The Federal Association Information and Advice for Survivors of Nazi Persecution (Bundesverband Information & Beratung für NS-Verfolgte e.V.) is a nationwide organisation that supports survivors of Nazi persecution and their families, provides advice on compensation claims, and develops projects that preserve and communicate the history and legacy of Nazi persecution for future generations.
For more than 30 years, we have worked to improve the lives of survivors of Nazi persecution, promote awareness of Germany's historical responsibility, and ensure that the experiences of persecution, displacement and exclusion are passed on to future generations.
Our work combines social support, legal counselling, remembrance work and historical-political education. Everything we do is guided both by the needs of survivors and their descendants and by the challenges of an evolving culture of remembrance.
The Federal Association is particularly active in the following fields:
What makes the Federal Association unique is the way we combine areas of work that are often treated separately.
We support survivors of Nazi persecution with social and legal issues while simultaneously developing educational projects for young people and creating innovative forms of remembrance, including projects involving the descendants of those who were persecuted.
In doing so, we build a bridge between the past, the present and the future. The experiences of survivors are at the heart of everything we do, as is the question of how these experiences can continue to be shared as the number of survivors steadily declines.
More than 80 years after the end of Nazi rule, only a small number of survivors of Nazi persecution are still alive. Most are now of advanced age and many rely on support in their daily lives.
We are committed to improving their quality of life, promoting social participation, and ensuring that their needs remain visible. Our work includes counselling services, social support projects, volunteer visiting and companionship programmes, and opportunities for meaningful social interaction that help combat loneliness and isolation.
At the heart of our work are the individuals themselves - their unique life stories, experiences and needs.
The consequences of Nazi persecution continue to affect survivors and their families to this day. Many still face complex questions concerning compensation and official recognition.
We support survivors of Nazi persecution and their relatives in clarifying and asserting their legal claims. We see this work not only as legal counselling, but also as a contribution to historical justice and society's ongoing responsibility.
The culture of remembrance is undergoing a profound transformation. As the generation of survivors of Nazi persecution continues to diminish, opportunities for personal encounters with eyewitnesses are becoming increasingly rare.
In response, we document their memories, preserve their life stories, and develop new ways of communicating their experiences. Our goal is to ensure that the voices and experiences of those who were persecuted remain accessible to future generations.
By connecting historical experiences with contemporary social issues, we promote a culture of remembrance that engages people, encourages critical reflection, and remains relevant in the present.
The impact of persecution does not end with one generation. Children, grandchildren and other family members are often affected by its long-term consequences, including transgenerational trauma, silence and shame.
Many descendants actively engage with their family histories and increasingly contribute to remembrance work themselves. We support this engagement through autobiographical writing workshops, working groups, networking opportunities and nationwide exchange programmes.
At the same time, we see ourselves as a platform that amplifies their perspectives. The voices of subsequent generations play a vital role in keeping remembrance alive and opening up new ways of engaging with history.
Personal encounters foster understanding, encourage empathy, and make history tangible. That is why we bring young people together with survivors of Nazi persecution and, increasingly, with their descendants.
Through workshops, school projects, film projects and dialogue-based formats, we create spaces for meaningful exchange, open questions and shared learning. We believe that personal encounters help break down prejudice, strengthen democratic values and inspire people to engage with history in a lasting way.
Our goal is to make the experiences of Nazi persecution understandable, accessible and relevant to contemporary society—whether in the classroom, in digital learning environments or through direct encounters with survivors of Nazi persecution and their families.
To achieve this, we develop educational programmes for a wide range of audiences and learning formats, combining personal testimony, creative approaches and innovative digital methods. Our work includes:
We believe in the inherent dignity of every human being.
We firmly oppose antisemitism, anti-Roma discrimination (antigypsyism), racism and all other forms of group-focused hatred and discrimination.
We are convinced that the experiences of survivors of Nazi persecution and their descendants remain profoundly relevant—not only for future generations, but also for the continued development of an open and democratic society.
We are committed to ensuring that their stories are heard, preserved and passed on.
The Federal Association supports survivors of Nazi persecution and their families, provides advice on compensation claims, and develops projects in the fields of remembrance, social support, and historical and civic education.
Our work is aimed at survivors of Nazi persecution, their relatives and descendants, young people, schools, educational institutions, educators and other multipliers, as well as everyone committed to preserving remembrance and strengthening democracy.
As the number of survivors of Nazi persecution continues to decline, the perspectives of their children, grandchildren and other descendants are becoming increasingly important for remembrance work. They carry forward their families' memories and offer new ways of engaging with history.
The Federal Association develops survivor testimony projects, workshops, film projects, digital learning resources, dialogue-based educational formats, and social media campaigns such as #ZumFeindGemacht.
More than 80 years after the end of the Nazi regime, survivors of Nazi persecution are still living among us. Most are now of advanced age and face significant challenges.
In particular, many survivors from the former Soviet Union who came to Germany as Jewish quota refugees during the 1990s continue to live under difficult social and economic circumstances. Language barriers, poverty, health problems, social isolation and loneliness often make it difficult for them to participate fully in society.
At the same time, traumatic memories of persecution, forced displacement and violence frequently resurface in old age. As a result, many survivors require not only practical support in their daily lives, but also companionship, recognition and opportunities for meaningful social interaction.
Supporting survivors of Nazi persecution is therefore far more than a social responsibility. It is an expression of our historical responsibility towards those who were persecuted under the Nazi regime and whose lives continue to be shaped by the lasting consequences of this injustice.
Nazi persecution is not merely a chapter of the past. Its consequences continue to shape individual lives, family histories and public debates to this day.
Our mission is to support survivors of Nazi persecution, make their experiences visible, and ensure that their voices continue to be heard by future generations. Together with their descendants, we are shaping a culture of remembrance that preserves the past while embracing responsibility for the present and the future.
