The Bavarian National Museum in Munich has returned silver objects looted from Jews 84 years ago by the German authorities to their descendants living in Israel. Among the 19 returned items there are mainly holy utensils such as kiddush cups, candlesticks and special objects used for Shabbat and holidays. This is the first time that the Bavarian National Museum has returned such property to Jewish descendants.
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The silver items were handed over by Dr. Matthias Weniger, head of provenance research at the Bavarian National Museum, who brought the artifacts to Israel. The 19 items were returned to six families in Israel. The silver items were looted by the Germans in 1939 as part of the Nazi persecution of Jews and their property. The valuable silverware and jewelry of Jewish families were ordered to be transferred to city pawnshops. The Jews received a small amount of money in return – far below the true value of the items, while the Germans sent the items to Berlin and used them for other purposes.
Since 2019, the museum has been systematically investigating the owners of 111 remaining items. It is now in contact with 70 families around the world and hopes that all belongings can be returned to the heirs of the stolen property by the end of the year.
"I find it inappropriate to send these items in a package and prefer to go personally to each of the heirs' families to deliver it to them. The search for the descendants was not easy. About two-thirds of the owners did not survive the Holocaust. Sometimes this is the only material evidence that survived." Weniger says.
Weniger said that he was helped by the Magen David Adom organization to locate descendants. The museum is in the process of returning items to the families and heirs of the previous owners in different countries. According to Weniger, he has already returned silverware to Jewish families in the United States and now he has arrived in Israel for the first time to deliver them.
The German ambassador to Israel, Steffan Seibert, came to the Birnbaum family in Rehovot on Tuesday together with Weniger to give them two spectacularly beautiful kiddush cups that are joined together and can be separated into two. The Birnbaums were very excited to see the objects and felt that they were touching history.
On Friday, Weniger handed over candlesticks to an Israeli family in Kibbutz Givat Haim - 84 years after they were looted from the family. "These candlesticks heralded the approaching Shabbat and it was very touching to return these candlesticks after so many years," Weniger said.
First published: 11:07, 06.08.23