Holocaust Liaison

From JP:
"Biden announces creation of government liaison to Holocaust survivors in US"

US Vice President Joe Biden announced that the Obama administration would appoint a “special envoy” that would work as a liaison with Holocaust survivors and the non-profit organizations that support them. At the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s Centennial luncheon, on Tuesday, Biden said that the new liaison in the US Department of Health and Human Services would help support initiatives that improve the lot of survivors in socioeconomic distress. The liaison would also encourage the private sector to do more to meet survivor’s needs. Biden also announced a partnership between the White House and the federally funded AmeriCorps Vista, who will allocate some of the 8,000 AmeriCorps volunteers to serve Holocaust survivors. Biden also praised the work of community organizations and institutions that have provided aid and relief to poverty-stricken survivors of the Holocaust. “Today our country took a major step forward towards addressing the needs of many Holocaust survivors,” said Michael Siegal, who heads the Jewish Federation of North America Board of Trustees. “We are looking forward to working with the special envoy to raise awareness and help ensure that Holocaust survivors receive the support of programs, to help them live with dignity and comfort.” According to the Jewish Federation, two-thirds of the 120,000 Holocaust survivors in the US live alone, and many struggle to afford basic needs such as proper food and healthcare. 25 percent of Holocaust survivors in the US, and half of those in New York, also live below the federal poverty line. These factors put Holocaust survivors at risk for being placed in institutions for elderly care that, Director of the Jewish Federation’s Washington Office William Daroff wrote in June, could be especially traumatic for them. “For one thing, survivors have special sensitivities to aspects of institutionalized care. The loss of privacy and autonomy, combined with certain sights, sounds, smells or practices – such as showers or mass transit – can trigger psychological effects that flow from their war-time trauma.”

^ This is long over-do. Every country with a high majority of Holocaust survivors (although many die everyday) needs to have these kinds of programs in place to make sure they can live the remainder of their life in peace. ^

http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/Biden-announces-creation-of-government-liaison-to-Holocaust-survivors-in-US-334663