HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR PENSION CHANGES: INCOME LIMIT RAISED & OPEN GHETTOS Claims Conference recent negotiations with the German government have re- sulted in two significant changes to the Article 2 Fund, which issues monthly pensions to eligible Holocaust survivors: Guest Column The Case For Self-Expression C arnivals make for great clothing that carry the potential summer outings. My kids of exclusivity. If we are really enjoy the thrill rides, and going to take inclusiveness to I love to people watch. Say what the highest level, perhaps school you will about the tattooed and boards should consider banning the colorfully dressed, but after the following items of apparel: my son was recently disciplined Sports or athletic clothing: at his public school for Student athletes come wearing a shirt that was to school wearing var- a giveaway at his broth- sity clothing. This may er's 2011 bar mitzvah, I make the non-athletes fear the last holdout for around them feel clumsy self-expression through or unsatisfied with one's clothing is under themselves. those carnival lights. Vacation T-Shirts: With enough prod- When kids from families ding from friends and who can afford plane associates near and far, tickets during peak I am also investigat- vacation time return Stacy ing whether a school is from Florida wearing Gittleman within its legal rights to shirts from Disneyworld, Contributing ban such a shirt. it makes the pale pasty Writer Late in May, a kids who didn't escape teacher asked my fifth- to somewhere warm grade son to turn his T-shirt inside feel very excluded. out and wear it like that for the Holiday Clothing: I will expect remainder of the day. The teacher that in December, no child in the determined the shirt was "too reli- school will be permitted to wear gious." Calls to the school admin- anything red or green, nor any istration reinterpreted the teach- school administrator will be wear- er's reasoning. The shirt was not ing a tie with snowmen, fir trees, banned for religious or wear Christmas reasons, but instead lights or ornaments it had the potential of like jewelry. This has being a distraction to the potential to make the school's learning the Jewish kids feel environment. very excluded. The principal said These suggestions, shirts given as b'nai of course, are as mitzvah party favors ridiculous as this rule. make children who We do our kids no were not invited to the favors by sheltering party feel "bad" or them from exclusion "excluded." or disappointment. No one in my son's class noticed They need to always have a tender the shirt he wore dozens of times heart; they might as well start until he was forced to wear it developing that tough skin by inside out. Only then did he feel adolescence. Feeling left out in life set apart from his classmates, in happens. With that tough skin, you other words, excluded. know it will hurt for a little. Then, The T-shirt had no hateful lan- you'll go on. guage. It did not promote gang The hypocrisy of this rule was membership or drug use, as evident and pointed out by my indicated by the district's stated daughter. At Bloomfield Hills High guidelines on its website on what School, anyone who bought a tick- clothing cannot be worn. Only et at $75 from the school district after speaking with the principal could wear a sweatshirt the next did he forward me an addendum school day announcing that they to the guidelines, which mention went to the prom. the restriction of "party clothing." Careful now, that sweatshirt The view of what clothing makes may make those wallflowers who one feel excluded is subjective. were not invited to the prom feel Let's examine just a few items of — excluded. Income Limit Raised Through negotiations, applicants for payments from the Article 2 Fund are allowed a higher annual net income (now $25,000 for residents of the U.S.) to meet the income eligibility requirement for this monthly pension. There are numerous types of payments that are not included in calculation of income; the list of excluded payments is included in the detailed eligibility criteria found at www.claimscon.org/article2. Survivors who believe that they may be eligible for Article 2 Fund payments and did not previously apply due to the income limit should apply immediately. If you have applied in the past but were not eligible for payment due to the income limit, please contact the Claims Conference to re-open your case. Eligibility is also determined by persecution-related and other criteria. Informa- tion about the program is at www.claimscon.org/article2. Open Ghettos Jews who lived in certain "open ghettos" for at least 3 months may now be eligi- ble for Article 2 Fund payments. If you believe you may be eligible, please apply. To receive payments, applicants must meet all program criteria. Eligibility informa- tion and applications are at www.claimscon.org/article2. /Iv Claims Conference rnv)arin n -nln y The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany For more information, contact: Claims Conference 1359 Broadway, Room 2000, New York, NY 10018 646-536-9100 Email: info@claimscon.org www.claimscon.org The Claims Conference has an Ombudsman. To contact the Office of the Ombudsman, please email Ombudsman@claimscon.org or write to The Ombudsman, PO Box 585, Old Chelsea Station, New York, NY 10113 1925800 A patient, on average, waits 8 days to spend 30 minutes in the waiting room for a visit that only lasts 480 seconds. Your time and your health are too valuable. Experience a better kind of health care. 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