Writer sues NYC dealer over 'Schindler's List' copy
Argentinean author Marta Erika Rosenberg trying to halt memorabilia dealer from selling what is said to be one of few remaining copies of roster of 801 Jewish workers whom German businessman employed to spare them from Nazi camps
The document is a roster of 801 Jewish workers whom German businessman Oskar Schindler employed to spare them from Nazi concentration camps during World War II. It is being offered for $2.2 million.
According to dealer Gary Zimet, the seller bought the original 1945 document from relatives of Schindler’s accountant.
Rosenberg filed a lawsuit last week in a Manhattan court saying that the sale would infringe on rights bestowed upon her by Schindler’s widow, Emilie, who died in 2001.
Rosenberg, Emilie Schindler’s biographer, claims she inherited the widow’s interest in the list, which has gone through several revisions, eventually saving more than 1000 Jews. Other copies of the list are held in various museums and archives.
Rosenberg, based in Buenos Aires, wants proof that the copy Zimet is offering is authentic, and hopes to block the sale, if it is.
According to Rosenberg’s lawyer, John P. Gleason, “She’s not interested in profit or fame.” Rather, she wants to “preserve, protect and correct the historical record.”
“The list is indisputably authentic, and she has no right to it,” Zimet has said, not identifying the seller. Zimet’s business, M.I.T. Memorabilia Inc., is based in Washingtonville, New York, and specializes in manuscripts, autographs, and other historical documents.
“Schindler’s List,” the film based on the renowned document, won the Academy Award for best picture in 1993, among other awards.
Reprinted with permission from Shalom Life
