Development of the Ghetto Law
On June 18th, 1997, the Court for Social Affairs in Germany determined in a landmark ruling, that the labour period which was unforced in Poland's Lodz Ghetto, will be taken into consideration when counting periods of insurance for calculating eligibility for old-age and survivor's pensions. In the wake of this ruling, social insurance bodies in Germany began paying benefits to the eligible.
In June 2002, the Ghetto Law was enacted in Germany, which set the conditions for additional ghettos.
In June 2009, the German Court for Social Affairs extended conditions for eligibility to the benefit according to the Ghetto Law.
Starting in August 2014, the Ghetto Law was changed. The change allowed retroactive receipt of the benefit from 1997 for those to whom it had been paid at a later date.
In August 2014, German institutions began approaching potentially eligible persons in writing, asking them to choose between receiving a retroactive sum and reducing the monthly benefit, or giving up the monthly benefit and continuing to receive the allowance they had received in the past.
The German institution sends letters in Hebrew (ZRBG 932) to those who have already started receiving the Ghetto Law benefit, explaining the choice along with an explanation of the amendment to the law, and a reply form (ZRBG 933 Rueckantwort).
One-time 2,000 Euro grant
In 2007 the German government decided that the Finance Ministry (Bundesamt fuer zentrale Dienste und offene Vermoegungsfragen, BADV), would pay a one-time grant of 2,000 Euro, to those whose claim for an old-age pension had been rejected by the Ghetto Law. Later, the German government decided that it would be possible to receive both a monthly old-age pension according to the Ghetto Law, as well as a one-time grant of 2,000 Euro.
Please note: For claims and enquiries about the grant, apply directly to BADV at the following address:
Bundesamt fuer zentrale Dienste und offene Vermoegungsfragen
53221 Bonn
Germany
Telefon: +49(0)22899 7030 1324
Email: ghettoarbeit@badv.bund.de Informationen Formulare
Eligible persons
Persons answering to one of the following descriptions may be eligible for the benefit according to the Ghetto Law:
- Those defined as persecuted by Nazis according to the BEG Law (Federal Government Reparations Law), and also lived under coercive conditions in a ghetto that was located under the influence of the national socialist regime, and also worked of their own volition and were recompensed
- Widows/widowers of those answering the conditions in paragraph 1 above
How to file a claim
The claims forms may be found on this site, or be requested from the Foreign Relations Department by fax or email: for and old-age pension – form ZRBG 100 and for a survivor's pension, form ZRBG 500.
Forms must be filled out and sent to the social security organisation in Germany at the following address:
DRV
40194 Duesseldorf
Germany
Heirs of those who worked in the ghetto (except for widows/widowers)
An heir (recognised as such by the Israeli court), may be eligible for a retroactive payment (the old-age pension sum which the deceased would have received had he/she lived) if all the following conditions are met:
- The deceased is defined as persecuted by Nazis according to the BEG law (Federal Government Reparations Law)
- Lived under coercive conditions in a ghetto that was located under the influence of the national socialist regime
- Worked of his/her own volition and was recompensed
- The deceased did not claim a benefit according to the Ghetto Law while alive
- The deceased was alive on 27/6/2002
- The deceased applied for an old-age pension in Israel
To check the eligibility of the deceased, apply in writing to the social security organisation in Germany. The letter must list the names, addresses and identity numbers of the heirs. It is important to indicate the German social security number of the deceased if this is known.
Please note:
- for all enquiries on the subject of the eligibility of heirs, apply directly to the German social security organisation at the above address, phone: 0049-211-9370, or fax: 0049-211-937-3096
- In every enquiry to the German social security organisation you must quote the social security number you received. Without this number, the German organisation cannot locate your file.