Tracing Services at Israel Magen David Adom
Introduction
It is over seventy years since the end of the Second World War and the anguish of families who were separated still exists in the hearts of Holocaust survivors. The atrocities of the Nazi regime did not cause them to forget their loved ones and their desire to find their relatives and any information about their lives remains strong.
With the aid of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Tracing Services at Magen David Adom Israel were re-established in 2002 with the purposes of fulfilling the requests of survivors and their families, both in Israel and throughout the world, integrating MDA into the fabric of the Red Cross Movement which acts to search for family members.
This MDA department, which works within Israeli society where so many Holocaust survivors, their families and their descendants are found, is of special importance.
Background
In 1949, the State of Israel signed the Geneva Convention. The Geneva Convention instructs every National Association to operate tracing services. The services deal with the request to locate relatives where contact with them was lost as a result of war or natural disasters.
The Tracing Services of Magen David Adom in Israel are open to all citizens of Israel as part of the services supplied by the National Society, as the Red Cross Association does in other countries.
In the last few years, the affiliation between the Red Cross and Red Crescent movements and MDA has been strengthened, especially since MDA joined the international movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
Within this framework, the Tracing Services at MDA have been renewed, with organizational, logistical and financial support from the ICRC, with the purpose of integrating MDA into the wider movement.
From 2002 – 2007, the Tracing Services dealt with over 5,000 applications.
Search / Locate Process
1. Those who would like to locate a missing relative can call or personally go to the offices of Magen David Adom in Israel in order to fill out a form for locating relatives or missing persons. A separate form should be filled out for each missing person. All the information contained in the request form remains confidential.
2. Magen David Adom in Israel deals with each case individually. Every application is numbered and all the information contained is examined thoroughly.
3. Magen David Adom in Israel contacts museums, archives, various organizations and national societies of the Red Cross in countries throughout the world, in the search for information.
4. Each search application which is received is dealt with in a timely manner.
5. Applicants receive frequent updates.
6. In the event that the application is made in a foreign country, every effort is made to assist the search, based on the information available in Israel.
Objectives of the Tracing Services at Magen David Adom in Israel
Locating and Uniting Families
In a small, but extremely significant number of cases, the search process has discovered missing persons who were in fact still alive. Family members have been reunited after tens of years of searching.
Completion of the Process
In over 1700 cases, applicants have received certification of death or deportation of their loved ones from various countries. Despite the tragedy involved in verifying the death of loved ones, death verification is an important part of mourning and closure.
Compensation and Support / Pension
Magen David Adom Israel can aid in obtaining documents relating to forced labor, slavery, forced deportation from the former Soviet Union or imprisonment in concentration camps. Documents may be required for requesting compensation.
Compensation
There are many funds for compensation and returning property financed by various sources. To obtain information about a particular fund, it is advised to first read and search through the GUIDE TO COMPENSATION AND RESTITUTION FOR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS published by the CONFERENCE ON JEWISH MATERIAL CLAIMS AGAINST GERMANY at www.claimscon.de.
The Tracing Services at Magen David Adom in Israel provide aid in searching for the documents required by these funds for those who are interested,
Department Tel: +972 (3) 6301464 Fax: +972 (3) 7305983 - email: rfl-imda@mda.org.il
