To the Claims Conference: I am not a Holocaust survivor

Jan 27, 2026, 7:51 PM

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REVISED CLARIFICATION: Since the original publication of this article, it has come to my attention that the Claims Conference wanted me to make some corrections. Corrections will appear in Bold and Underlined.

To the Claims Conference,

I am writing this letter not out of anger, but out of genuine concern—and with respect for the vital work you do.

Recently, you shared data on social media titled “Holocaust Survivors – Global Data and Statistics.” This information is important. More than eighty years after the end of the Holocaust, the number of living survivors continues to decline, and most of those remaining were children during the Shoah. They are, quite literally, the youngest of the final witnesses.

Because of that reality, accuracy matters deeply. In an era when Holocaust denial and distortion persist, we must be especially careful to get the facts right.

My concern centers on one specific data point in your graphic: the statement that the current age range of Holocaust survivors is “79–100+.” I previously wrote to you twice to point out what appears to be an error. A person who is 79 or 80 years old today was born in 1946 or 1947—after the war had ended. By definition, such an individual could not be considered a Holocaust Survivor.

The Claims Conference said this only applies to persons conceived in January or February 1945 (their argument would extend to May 1945, the last month of the War). That means they still would have been born after the War. This does not make their argument stronger.

Your response to my second inquiry troubled me more than the original post. You wrote:

“Thank you. You are right, these numbers are important. The current population of Holocaust survivors includes a small number who were in utero in 1945 and born early 1946. As of today, there remain survivors who are 79 years old.”

Taken at face value, this suggests that individuals born after the war are now being classified as Holocaust survivors. A 79-year-old today would have been conceived in 1946—a full year after the war ended. On what basis, then, are they included as Holocaust Survivors?

The Claims Conference wrote: “Our definitions are determined through negotiations with Germany for the specific purpose of compensation. In addition to our definition, the Israeli government began to use a wider criterion as of 2012, recognizing those who were born more than nine months—up to 300 days—after the liberation or flight of their mother.”

This clarification does not negate my argument. In fact, even with approval by both Israel and Germany, it establishes a troubling precedent. Scholarly experts and clinical researchers do not- support such an expansion of the definition, as reflected in the research cited in the following paragraph.

Clinical and historical studies have long defined Holocaust survivors as those who lived through the war years themselves, including babies who were born during the war. I am not aware of any recognized research that extends this definition to those born after the war, even in Displaced Persons camps.

Over the years, the definition of “Holocaust survivor” has indeed broadened. Some scholars include prewar Jewish refugees—a position with which I personally disagree, though I acknowledge that serious arguments have been made. But even those expanded definitions have never included people born after the war.

Claims Conference- “Not conceived, but born after, yes – this is the definition of “in utero at liberation” for Claims Conference purposes. And, in Israel, this definition is even wider (based on the definition correction given above).” Totally illogical from the experts. Someone born after the Holocaust, whether conceived before May 1945 or not, did not suffer through the horrors perpetuated by Nazi Germany. To say so, again, sets a terrible precedent, which is what my article addresses.

Your response appears to go further still, implying that children conceived or born to survivors after the war may also be considered survivors. There is important research—pioneered by Dr. Rachel Yehuda and others—demonstrating that children of survivors can exhibit epigenetic changes resulting from their parents’ trauma. These findings are significant and deserve attention. Yet none of this research has ever claimed that members of the so-called Second Generation are themselves Holocaust survivors.

To conflate these categories is not a matter of semantics. Labeling the Second Generation as Holocaust survivors diminishes the meaning of survival itself and, in doing so, risks obscuring the magnitude of what our parents and other survivors actually endured.

I say this clearly and personally:

I am not a Holocaust survivor.

Words matter. Definitions matter. And data—especially data used to educate the public—must be precise.

I respectfully urge you to correct your published figures and to reaffirm a clear and historically grounded definition of who is, and is not, a Holocaust survivor.

Respectfully submitted,

Saul Chapnick

About the Author

Saul Chapnick was raised in an Orthodox home with deep familial Hasidic roots. Educated in yeshiva and later earning a Master of Social Work degree from Yeshiva University's Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Saul has continued throughout his life to embrace Jewish learning in many settings—from studying at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion to maintaining a weekly chavruta for ongoing Torah study. His lifelong journey has given him a deep appreciation for richness of Jewish tradition across the spectrum of Jewish life. For more than thirty-five years, Saul has devoted himself to the study of Jewish history, with a particular focus on Jewish life in interwar Eastern Europe. Inspired by the mitzvah of Zachor (to remember), he has explored both the extraordinary vibrancy of the Jewish world that was destroyed in the Shoah and the enduring questions of Jewish memory, continuity, and identity. Through extensive travel, archival research, and conversations with survivors, scholars, communal leaders, and public figures, he has sought to understand not only what was lost, but also what those vanished communities continue to teach us today. His writing explores the intersection of Jewish history, personal memory, Israel, and contemporary Jewish life, seeking to connect the voices of the past with the challenges of the present. A gifted storyteller and engaging speaker, Saul has lectured throughout the United States and abroad on Jewish history, Yiddish language and culture, modern Poland, Israel, and post-Holocaust Jewish identity. His presentations blend scholarship with personal experience, inviting audiences to explore the enduring relevance of Jewish history to contemporary Jewish life. He has also prepared adult participants of the March of the Living by providing historical and cultural context that deepens their understanding of both Poland's Jewish past and its emerging Jewish present. Saul is the author of a widely read weekly Substack newsletter and a contributor to The Times of Israel, where he reflects on Jewish life, history, Israel, memory, and current events. His essays weave together personal experience, historical research, and contemporary issues, encouraging readers to reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing the Jewish people today. For the past thirteen years, Saul has served as the Substitute Chaplain through the Greater Miami Jewish Federation Chaplaincy Program at Miami Jewish Health. During rabbinic transitions, he has served as the community's interim spiritual leader, leading Shabbat and holiday services, reading Torah, delivering Divrei Torah, teaching adult education classes and study groups, and providing pastoral care to residents and their families. Professionally, Saul brings more than two decades of executive leadership in healthcare and human services. He specialized in turning around distressed assisted living and memory care communities by rebuilding staff morale, restoring occupancy, improving quality of care, ensuring regulatory compliance, and returning organizations to financial stability. Today, he draws upon that experience as an expert witness in legal matters involving senior care, assisted living, and long-term care communities. Whether teaching Torah, leading prayer, writing, or speaking, Saul believes that Judaism is best experienced through learning, storytelling, meaningful relationships, and a deep respect for every individual's Jewish journey. At the same time, Chapnick has witnessed a limited reawakening of Jewish life in his family’s ancestral homeland of Poland. He has spoken at numerous venues on the contemporary relevance of Yiddish and Yiddish culture, the significance of the 19th- and 20th-century Jewish world to modern life, and the shaping of post-Holocaust Jewish identity. He also prepares adult participants of the March of the Living to engage meaningfully with modern-day Jewish Poland. Chapnick shares his insights and reflections in weekly blogs on https://saulchapnick.substack.com, where readers are welcome to subscribe.