Despicable Holocaust Misconduct

The searingly horrible and well-executed plan to exterminate an entire ethnic group represents an inextinguishable blot of shame on the conscience of the world.  Germany has made an attempt to recognize the magnitude and horror of its Nazi past and its embrace of a Final Solution to the presence of Jews in Europe.  Part of its dedication to restoring human faith in its history and culture is to try to understand the lethal level of its embrace of anti-Semitism at such a profoundly destructive level.

In recognition that - whatever it says or does, the memory and the knowledge of its drive to destroy the lives of European Jews, methodically and deliberately, engineering mechanical devices of human obliteration, delivering to suffering human beings the most inhumane living conditions on their way to extermination; starving, torturing them with medical experimentation and casually-delivered death while operating slave camps - the country has attempted to institute a frail band-aid of financial restitution.

Holocaust survivors were invited to submit applications that would give evidence that they had suffered and survived.  Enabling them to qualify for restitution through the international Holocaust survivors' fund established by Germany.  It appears now that there has surfaced the existence of a number of people who found it personally advantageous to represent themselves falsely as Holocaust survivors for the purpose of enriching themselves by acquiring legitimacy of survival claims.

Twenty people have been identified as being involved in this disgustingly pernicious scheme to acquire funding from the German government that was intended solely as compensation of sorts for Jewish survivors of Nazi persecution during the fascist regime of Adolf Hitler.  One is a Toronto woman formerly from Russia, among 30 people accused of criminal intent in portraying themselves as victims when they were not. 

The Holocaust survivors' fund has been defrauded of $57-million.  A crime revealed by the FBI.  And a trial date has been set in New York City for the 20 people who have been directly implicated.  It is not yet known whether the U.S. had requested the extradition from Canada of Luba Kramrish, to also stand trial, as an instigator and central figure who encouraged others without conscience to apply for compensation. 

This fraud took place over a ten-year period, with Ms. Kramrish recruiting people to become involved in the scheme.  "If ever there was a cause that  you would hope and expect would be immune from base greed and criminal fraud, it would be the Claims Conference, which every day assists thousands of poor and elderly survivors of the Nazi genocide", said Manhattan Attorney Preet Bharara.

The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany administers a few funds providing reparation to Holocaust victims.  And within the Russian-speaking community Ms. Kramrish became identified with obtaining funding for victims of the Holocuast - whether or not they were really entitled; someone who suffered during that era of Nazi-occupied Europe, according to U.S. authorities.

"These defendants had a hand in fabricating, filing or processing nearly five thousand fraudulent claims on behalf of non-qualifying applicants", according to Janice Fedarcyk, FBI assistant director-in-charge.  Documents filed in a U.S. court claim that Ms. Kramrish contacted a friend in New York who happened to be a caseworker at the Claims Conference, in 1999.

The enquiry related to Ms. Kramrish's own mother, who had applied for funding from one of the funds, still awaiting resolution.  The persecution history provided by Ms. Kramrish's mother could not be verified, so her friend falsified information to enable the application's approval.  After which the friend with influence in the process, lent herself to further false applications initiated by Ms. Kramrish, for a kick-back in the proceeds.

Those whose claims succeeded and were accepted resulting in their receiving a continuous pension in reparation, wrote cheques or gave cash to Ms. Kramrish.  Ms. Kramrish's lawyer has declined to release any details of the case: "In light of the U.S. indictment, Ms. Kramrish will not be saying anything at this time", he stated.

There are a remaining elderly half-million survivors of the Holocaust world-wide.  An estimated 16,800 elderly Jewish survivors live in Canada.