Almost half of all Jewish Shoah survivors live in Israel, says new demographic survey

A new survey by the New York-based Claims Conference presents an unprecedented updated picture of Holocaust survivors worldwide. And on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, the in-depth study identifies survivors now living in more than 90 countries — but the overall total is currently estimated at 245,000 people, more women than men, and an age range of between 77 and 100.

The world’s oldest living Holocaust survivor is believed to be Polish-born Rose Girone, who is 112 years old.

In a global “heat-map”, the Claims Conference has identified where survivors are living, based on two factors — payments that they receive from Germany via the Claims Conference, and services provided through social welfare agencies. In some countries there are only a handful or even just one survivor.

Almost half of all Jewish survivors of the Nazi Holocaust —49 per cent — live today in Israel, with an additional 18 per cent in north America and 18 per cent in Western Europe. An estimated 1,200 survivors are living in Britain today, say the Claims Conference.

The organisation is aware that there are many myths about survivor numbers. In America, for example, popular rumour said that there were more than 40,000 survivors just in New York State: in fact, the figures show that though 40 per cent of all American survivors live in New York, the total number of survivors in the whole of north America is put at 44,200.

The new figures show that there are Claims Conference payments made to people who might not have been thought to qualify — “Jewish individuals who were persecuted in North Africa, that is, in Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia”. And, fascinatingly, the survey also includes those “who were in utero, recognising Jews who were foetuses during the Nazi persecution of their mother and who were born up to nine months after liberation or the flight of their mother”.

At the request of Jewish News, the Claims Conference broke down the British figures in more depth. Most UK-based survivors were born in western Europe — 62 per cent — with 28 per cent coming from eastern Europe, just 3.6 per cent from the Former Soviet Union and an even tinier 2.7 per cent from north Africa. Following international trends, British survivors comprise 66 per cent female compared with 34 per cent male, and the ages range from those aged 77-80 — 4.6 per cent — to 2.7 per cent aged 100 years old and more.

Gideon Taylor, the Irish-born president of the Claims Conference, said: “The data we have amassed not only tells us how many and where survivors are, it clearly indicates that most survivors are at a period of life where their need for care and services is growing. Now is the time to double down on our attention on this waning population. Now is when they need us the most.”

Greg Schneider, executive vice president of the Claims Conference, added: “It is also important to look past the numbers to see the individuals they represent. These are Jews who were born into a world that wanted to see them murdered. They endured the atrocities of the Holocaust in their youth and were forced to rebuild an entire life out of the ashes of the camps and ghettos that ended their families and communities. The data forces us to accept the reality that Holocaust survivors won’t be with us forever, indeed, we have already lost most survivors.”

Holocaust survivor, Reha Bennicasa, daughter of Rose Girone, the oldest living Holocaust survivor in the world, said: “As a survivor and daughter of a survivor, I cannot stress enough how important it is to share our testimonies. Personally, I am pleased that my mother has reached 112 years of age, and to learn that she is the oldest Holocaust survivor.

“My mother and I survived German and then Japanese oppression. Her strength throughout this horror and in all other facets of her life are amazing. She is a wonderful example to me and, hopefully, to the world. Given the declining survivor population and the rise in antisemitism, we need to encourage the world to learn about our collective history so that the Holocaust will never happen again.”