Welcome at the site of the 2014 Berlin Conference of the
World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust & Descendants

Reports in English

The Child Survivors are the last witnesses of the Holocaust still alive. They are globally active in 54 groups joined in the World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors and Descendants (WFJCSH&D), supporting each other where needed and telling their stories to the outside world, thus contributing to the oath sworn by many after 1945 that war and fascism should not be able again to raise its ugly head. Jews throughout the world swore then to never become victims again. Yet, when the 54 national groups organized within the WFJCSH&D want to organize their own activities, they are confronted with surprising and unnecessary problems.

The 26th WFJCSH&D conference was held in Berlin in 2014. The city from where the Holocaust originated had been avoided for 25 conferences. The European organizers chose a motto which they hoped would convey something of the difficult and ambivalent situation of Holocaust survivors living in Germany. One of the problems is that German Jewish communities do not recognize those Child Survivors as members who had “only” a Jewish father, although they suffered from Nazi persecution equally as much as those with a Jewish mother. The German Communities insist that they officially convert to Judaism in a long and difficult procedure. Thus altogether, less than half of the victims are members of the Jewish Communities, although many have felt Jewish since childhood. Nevertheless Jews in Germany are mainly in a friendly relationship.

The German State allots billions of Euros for Jewish Communities and institutions, for Holocaust memorials, for special social concerns which are administered by the Jewish Claims Conference etc. It also spends billions for the pensions of former Nazis (!). However, Child Survivor organizations are left out. That is why this essay is written under the headline:

Do Child Survivors in Germany Enjoy Justice, Respect and Peace, both officially and among the wider public?

Another report had been provided on the conference, both as a DVD, and as a (more detailed) booklet.

The DVD video „Child Survivors in Germany between Challenge and Provocation“ includes scenes from meeting of the German group, especially with songs of the group, including accompanist Karsten Troyke:

The text (same title) describes the German section of the WFJCSH&D  in detail and within the overall context (please click on the picture in order to read the complete booklet):