Wash. Holocaust Survivors Awarded Humanitarian Payments of $1,000 Each

At least 52 Washington Holocaust survivors will begin receiving humanitarian payments of $1,000 each this week from the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims’ (ICHEIC) humanitarian fund.

“For years, we have aggressively pushed for a fair resolution of the Holocaust insurance issue on behalf of Holocaust survivors and their heirs,” said Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler. “After today, at least an additional 52 Washington Holocaust survivors and their heirs who have been denied justice will begin receiving some financial recognition of their unpaid insurance claims.”

The Humanitarian Fund was established by ICHEIC and is funded by companies participating in the ICHEIC process along with the German Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future.” The humanitarian claims process was established to acknowledge that many insurance claims from the Holocaust Era cannot be matched or settled due to the ravages of war and the passage of time.

The deadline for filing Holocaust-era insurance claims to the ICHEIC expired Dec. 31, 2003. More than 400 claims for unpaid insurance policies were filed by 194 survivors and their heirs in Washington. The ICHEIC predicts a resolution of all Holocaust Era insurance claims by the end of 2004 and expects all appeals to be decided by the middle of 2005.

“Sadly, nearly as many claimants have died as have received offers of payment,” added Kreidler. “Hopefully, these small humanitarian awards will give their families some measure of justice.”

The Insurance Commissioner’s Holocaust Survivors Assistance Office has been designated as ICHEIC’s official contact and outreach site in Washington State. Claimants may contact the Holocaust Survivors Assistance Office at (206) 464-6828 or statewide toll free at 1-888-606-9622.