Israel releases Holocaust survivor figures ahead of memorial day
JERUSALEM: Israel published information on Holocaust survivors in the country on Sunday, the eve of the International Holocaust Memorial Day which will mark 80 years since the liberation of Nazi death camp Auschwitz.
An Israeli government agency dedicated to supporting survivors of the mass murder of Jews during World War II issued its yearly report, estimating that more than 123,000 Holocaust survivors currently live in Israel.
They include 41,751 people who survived Nazi persecution and 44,334 who fled the advance of Nazi forces particularly in the former Soviet Union.
A third group of 37,630 survivors were victims of anti-Semitism during the war but were outside of Europe — mainly Jews living under the French Vichy regime in Morocco and Algeria, as well as Iraqi Jews.
The report also mentions 133 Israelis who fought during World War II in the ranks of the Allied forces.
Sixteen thousand spouses of Holocaust survivors who had passed away are also listed, as they receive government support.
Government support for Holocaust survivors totalled 3.9 billion shekels (about $1.1 billion) in 2024, according to the report.
Most of the survivors included in the report, 61 percent, are women.
About 37 percent were born in the former Soviet Union, 17 percent in Morocco and 11 percent in Iraq.
One-third of Holocaust survivors listed by Israel arrived in the country between its establishment in 1948 and 1951, according to the report.
Nine percent have immigrated over the past 25 years, and 54 individuals in 2024.
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