Hundreds of Tunisian Jews to get Holocaust survivor status

Jewish women and children who arrived in Israel after 1953 from Tunisia will be recognized his Holocaust survivors by the Israeli Government.

The policy until now has excluded this group from being treated as Holocaust survivors to the full extent, denying them various stipends and entitlements.

This, despite the forced labor that they had to endure under the Nazi occupation.

The nonprofit Aviv for Holocaust Survivors has in recent months filed on behalf of the claimants new applications, with resounding success, essentially making their status equivalent to other Holocaust survivors.

This means that several thousands of shekels will likely now be added to their monthly stipends and they would qualify for various other benefits from the government.

The success affects an initial 400 women who had to work in forced labor conditions, along with 300 children who joined them.

They had been denied this status because they immigrated to Israel after October 1953, which was the cutoff date, effectively making them eligible only for reduced benefits.

Now, instead of getting just several thousands of shekels once a year, they would get a monthly allowance, which could be “life-changing” for some.

The government stressed that future applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, although it is likely that they will be approved as well if they meet the new criteria.

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