Project launched to identify property confiscated by Nazis

The Jewish Agency's Holocaust Era Asset Restitution Taskforce (HEART) aims to identify people with potential claims regarding private property.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Project HEART 311 (photo credit: Project HEART)
Project HEART 311
(photo credit: Project HEART)
A new Holocaust era restitution project has been founded to identify the victims whose assets were confiscated by the Nazis.
An initiative of the Jewish Agency with the support of the government, the Holocaust Era Asset Restitution Taskforce – Project HEART – aims to provide the tools, strategy and information to enable “a small measure of justice to eligible heirs of Jewish victims, the victims themselves, and the Jewish people.”
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At this initial stage, Project HEART is focusing on identifying people with potential claims regarding the following types of private property for which no restitution was received:
• Property that was located in countries that were controlled by the Nazi forces or Axis powers at any time during the Holocaust era.
• Property that belonged to Jews as defined by Nazi/Axis racial laws, and
• Property that was confiscated, looted or forcibly sold by the Nazi forces or Axis powers during the Holocaust era.
“Many victims of the Holocaust returned to their homes to find that they had no ability to recover their own property,” said Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky said. “Project HEART is a general comprehensive program that is launched to gather information with the eventual purpose of receiving compensation for property looted, stolen or forcibly sold during the Holocaust.”
Jewish Holocaust victims and their heirs worldwide whose families owned movable, immovable or 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 are eligible. The only limitation for application is that if restitution was made to a victim or the victim’s heirs for that property after the Holocaust era, then they are not eligible for restitution.
“It is not necessary to have evidence of property ownership to be eligible to apply. If individuals believe they owned or were beneficiaries of such property, they should fill out the questionnaire,” Project Director Anya Verkhovskaya said.
Questionnaires will be processed based on agreements with relevant governments or authorities.
For more information, go to www.heartwebsite.org.