Efforts to Obtain Restitution in Poland

Lea Evron's father, Sigmund Balitzer, left, owned a factory and apartment building in Zcywiecz, Poland. Mrs. Evron and her mother were the only members of their family to survive the Holocaust. She has been attempting for years to obtain the property back from the Polish government.

There is currently no legislation governing the restitution of private property. In March 2001, the Polish parliament approved a law for the restitution of private property.However, the right to file a claim was limited to those persons who had Polish citizenship as of Dec. 31, 1999. The law was subsequently vetoed by the President of Poland.

In a speech in 2002, the Polish Prime Minister indicated that any new legislation would not discriminate on the basis of citizenship or residency.American government officials and the World Jewish Restitution Organization continue to follow this issue closely.

In the absence of restitution legislation that might allow for collective negotiations for property return or payment, some people have elected to pursue individual property restitution claims. As such, they have begun applying to the Polish courts, and bringing private lawsuits before the appropriate tribunals.

Peter Koppenheim's parents owned this building in what is now Wroclaw, Poland. It was confiscated and sold by the Nazis and nationalized after the war. In the 1990s, Poland gave the property to the heirs of the Nazi sympathizers who bought it from the Nazis. The heirs, in turn, sold it to the international corporation Thyssen Krupp.

The Polish Bank Accounts List

In 1960 and 1975 Switzerland returned to Poland dormant bank accounts and some insurance policies belonging to Polish citizens from the Holocaust period. Today the Polish Ministry of Finance offers to return the money to its owners or its heirs. For additional information, contact the Property Department at the Polish Ministry of Finance:

Ministerstwie Finanscow – Departament Spraw Majatkowych
pokoj nr 3130 lub 3128
ul. Swietokrzyska 12
00-916 Warszawa
Tel: 694-46-42, or 694-30-03

You may also search the list of Polish bank account holders: www.claimsinfo.org/searchdb.asp

Communal Property

In February 1997, the Polish Parliament enacted a law to deal with the restitution of communal property. The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland was formed as a partnership between WJRO and the Union of Jewish Religious Communities in Poland (JRCP).The Foundation is researching, preparing and filing claims to the Polish government for the restitution of Jewish communal property.