Germany is to make a one-off payment of €564 million (£508 million) to support Holocaust survivors around the world through the coronavirus pandemic. 

The aid will benefit around 240,000 survivors, each receiving two sums of €1,200 (£1,080) over the next two years, in addition to the reparations they already receive for their suffering. 

As the remaining survivors of the Shoah are older and suffered severe maltreatment under the Nazis, they are in the high-risk category for Covid-19. 

The funds were obtained by the Claims Conference – the organisation that negotiates reparations on behalf of Holocaust survivors. Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat, their special negotiator, said: “In the face of a devastating global pandemic, it was vital to secure larger increases for survivors while also seeking immediate funds to help them through these extremely challenging times.” 

According to the conference, many Holocaust survivors – especially those residing in the former Soviet Union – live in poverty. The funds are designed to provide them with personal protective equipment, and to be able to have supplies delivered to their home to aid shielding. 

Negotiators also secured a €30.5 million increase (£27.5 million) in funding for social welfare services for Holocaust survivors in 2021. 

President of the Claims Conference Gideon Taylor stated they wanted to “ensure dignity and stability in survivors’ final years”. 

He added: “We must meet the challenges of the increasing needs of survivors as they age, coupled with the new and urgent necessities caused by the global pandemic. It will always remain our moral imperative to keep fighting for every survivor.” 

The Claims Conference – or the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany – was established in 1952 to fight for compensation for Shoah victims.