Nazi victim organizations in Poland made a serious appeal to German civil society, stating that "we can no longer wait." This request was published on November 5 on the website of the Polish-German Reconciliation Foundation.
Status of Nazi Survivors
Approximately 50,000 survivors of Nazi repression during the German occupation still live in Poland. These individuals include former prisoners of forced labor camps, those who were transferred to Germany for forced labor, and others who suffered under various forms of Nazi repression.
The open letter noted that many survivors are over 90 years old and are struggling with illness and rising costs, requiring assistance in their daily lives. "For many, any further delay in decision-making regarding the provision of aid means that help will arrive too late," the request stated.
Germany's Responsibilities and New Requests
Germany has accepted its moral responsibility towards Nazi survivors, but no decision has yet been made regarding possible compensation from the German federal government. The applicants have specifically called on German civil society, including businesses, foundations, associations, and private citizens, to provide humanitarian assistance to survivors in Poland, emphasizing that "every financial contribution is important."
The issue of war reparations has affected German-Polish relations for decades. Following the democratic transition of 1989 in Central and Eastern Europe and the reunification of Germany, the German federal government provided 500 million Deutsche Marks to Holocaust victims in Poland. However, given the scale of Germany's crimes during World War II, these compensations are considered inadequate by a significant portion of Polish society.
Since the rise of the Law and Justice Party (PiS) in 2015, the issue of war reparations has become a central focus of Warsaw's policy towards Berlin. The PiS government has estimated Poland's war damages at 6.2 trillion zlotys (approximately 1.3 trillion euros) and officially requested this amount from Berlin in October 2022.
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