About two dozen Holocaust survivors picketed a Feb. 7 golf tournament in south Florida that was sponsored by the international insurance company Allianz.
The company owes an estimated $2 billion in unpaid claims to Holocaust survivors, say the protesters. They also were set to picket the Boca Raton course of the $1.8 million Allianz Championship on Feb. Sunday, Feb. 13, the last day of the event.
This is the fifth time the event has been held in Boca Raton but the first time a protest has been planned, according to the Orlando Sun-Sentinel.
Holocaust survivors have filed lawsuits against Allianz in an effort to reclaim insurance payments on thousands of life-insurance policies the company sold to Jews in Europe during the 1930s and ’40s. Survivors who attempted to file claims with Allianz after World War II were refused due to a lack of documentation.
Having paid off on about 50,000 claims at a cost of $300 million, Allianz believes it has fulfilled its obligation, according to the Palm Beach Post.
“Is any amount of money going to alleviate the pain?” said Allianz spokeswoman Sabia Schwartzer in the Post. “We’ve never denied any of the allegations. What else should we be doing?” — jta