Claims Conference (Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany)

08/07/2026

Born in March 1942, Abraham Silverman entered the world as Romania’s Jewish community was already enduring persecution under N**i-aligned rule.

Months before his birth, Abraham’s father was rounded up with 3,500 other young Jewish men and deported to a forced labor camp in Bessarabia. Pregnant and alone, his mother was forced into a ghetto, where she survived with the help of a family who took her in during one of the darkest chapters of the Holocaust.

Abraham’s story is a powerful reminder of how families were torn apart by persecution and of the resilience it took to survive.

Today, Abraham shares his testimony so that future generations can learn directly from those who witnessed the consequences of hatred and antisemitism.

Invite a Survivor Speakers Bureau speaker to your school, organization or community and hear firsthand accounts that keep Holocaust history alive. Learn more: https://www.claimscon.org/speakers/

08/03/2026

“Only together, through cooperation across organizations, institutions, and sectors, and with nations and friends from around the world, can we create the tools that will enable us to meet the challenge and carry forward the mission of remembrance for generations to come” - Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel.

Last week, nearly 300 people gathered at Zappa Jerusalem for the Claims Conference event, "The Post-Survivor Era - Between Denial, Technology, and Historical Truth.”

At the center of the event were talks given by scholars, entrepreneurs and educators who examined the challenges of preserving Holocaust memory. Technological, educational and human-cultural perspectives guided lectures on how best to preserve the legacy of Holocaust survivors amid rising antisemitism, Holocaust denial and technological revolutions, such as AI.

The evening also included the presentation of “Triumph of the Spirit and Responsibility for Generations” to Holocaust survivor and retired President of the Supreme Court, Prof. Aharon Barak, by Ambassador Colette Avital, Chairperson of the Center Organization of Holocaust Survivors and Claims Conference Vice President. The award recognized Prof. Barak’s longstanding contribution, through which he turned historical memory into a commitment to protect human dignity, the rule of law and democratic values in Israel.

Auschwitz survivor Menachem Haberman, born in 1927 in Orlová, Czechoslovakia, celebrated his 99th birthday the day before attending the program in Jerusalem. He often speaks to educate the public about his history of persecution.

Yad Vashem Chairman, Dani Dayan, said: “Holocaust survivors have been the authentic and living bridge between our present and the past. Through their lives, their work, and their testimony, they transformed remembrance into a living responsibility that now rests upon our shoulders… Institutions such as Yad Vashem preserve and shape the historical foundations of Holocaust remembrance, while institutions such as the Claims Conference uphold the moral, historical and practical responsibility of facilitating its long-term continuity".

The Claims Conference will ensure that Holocaust survivors and those who perished will be remembered. We will continue, along with our partners, to share their stories and the lessons of the Shoah.

07/31/2026

On July 16, Holocaust survivor and Survivors Speakers Bureau participant Elizabeth Bellak shared her powerful testimony at the Center for Jewish History's Histories & Mysteries celebration, an evening dedicated to preserving family histories and Holocaust remembrance.

Born Ariana Spiegel in Poland, Elizabeth was known as the "Shirley Temple of Poland" before World War II. After surviving the Holocaust by living under a false identity as a Catholic child, she rebuilt her life in the United States as an educator. Decades later, she was reunited with her sister Renia's wartime diary, published as Renia's Diary, ensuring that another voice lost to the Holocaust continues to educate and inspire readers around the world.

We are honored that Elizabeth continues to share her firsthand testimony, reminding audiences why preserving these stories has never been more important.

The Histories & Mysteries initiative was supported by the Claims Conference, helping preserve Holocaust memory and connect new generations with these powerful histories.

07/25/2026

Throughout Ella Blumenthal’s suffering and struggle to survive during the Holocaust, she never gave up hope. Other than her niece Roma, by the time Ella had arrived at Auschwitz, she had lost her entire family. At the death camp, Roma wanted Ella to join her and end their torment together by throwing themselves against the electric fence. But Ella convinced her niece, repeatedly, to wait another day; to see what happened. Ella wasn’t ready to die; she wanted to live; she had hope.

Today, July 25, 2026, Holocaust survivor Ella Blumenthal is 105 years old.

Happy Birthday, Ella.

07/24/2026

For Holocaust survivor Roman Khrapunsky, art is more than a hobby—it's a way to share hope.
Roman was just four when World War II began. He remembers fleeing Zaporizhzhia with his family and his mother's courage as she shielded her three children during the bombing of their evacuation train.
Today, Roman chooses to paint not darkness, but light. As he says, he wants to share the joy of life that God has given to every person. Holocaust survivors continue to inspire us, not only through the stories they preserve, but through the lives they continue to build.
As fewer survivors are able to share their testimonies in person, preserving their voices and the many ways they continue to inspire us has never been more important.

07/23/2026

In 1933, Berlin was home to 160,000 Jews, the largest Jewish population in Germany. However, that population fell to 80,000 to 90,000 in 1938 as many Jews fled the country following the N**is' rise to power. The majority who remained were eventually deported to ghettos and concentration camps.

In 1938, Germany conducted its first major deportation of Jews. Over 17,000 Polish-born Jews, like Fred Bachner’s family, were deported during 'Polenaktion' (Polish Action), the arrest of Jews with Polish citizenship who were living in the German Reich.

The action’s origins can be traced to the spring of 1938 when Germany annexed Austria. This caused the Polish government to fear that a wave of Jews with Polish citizenship would seek a return to Poland from Austria. The Polish Parliament therefore passed a law making it possible to denationalize Polish citizens who had been living abroad for more than five years uninterrupted.

The German government, eager to expel the Jews, gave Poland an ultimatum: if it did not rescind its order, Germany would deport Polish citizens from Germany before the new regulation took effect. The following day, the Reich Security Main Office disseminated a flyer to all State Police offices in the country instructing them to “immediately round up all Polish Jews in possession of valid passports... into protective custody and to transport them en masse without delay to the Polish border.”

The roundups were carried out throughout the Reich on October 28-29, 1938. In some places, entire families were taken; in others, only male members of the household were. To all, the arrests came as a complete surprise to those affected.

The Reich Rail transported the arrested Jews in special guarded trains to the German/Polish border. Most were deposited in the border town of Neu-Bentschen/Zbąszyń, while others were taken to Konitz (Pomerania) or Beuthen (Upper Silesia).

Once arrived at the border, Poland refused entry to many of the Jews, leaving them stranded in refugee camps.

Thanks to the Jewish Museum Berlin for the above information.

07/16/2026

Helen Sendyk wrote of the deportation aktions in Chrzanów: “House raids against the Jews came with ever more frequency and malice. Families were torn apart, with mothers being taken away from small children. Fathers, sons and daughters were shipped away to forced labor camps. The old and the feeble dared not go out in the streets.”

Mali Baruch, the daughter of Joseph Lamm and Raissa (Rushka) Rosensweig Lamm, was born on March 15, 1926, in Chrzanów, Poland, where her father was a cattle and grain merchant. She had three younger siblings: Zvi, Tova and Ita.

In 1940, the occupying Germans started removing Jewish people from certain streets of Chrzanów and resettling them in predominantly Jewish areas; by the end of 1941, a Jewish “residential area” or open ghetto had been established in the city.

In March and April 1942, approximately 1,000 Jews from neighboring towns, such as Ciężkowice, Chełmek, Kwaczał, Szczakowa, Alwernia and Łuszowice, were moved to the ghetto.

In May 1942, a total of 8,631 Jews were residing in Chrzanów.

Mali's family shared a house belonging to her grandparents that had two apartments, one next to the other. Her grandparents and three uncles lived next to Mali and her family. Her grandfather's beer and alcohol store was on the ground floor.

Since their house was within the ghetto boundaries, they did not have to move and remained in their home.

At the end of May 1942, the German authorities conducted a large-scale deportation aktion in the Chrzanów ghetto. The selections for these deportations lasted six days. The selection was based on the ability to work. During this period, approximately 3,000 Jews were sent to Auschwitz or to labor camps. The deportations included Mali’s grandparents.

Mali was the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust.

Thank you to Project Muse and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for the information contained in this post.

07/10/2026

Benno's story is one of resilience, survival, and remembrance. Through Benno's Light, his testimony comes to life in an immersive mixed-reality experience designed to engage audiences in a powerful new way.

By combining survivor testimony with immersive storytelling and historical environments, Benno's Light invites viewers to move beyond traditional ways of learning about the Holocaust—creating a deeper understanding of history and why these stories must continue to be shared with future generations.

Whether you're exploring on your phone, desktop, or with a VR headset, there are multiple ways to experience Benno's journey.

Visit bennos-light.org to learn more and explore the experience.

07/08/2026

Adam and Ida were three years old when they were separated during the Holocaust. Adam survived a concentration camp and was later adopted. Ida survived the war hidden by a Polish couple. Both children were baptized, issued a fake birth certificate with new names and grew up Catholic. It seemed all but impossible that they would ever reunite. However, the twins always felt “something missing”.

Following a 53-year-long journey that took them around the globe, one day Ida believes she recognized her brother in a newspaper photo resembling her grandfather. When the two strangers meet, they are convinced to have found each other at last.

“We know it is us”, says Ida.

Is it a happy ending? Can history be overcome?

Stream FREE! for the next 30 days on J Docs, only on JLTV+

Stream Adam & Ida: Almost A Fairytale from J Docs on JLTV Plus

07/02/2026

Now streaming on Prime Video and Apple TV, Among Neighbors uncovers the haunting story of a small Polish town where Jewish and Catholic neighbors lived side by side for centuries. Holocaust survivor Yaacov Goldstein and eyewitness Pelagia Radecka break decades of silence to reveal stories of compassion, betrayal and murder in the aftermath of World War II, brought to life through striking animation and magical realism. “This film was 10 years in the making,” says filmmaker Yoav Potash, “but the story is so powerful and different from anything else out there that it was worth every moment.” The film received the 2026 Jewish Film Award for Best Holocaust Film, the prestigious 2026 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and 15 other awards. In an era when historical revisionism is gaining momentum, Among Neighbors powerfully reminds us that facing the fullness of history is an act of courage. See the film now on Prime or Apple, or contact your local community center, house of worship, university, or other organization about booking a screening, which can include a fascinating Q&A with award-winning filmmaker Yoav Potash. More info at amongneighbors.com