In the aftermath of the Holocaust, in 1952, a reparations agreement was signed by Israel and West Germany, in which Germany agreed to compensate Jews for the “unspeakable criminal acts” perpetrated against them “during the National-Socialist regime of terror.”

But there was a third party to the agreement as well — an organization known as the Claims Conference, created specifically to represent Jews in their material claims against Germany.

The 23 members of the Claims Conference were unelected. And none were Holocaust survivors. Yet they took it upon themselves to represent — forever — the six million murdered Jews, as well as all the hundreds of thousands of survivors and their decedents.

IN THE NAME OF THE VICTIMS tells the shocking story of how the Claims Conference and the World Jewish Congress have amassed close to $20 billion, while elderly Holocaust survivors spend their last days in poverty. We meet one survivor who needs 24-hour care, and whose dream is to be able to afford a new bed, so he can get out without help.

Gideon Taylor, then the vice president of the Claims Conference, sees the organization as having put in a monumental effort to restore looted property and collect funds that otherwise would never have gone to individual Jews and Jewish organizations. But some tell stories of being sued by the conference over their inheritance, or having property they believe is rightfully theirs turned over to a group with seemingly little accountability.

What went wrong? Where did all the money actually go? And how did a group claiming to represent Jews wind up fighting against so many of them? IN THE NAME OF THE VICTIMS caused an uproar upon its release, leading to Holocaust survivors in Israel banding together to demand representation and access to the restitution collected in their name.