Survivor group defends pursuit of restitution

By · February 21, 2008

American Holocaust survivors affirmed their right to pursue restitution claims in “every appropriate venue.”

In a resolution adopted this week, the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants “reaffirmed its unequivocal support of the absolute right of Holocaust survivors to pursue all claims of moral and material restitution, including property and insurance claims, in every appropriate venue.”

The resolution may be seen as support for controversial legislation now under discussion in the U.S. House of Representatives that would pave the way for survivor lawsuits against European insurance companies.

Roman Kent, the American Gathering chairman, testified against the legislation in a recent hearing in Washington and is said to be standing by his testimony.

The American Gathering also adopted resolutions establishing a committee to examine the treatment of American Holocaust survivors and endorsing French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s recent Holocaust education initiative. The intiative, which would match up every French 10- and 11-year-old with a profile of a Jewish child from the Holocaust as a means of educating about the Jews’ plight during World War II, has come under heavy criticism since Sarkozy announced it last week.