the Reimann family; he was the father of Emilie Landecker, who had three children by Albert Reimann Jr. When the Reimann family appointed independent historian Dr. Paul Erker, of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, to research their political history and that of the Benckiser company, it was established that Albert Reimann Sr. and his son Albert Reimann Jr., who ran Benckiser, the precursor company to JAB Holding Company, were outspoken in their anti-Semitism and ardent supporters of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. It was also discovered that Benckiser factories used forced labor; by the spring of 1942, the Benckiser Ludwigshafen plant used around 200 civilians as forced laborers. 

By taking Alfred's name, the Foundation aims to not only preserve his memory, but also memorialize the murder of millions of Jews and other victims of National Socialism. Recognizing their history, the Reimann family has made a commitment to provide €10 million in humanitarian assistance for survivors of the Holocaust and former forced laborers at Benckiser. This partnership is therefore part of the family's wider commitment and further strengthens the work of the Alfred Landecker Foundation.

For more information on the Claims Conference, please visit: www.claimscon.org

For more information on the Alfred Landecker Foundation, please visit: www.alfredlandecker.org

About the Claims Conference: The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) a nonprofit organization with offices in New York, Tel Aviv and Frankfurt, secures material compensation for Holocaust survivors around the world. Founded in 1951 by representatives of 23 major international Jewish organizations, the Claims Conference negotiates for and disburses funds to individuals and organizations, and seeks the return of Jewish property stolen during the Holocaust. As a result of negotiations with the Claims Conference since 1952, the German government has paid more than $80 billion in indemnification to individuals for suffering and losses resulting from persecution by the Nazis. In 2019, the Claims Conference will distribute approximately $350 million in direct compensation to over 60,000 survivors in 83 countries and will allocate approximately $550 million in grants to over 200 social service agencies worldwide that provide vital services for Holocaust survivors such as homecare, food and medicine.

About the Alfred Landecker Foundation: The Alfred Landecker Foundation is dedicated to educating current and future generations about the Holocaust and the terrible price paid when intolerance and bigotry reign. The Foundation supports a free and democratic Europe as well as a future based on shared values and respect for the individual. The Alfred Landecker Foundation, which is based in Berlin, funds carefully selected research, education and awareness-raising projects through partnerships with leading institutions active in academia, public policy, education, history and remembrance. The Foundation's Governing Council and Academic Council are comprised of internationally recognized civic leaders and respected academic experts, who guide the implementation of the Foundation's activities and programs and oversee its direction.

SOURCE Claims Conference

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