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Pacific Centre • Oakridge Centre • Lansdowne
An accounting of the past
Agreement helps heirs of Holocaust survivors claim birthrights
ROBERTA STALEY STAFF REPORTER
Families of European Jews who squirreled away money in Swiss bank accounts during the Second World War can now claim their rightful inheritance.
"It is my expectation that there are Canadian Jews with claims against Swiss bank accounts, and I would hope that this results in their finally receiving satisfaction," said World Jewish Congress (WJC) execu-
tive director Elan Steinberg.
An agreement was signed May 2 in New York ensuring cooperation between the Swiss Bankers Association and Jews laying claim to inheritances. A six-member commission — three Jews and three Swiss bank officials — will oversee the process.
"It's an important first step. And if the agreement is lived up to, it will be seen as a historic milestone," Mr. Steinberg told the Bulletin by phone from New York City.
Swiss bankers estimate 774 dormant accounts belong to Jewish war victims. The WJC refuses to accept that number and is hiring independent auditors to comb through old records. Estimates put the wealth at between $32 million and $7 billion US. However, WJC won't agree to any figure, said Mr. Steinberg.
Spokesmen for Canadian Jewish Congress, Pacific Region, and
the Vancouver Holocaust Centre Society said they've not received any inquiries from B.C. Jews to date about the accounts. However, Holocaust Centre spokesperson Ronnie Tessler said a few families in Vancouver fi^om wealthy backgrounds have been negotiating for years with European governments to reclaim lost property and money. Mrs. Tessler would not reveal the names of these local families.
One of the problems facing heirs is proving they are related to those who opened the accounts between 1935 and 1945 when Jews hid wealth from the Nazis. Some fleeing family
Len:World Jewish Congress president Edgar Bronfman Initiated ttie drive to reclaim Jewisli assets from Swiss banl( accounts.
RjghtiWorld Jewish Congress executive
director Elan
Steinberg.
To inquire about making a claim on dormant Swiss bank acqoimts, write to: Swiss Bank Ombudsman Seestrasse No. 7 8027 Zurich, Switzerland The 300 Swiss fi'anc processing fee demanded by the ombudsman will he taken care of by the World Jevnsh Congress.
members lost birth documents or have changed their names.
"The burden of proof is on you as a daughter or a son,"- said Mr. Steinberg. However, this proof could include historical family records such as old letters or photographs. "There should be a reasonable basis on which to make these determinations."
Wealth that was confiscated by Germans during the war will be claimed by the World Jewish Restitution Organization in New York City. This money would be distributed among all Jewish communities, said Mr. Steinberg.
"The Jewish people determine who gets those assets — not Swiss bankers," said Mr. Stein-
berg, whose organization is headed by Canadian business tycoon Edgar Bronfman.
Mr. Steinberg said he doesn't know what proportion of the pie was plundered by Nazis as the spoils of war. "The only problem is trying to undertake the detective work to try to track down these accounts."
It will not be easy. If accounts are dormant for more than 50 years, Swiss authorities turn the
money over to charities such as the International Red Cross, said a bank official in Vancouver.
Mr. Steinberg said that investigators will only be able to trace that the Nazis "placed the assets there. Once we determine that, it's clear that these assets do not belong to Swiss bankers. These are Jewish assets."
Some records are lost forever. The WJC International Report claims that documents located in the formerly secret archives of the Romanian Intelligence Agency show that a leading Swiss bank admitted it destroyed its 1944 business records. Documents also show that this bank opened an account in 1944 for Romanian Nazi collaborator Radu Lecca. The notorious Mr. Lecca was the Commissar for Jewish Questions charged with "settling the Jewish question in Romania." He impoverished Romanian Jews by extorting huge sums of money from them.! 1