Special to WJW

The Holocaust survivor community, long overlooked except on Yom Hashoah, finally has exercised some political muscle and is influencing change. Survivors learned not to call attention to themselves during the war and that helped them survive.

However, in our political system, if you don't call attention to your needs, you are overlooked. The tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors in need, in the United States and around the world, have been overlooked and it is unconscionable that they should suffer in these, their last years.

We, the children and grandchildren of the surviving remnant of European Jewry, now speak up on their behalf. For the past few years, Generations of the Shoah International (GSI) has been connecting survivors and their descendants. We realized there were huge problems in our community that nobody was successfully addressing. Organizations said they represented the survivors but, to our horror, we found survivors were dying needlessly due to the lack of basic necessities. Only one organization, Holocaust Survivors Foundation-USA, was truly working to effect change. Its leadership and initiative was impressive, but it was often drowned out by others who had become entrenched and enriched by the current system.

We were forced to realize that if we didn't advocate for our families, the status quo would continue and that is intolerable. Working together, HSF-USA and GSI are making a difference in the lives of many in need. Our concerns were heard in June at the Holocaust Era Assets Conference in Prague and at home as evidenced by the Jewish Federations of North America's recently released 2010 Public Policy Priorities, which includes new support systems for Holocaust survivors.

Most people do not realize that about half the survivors in the United States live at or below the poverty line. Money solicited in the name of survivors does not always reach them, but can get diverted to large institutions and their employee salaries, educational projects and building funds. Though we are strong proponents of Holocaust education and commemoration, we firmly believe survivors must have priority over buildings.

Holocaust survivors differ from other aging populations. Most have medical conditions generated by the extreme deprivations and brutalities they were forced to endure during World War II. Injuries and illnesses from those years often trouble survivors today. Because of their wartime experiences, they are more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. In cases where there are memory issues, survivors can constantly relive the horrors stored in their long-term memories. Unique challenges face their caregivers.

Survivors who came to the U.S. are among the proudest American citizens. Having lost all human rights under Nazi rule, they have a deep and genuine appreciation for democracy and the American way of life. They worked extremely hard to become responsible, contributing citizens and educated their children accordingly. Is our government doing all it can to help these Americans?

Survivors have been thwarted in their attempts to retrieve what is legitimately theirs: real estate, insurance, art and other movable property. We look to this president and Congress to do all they can to help and, in so doing, allow the survivors to become more self-sufficient. Furthermore, if survivors can get what is theirs, they will not be unnecessarily taxing our limited resources for other aging Americans.

In Prague, Elie Wiesel spoke about how the Nazis stole the wealth from the wealthy and the poverty from the poor. He also said he was embarrassed that we have allowed the survivors to suffer so long. We should all be embarrassed by that.

A recognition and pledge to help needy survivors came out of the Prague Conference, and a commitment to help has come from the Jewish Federations of North America.

These promises, while appreciated, are long overdue. This generation of Jewish leaders must fulfill its moral responsibility. The hour is late, too late for many survivors who have already died too early. Let us all resolve to act because this truly is our last chance to do right.

Esther Toporek Finder is president of The Generation After and a member of the coordinating council of Generations of the Shoah International.