Archive Of Jewish Holocaust Victims' Assets Made Public

Archive Of Jewish Holocaust Victims' Assets Made Public

Searchable, user-friendly database helps victims, heirs reacquire losses

NEW YORK - A large-scale international effort to help Jewish victims of the Holocaust redress claims of lost property confiscated, looted or forcibly sold under the Nazi regime was jumpstarted this week with the unveiling of a large, publicly available and searchable database of more than 650,000 Holocaust era property records in its first release.

The records were compiled and made available by Project HEART (Holocaust Era Asset Restitution Taskforce), an initiative of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), in cooperation and with the support of the Government of Israel, to help Jewish families identify personal property confiscated by the Nazis and to help victims seek restitution.

Leah Nass, Deputy Minister for Senior Citizens, representing the Government of Israel, said, "We sincerely hope that restituting Holocaust assets will assist survivors that were unable to receive proper redress until today and allow them to live out their lives with greater peace of mind despite the unspeakable losses they were forced to endure."

The Project HEART database consists of property addresses, insurance policies, lists of homeowners, professions, lists of known confiscated properties, business directories, and other archival information that can assist potential applicants in their research. Archivists plan on releasing several million records, making HEART's database the international community's largest single-source database of lost Jewish property assets from the Holocaust era.

Project HEART's Executive Director Bobby Brown said that the involvement of the Government of Israel in the global Holocaust restitution effort marks an important development for the victims and their heirs. "Israel's very strength and national determination is derived from those who were forced to experience the very worst of humanity," he said. "It is therefore incumbent upon the Jewish nation to do our utmost to give them some measure of justice which they have been denied for so long."

"The Holocaust was not only genocide of the Jewish people, but the greatest robbery in history," said Natan Sharansky, the chairman of the Jewish Agency. "These new technological tools together with the official involvement of the State of Israel in this process give us the hope that this time things will be different. As a former Prisoner of Zion, I remember the difficulty that existed in transferring information in the Soviet Union. In the age of the Internet, Google and Facebook allow us to create magnificent revolutions. Project HEART's website has received more than 700,000 hits during its first few weeks."

Launched in late February, 2011, Project HEART seeks to identify Jewish Holocaust victims and their heirs worldwide whose families owned real estate, movable, immovable, or other intangible personal property that was confiscated, looted, or forcibly sold in countries governed or occupied by the Nazi forces or Axis powers during the Holocaust era. The only limitation for application is if a post-war settlement already has been made to a victim or the victim's heirs for that property. In such cases, people are not eligible to apply to Project HEART regarding that property.

To participate, individuals need to fill out the questionnaire available on HEART's website, www.heartwebsite.org. Since it was launched, details about Project HEART's purpose and the application process have been translated into 13 languages, and a 24-hour call center is operational in all languages. To date, the project has received tens of thousands of requests for additional information.

"Since the end of World War II, the only remnant most Holocaust victims had of their property and assets were their memories and that is not acceptable," said Anya Verkhovskaya, Project HEART's administrative director. "As the survivor community grows smaller, it is more important than ever to do all we can to help the remaining survivors and their descendants receive restitution."

Project HEART is a global effort led by the Jewish Agency for Israel in cooperation with the Government of Israel seeking to reach Jewish victims of the Holocaust and their heirs. The project's goal is to record relevant information about personal property that was confiscated, looted or forcibly sold as a result of the Nazi occupation, and which has never been restituted. The ultimate aim of Project HEART is to provide the tools, strategy and information that will enable the Government of Israel, Project HEART and their partners to secure a measure of justice for eligible Jewish victims and their heirs-on behalf of the Jewish people.

Holocaust Era Asset Restitution Taskforce is asking for your help to forward this important information to as many people as you think would be eligible to participate in the project.

ENDS

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