Office Of The Special Envoy On Holocaust Issues
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The Office of the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues is a diplomatic office of the
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR) is part of the United States Department of State, charged with implementing U.S. foreign policy and promoting U.S. interests in Europe and Eurasia (which it defines as being Europe, Turkey, Cypr ...
at the
United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...
. Established in 1999, the office develops and implements U.S. policy to ensure
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
property
restitution Restitution and unjust enrichment is the field of law relating to gains-based recovery. In contrast with damages (the law of compensation), restitution is a claim or remedy requiring a defendant to give up benefits wrongfully obtained. Liability ...
, secure compensation for Nazi-era wrongs, and promote Holocaust commemoration. The office is led by the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues (SEHI), who reports to the Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs. Career
Foreign Service Foreign Service may refer to: * Diplomatic service, the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country * United States Foreign Service, the diplomatic service of the United States government **Foreign Service ...
officer Ellen Germain has served as Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues since August 23, 2021.


Responsibilities

Within the
State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...
's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, the office is charged with developing and implementing U.S. policy to promote the restitution of Jewish property that was expropriated during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
to
Holocaust survivors Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universall ...
and their heirs. The office also works alongside the State Department's Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism to promote Holocaust education, track and combat antisemitism, and preserve Holocaust-era archives. Since 2005, the Special Envoy leads the U.S. government's efforts to organize
Holocaust Remembrance Day Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG'vurah (), known colloquially in Israel and abroad as Yom HaShoah (, ) and in English as Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Day, is observed as Israel's day of commemoration for the approximately six million Je ...
commemorations. Since 2017, the office has issued reports on how countries are implementing the Terezin Declaration, a 2009 non-binding declaration by 47 countries to right economic wrongs during the Holocaust. The Special Envoy sits on the board of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and is the U.S. representative to the 33-member
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), until January 2013 known as the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research or ITF, is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1998 wh ...
.


History

In the late 1990s, many countries were coming to terms with the treatment of their Jewish communities during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and the Holocaust, particularly the expropriation of Jewish property and real estate. Then-
Deputy Secretary of the Treasury The deputy secretary of the treasury of the United States advises and assists the Secretary of the Treasury in the supervision and direction of the United States Department of the Treasury, Department of the Treasury and its activities, and succ ...
Stuart Eizenstat Stuart Elliott Eizenstat (born January 15, 1943) is an American diplomat and attorney. He served as the United States Ambassador to the European Union from 1993 to 1996 and as the United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001. ...
pushed the
Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following his victory over Republican in ...
to establish a formal position to demonstrate its commitment to assisting
Holocaust survivors Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universall ...
and their descendants seek restitution.


Trump Administration

Veteran diplomat Cherrie Daniels served as Special Envoy from August 19, 2019 to August 6, 2021.


Biden Administration

President
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
appointed career
Foreign Service Foreign Service may refer to: * Diplomatic service, the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country * United States Foreign Service, the diplomatic service of the United States government **Foreign Service ...
officer Ellen Germain as Special Envoy, and she began service on August 23, 2021. Germain previously served as the
Deputy Chief of Mission A deputy chief of mission (DCM, in Europe the term deputy head of mission – DHoM or DHM is used instead) is the number-two diplomat assigned to an embassy or other diplomatic mission. The deputy chief of mission is usually considered the second ...
at the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo from 2018 to 2021.


See also

*
White House Jewish Liaison The White House staff position of liaison to the American Jewish community (popularly known as the White House Jewish Liaison) is a role charged with serving as a presidential administration's voice to the community and gathering the community's con ...
* Holocaust Era Asset Restitution Taskforce


References

{{authority control United States Department of State agencies 1999 establishments in the United States Opposition to antisemitism in the United States