Benefit program for Holocaust survivors launched in Serbia

A program to provide direct funds to Serbian Holocaust survivors all over the world is been launched in Serbia, an international Jewish group says.

The program results from laws passed last year in Serbia allowing for the restitution of heirless and unclaimed Jewish property seized during the Holocaust to the Jewish community, The World Jewish Restitution Organization says in a statement.

The statement says the law envisages the government paying 950,000 euros per year ($1 million) for 25 years to the Federation of Jewish Communities in the country. For at least the first ten years, one-fifth of the funds will be set aside for direct payments to Holocaust survivors, the group says.

— AP