Germany extends its Holocaust survivors’ home care

Germany has agreed to allocate more than $1 billion for home care assistance to Holocaust survivors worldwide in 2026, according to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference), the Associated Press reported.

The organization, which negotiates compensation for Jews persecuted under the Nazi regime, said the $1.076 billion package represents the largest annual budget ever dedicated to survivor home care. The agreement was reached with Germany’s finance ministry.

According to Claims Conference President Gideon Taylor, the increase reflects the growing health needs of the aging survivor population. He said that as survivor numbers shrink, those remaining are older and more fragile, and the funding will help to improve their living conditions.

About 200,000 Holocaust survivors are still alive, mainly in Israel, the United States, and Europe.  The average age of survivors receiving care has risen from 86 in 2018 to 88.5 in 2024. The number of individuals requiring full-time assistance due to severe conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s has nearly doubled during that period, the group reported.

Colette Avital, a Holocaust survivor and member of the Claims Conference negotiation team, said it was meaningful that Germany «continues to uphold its responsibility to those who suffered and survived.»