The World Jewish Restitution Organization is alerting the families of Holocaust victims from Serbia to the impending 1 March 2014 deadline for filing claims for the restitution of properties located in Belgrade or elsewhere in what is now the Republic of Serbia (formerly a part pf Yugoslavia).
Any person, or his or her descendants, who had property confiscated during the Holocaust or subsequently by the Communist regime may file a claim, the WJRO announced. Serbia's Law on Property Restitution and Compensation provides for restitution of the property or, when restitution is not possible, an award of compensation.
Serbia passed the law in October 2011. It enables restitution of Holocaust-era property or compensation in lieu of restitution for people whose property was confiscated by the Nazis or the Communist regime that followed.
Approximately 14,500 of the estimated 16,000 Jews who lived in Serbia before the Holocaust were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. Information about filing a claim may be accessed via the Serbian Agency for Restitution by phone at +1 381 11 3061 398,or via the US Embassy in Serbia. There are approximately 1,200 individuals in the US, Israel and other countries who are of Serbian origin and who are urge to lodge their applications before the deadline, if they have not done so already.
