Lauder: Polish plans to disband property restitution commissions ill-conveived and harmful
16 February 2012
Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress and of the World Jewish Restitution Organization, has expressed his misgivings at plans by the Polish government to abrogate agreements concluded in the 1990s that created a mechanism to facilitate the return of communal property seized by Nazi, and later Communist, decrees. He stated that any move to unilaterally disband existing public property commissions that are currently in place to deal with the claims of Jewish and other non-Catholic religious communities was “ill-conceived and perhaps even unconstitutional.”
An agreement with the Polish government 15 years ago resulted in the creation of specially appointed commissions to adjudicate claims for communal properties. Those bodies consisted of both government and claimant representatives. The Jewish leader declared: “Warsaw seeks to close down the commissions before they have concluded their work, leaving thousands of properties unrestituted. Left to local courts, claims for the restitution of communal property would become entangled in burdensome and time-consuming legal proceedings. Pursuing such cases across the length and breadth of the country would be an unbearable burden on the minority religious communities and harm them."
Lauder went on to say: “This plan is ill-conceived and its implementation would be most problematic — not just for the Polish Jewish community, but for all religious minorities, including the Protestant and Orthodox Churches, the properties of which were also unlawfully confiscated. The idea that in a country in which the rule of law is respected — in a nation that paved the way for the rebirth of democracy in Central Europe — solemn agreements can be unilaterally abandoned is troubling. Paradoxically, at a time when much of Polish society is confronting the most painful aspects of the nation's wartime history with admirable courage and candour, there are those who want reverse the process of righting historic wrongs."
Lauder urged the Polish government to reconsider its position on this matter and to maintain the current system of adjudicating communal property claims. Earlier this week, the head of the Polish Jewish community, Piotr Kadlcik, had also criticized the move by Poland's government.
Of the 3.25 million Jews who lived in Poland prior to World War II, 85 percent perished in the Holocaust. Jewish monuments are an integral part of the cultural heritage of Poland.
» Poland's Jews slam decision to place restitution claims in hands of courts - Haaretz, Israel
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1. In 1961, communist Poland took care of the restitution issues with several countries. USA received 20, $2 million payments over 20 years in total of $40 million (worth $303 million now). Agreement stated that USA will take upon itself to satisfy any property claims of any American citizen. That would include Jewish Americans as well. 2. Since the fall of the communism in 1989, Polish courts were required to hear and process any restitution claim - Jewish, German, Polish. Even though it takes time and money, valid claims have been satisfied. 3. From personal experience, it took my neighbors Polish family 7 years to receive monetary compensation for property left in today's Belarus, then Poland. So why any other nationality should be treated differently? Besides Jews, 3 million Poles died in the concentration camps as well.
I think courts deciding about the claims is the only fair and democratic way to deal with restitution. Remember, Poland is a free and lawful country and as such, it will handle this issue to the best outcome and benefit for all involved.
Of course, knowing how things work, my comment won't be published anyway.
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Adrian, 25 days ago
What about all the polish land that was sold to the sovjets by the western allies. The population of this land was killed off by the ukrainian upa a terroris organisation. I am not even takling about the 45 years in slavery that poland went throu under the sovjets where the country was milked out of its natural resources. Where is the justice in that. When will poland get the compensation for that you cant reson with the russians the will not admit to anything. The polish people fought for europes freedom, justice the jews and what did they get they got inslaved fore 45 years. They got their economy ruined. Poland today is a very very poor country poland is estimated 45 years after all the western countries and what do you want you want to you want to milk the country even more. WW2 destroyed europe. It mad a mess of europe with new borders and population transfers of poles germans and jews. Poles are the victims to you shoud look for monetary compensation in Germany and Russia besoce its was the who started this mess.