Holocaust-Era Assets: A Guide for Filing Claims and a List of Compensation Programs

Holocaust-Era Assets: A Guide for Filing Claims and a List of Compensation Programs

Order Code RL30396
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Holocaust-Era Assets: A Guide
for Filing Claims and a
List of Compensation Programs
Updated August 15, 2000
Barbara ASalazar
Information Research Specialist
Information Research Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

Holocaust-Era Assets: A Guide
for Filing Claims and a
List of Compensation Programs
Summary
This report provides the addresses, fax, and telephone numbers (including e-mail and
Internet sites when available) of the major private and governmental organizations that are
currently assisting with claims, compensation, and restitution of Holocaust-era assets
(artworks, bank accounts, insurance claims, property, etc.). Included is information on the
recently established German compensation fund for forced and slave laborers. These
sources should be contacted directly for copies of claims forms and additional information.
Related reports on this topic include the following:
CRS Report 98-699, Holocaust Survivor and Heir Lawsuits to Recover Swiss Bank
Deposits;
CRS Report RL30381, Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims: Background and Issues;
CRS Report RL30262, The Holocaust–Recovery of Assets from World War II: A
Chronology (May 1995 to Present).

Contents
Organizations Assisting with Holocaust-Era Claims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
List of Tables
Table 1. Compensation and Restitution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Holocaust-Era Assets: A Guide
for Filing Claims and a
List of Compensation Programs
This report is a guide for Holocaust survivors, their heirs, and other claimants in the
United States who are interested in obtaining the necessary forms for filing claims for assets
lost or stolen during the Second World War. Directly below is a table listing the various
organizations and their compensation and/or restitution programs. An alphabetical listing
follows this table. Listed are the various private and governmental organizations assisting
with Holocaust-era claims for stolen or looted assets such as works of art; dormant bank
accounts in Swiss and other European banks; unpaid insurance claims by European
insurance companies; property restitution in the United Kingdom and in Eastern Europe;
and compensation for forced/slave labor in Nazi-run industries. In addition, governments
such as Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and other nations have established national funds
or restitution programs that are listed below.
Table 1. Compensation and Restitution
General—
Labor—
Property
Hardship or
Art
Bank
Insurance
Forced and
and Real
National
Works
Accounts
Slave
Estate
Funds
American
Art Loss
Austrian Bank Allianz
Cohen,
American
Jewish Joint
Register
Claims
Insurance
Milstein,
Jewish
Distribution
Group
Hausfeld, and
Committee
Committee
Toll
Research
Austrian
Commission
Cohen,
Assicurazioni
German
Enemy
National Fund
for Art
Milstein,
Generali
Foundation
Property
Recovery
Hausfeld, and
Initiative
Scheme for the
Toll
(a.k.a.. the
United
German
Kingdom
Remembrance
Fund)
Conference on Holocaust
Holocaust
California
Polish
United
Jewish
Art
Claims
Holocaust
American
Restitution
Material
Restitution
Processing
Insurance
Congress
Organization
Claims
Project
Office, New
Settlement
Against
York State
Alliance
Germany, a.k.a.
Banking
“Claims
Department
Conference”

CRS-2
General—
Labor—
Property
Hardship or
Art
Bank
Insurance
Forced and
and Real
National
Works
Accounts
Slave
Estate
Funds
Claims
The
The
Florida
Siemens
--
Conference
Netherlands
Netherlands
Department
A G
Article 2 Fund
of Insurance
Claims
Polish
Pennsylvania
Holocaust
Volkswagen
--
Conference
American
Treasury
Claims
Fund for
Hardship
Congress
Department’s
Processing
Former Forced
Fund
Holocaust
Office, New
Laborers
A s s e t s
York State
Recovery
Banking
Department
France’s
Swiss
Simon
International
--
--
Mattéoli
Bureau on
Wiesenthal
Commission
Commission
Looted Art
Center
on Holocaust
Insurance
Claims
German
--
Swiss Bank
The
--
--
Compensation
Accounts—
Netherlands
Fund for Non-
Ernst & Young
Jewish
Victims
Holocaust
--
Swiss Bank
Pennsylvania
--
--
Claims
Settlement
Treasury
Processing
Department’s
Office, New
Holocaust
York State
A s s e t s
Banking
Recovery
Department
The
--
--
Simon
--
--
Netherlands
Wiesenthal
Center

CRS-3
Organizations Assisting with Holocaust-Era Claims
For guidance and updates on where and how to seek reparations, contact the Conference
on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (a.k.a. “Claims Conference”) listed below.
The Claims Conference has issued a comprehensive Restitution Guide for additional
compensation and restitution programs in the United States and worldwide.
Allianz Insurance Group—There is no address listed in the United States but they do
provide a 24-hour, multilingual help line for claimants seeking recovery of payments from
property, casualty, and life insurance policies from this German company at 1-800-411-
0118, or by contacting the International Commission on Holocaust Insurance Claims
(ICHEIC) at 1-800-496-1974.
American Jewish Committee Research Department—For information on the
restitution of Jewish property in Central and Eastern Europe, and a listing of German
companies that used forced and slave laborers.
American Jewish Committee Research Department
Tel: (212) 751-4000
165 East 56th Street
Internet at [http://www.ajc.org]
New York, NY 10022-2746
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJJDC)—For restitution for needy
Holocaust victims in the United States who resided in the former Eastern Bloc during and
after World War II. Compensation was made available from the “International Fund for
Needy Victims of Nazi Persecution” created at the London Nazi Gold Conference,
December 1997.
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
Tel: (212) 687-6200
711 3rd Avenue
Fax: (212) 682-7262
New York, NY 10017-4014
E-mail: info@jdcny.org
Art Loss Register—Regarding stolen or missing art contact:
Tel: (212) 262-4831
The Art Loss Register
Fax: (212) 262-4838
666 Fifth Avenue, 21st Floor
E-mail: alrnewyork@aol.com
New York, NY 10103
Internet at: [http://www.artloss.com]
Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. (Italy’s largest insurance company)—For application
forms to file insurance claims or to request archival research.
Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A.
Tel: 1-800-456-8174
Policy Information Center
45 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 200
New York, NY 10111-0100

CRS-4
Austrian Bank Claims —For dormant account claims in Austrian banks. The deadline
for filing a claim was May 31, 2000. For questions regarding status of claims submitted
contact the following:
Austrian Bank Holocaust Litigation
c/o Plaintiffs Class Counsel
E-mail: questions@austrianbankclaims.com
P.O. Box 1650
Internet at: [http://www.austrianbankclaims.com]
Philadelphia, PA 19105-1650 USA
Austrian National Fund for the Victims of National Socialism—Created in 1995 by
the Austrian government to provide onetime payments of 70,000 Austrian Schillings (about
$6,000) to victims of Nazi persecution. Applications for compensation in the United
States are made through the Austrian Embassy.
Mrs. Ingrid Richardson
Tel: (202) 895-6719
Consular Attache for Legal and Social Security Affairs
Fax: (202) 895-6772
Embassy of Austria
E-mail: austroinfo@austria.org
3524 International Court, NW
Internet at: [http://www.austria.org]
Washington, D.C. 20008-3035
Belarus —For citizens and current residents, Jewish and non-Jewish, for compensation
for forced labor.
Belarusian Republican Foundation for “Mutual Understanding and Reconciliation” Minsk,
Belarus
Fax: 375-172-32113
California Holocaust Insurance Settlement Alliance—For California residents filing
Holocaust-era claims against European insurance companies.
Holocaust Insurance Claims
Tel: 1-888-234-4636
ATTN: Leslie Tick, Senior Staff Counsel
or (415) 538-4190
45 Fremont Street, 23rd Floor
Fax: (415) 904-5896
San Francisco, CA 94105
Internet at: [http://www.insurance.ca.gov]
Cohen, Milstein, Hausfe ld & Toll—Washington, D.C., based law firm. For
information on the $1.25 billion lawsuit against Swiss banks on dormant war-era bank
accounts and litigation on World War II-era slave laborers.
Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, P.L.L.C.
Tel: (202) 408-4600
1100 New York Avenue, N.W.
Fax: (202) 408-4699
Suite 500, West Tower
E-mail at lawinfo@cmht.com
Washington, D.C. 20005
Internet at: [http://www.cmht.com]
Commission for Art Recovery of the World Jewish Congress (CAR)—For claims
forms contact:
Tel: (212) 521-0102
Commission for Art Recovery
Fax: (212) 319-8681
767 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4600
E-mail:car@rslmgmt.com
New York, NY 10153
Internet at: [http://www.wjc-artrecovery.org]

CRS-5
Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, Inc. (a.k.a. “Claims
Conference”). Its Web site has a comprehensive Restitution Guide.
Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany
Tel: (212) 696-4944
15 East 26th Street, Suite 906
Fax: (212) 679-2126
New York, NY 10010
E-mail: claimscon@aol.com
Internet at: [http://www.claimscon.org/RestitutionGuide.html]
Claims Conference Article 2 Fund—This fund was created in 1993 to compensate
Jewish victims in the former East Germany after the reunification of Germany. This
decision was formalized in Article 2 of the “Agreement on the Enactment and Interpretation
of the Unification Treaty” of September 18, 1990, that unified Germany. Jewish victims
of Nazi persecution are eligible if they:
1) were 6 months or longer in a concentration camp or 18 months or longer in a ghetto or
18 months or longer in hiding; and
2) received no more than DM 10,000 in previous compensation; and
3) currently live under difficult financial circumstances.
If eligible, compensation is a lifetime pension in the amount of DM 500 per month.
Claims Conference Article 2 Fund
Tel: (212) 696-4944
15 East 26th Street, Room 906
Fax: (212) 679-2126
New York, NY 10010
E-mail: info@claimscon.org
Claims Conference Hardship Fund—Applications for compensation under the Hardship
Fund are still being accepted. Compensation is available to Jewish victims of Nazi
persecution who have received no previous compensation and currently live under difficult
financial conditions. Compensation under the Hardship Fund consists of a one-time
payment of DM 5000.
Claims Conference Hardship Fund
Tel: (212) 696-4944
15 East 26th Street, Room 906
Fax: (212) 679-2126
New York, NY 10010
E-mail: info@claimscon.org
Czech Republic—For citizens and current residents, Jewish and non-Jewish, for
compensation for forced labor.
Czech-German Future Fund
Fax: 420-2-83850-503
Prague, Czech Republic
Denmark—A fund created by the Danish government for former citizens of Denmark
who suffer from a physical disability as a result of persecution during the Nazi occupation,
or as a result of incarceration in concentration camps.
Royal Danish Consulate General
Tel: (212) 223-4545
One Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza
Fax: (212) 754-1904
885 Second Avenue, 18th Floor
E-mail: information@denmark.org
New York, NY 10017
Internet at: [http://www.denmark.org]

CRS-6
Enemy Property Payment Scheme (United Kingdom)—During World War II, the
British government confiscated property in the United Kingdom belonging to residents of
countries that were at war with Britain and her allies. Unfortunately, some of the property
confiscated belonged to victims of the Holocaust and was not returned to the rightful
owners after the war. For information contact:
Enemy Property Claims-FRM2
Tel: 44-171-215-3485
118 #10 Victoria St.
Fax: 44-171-215-3487
10 Victoria Street
E-mail address: property.enemy@frmd.dti.gov.uk
London SW1H 0ET
Internet at: [http://www.enemyproperty.gov.uk]
United Kingdom
Florida Department of Insurance—For claims by Florida residents against European
insurance companies. For information on filing a claim contact:
Florida Department of Insurance
Tel: (850) 488-6129
Holocaust Victims Project
Fax: (850) 413-4136
ATTN: Karen Asher Cohen, General Deputy Counsel
200 East Gaines Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-4205
Forced and Slave Labor—After nearly 2 years of intense negotiations, a compensation
fund was officially signed on July 17, 2000, in Berlin by representatives of Germany, the
United States, Israel, and several East European nations establishing the German
Foundation, “Remembrance, Responsibility, and the Future.” For background information
on the German Remembrance Fund, consult its Internet site at
[http://www.stiftungsinitiative.de/eindex.html]. One-time payments to surviving laborers
are expected later this year. Please note: The heirs of both forced and slave labor victims
who died after February 15, 1999, are also eligible to file a claim. Claimants who qualify
as forced laborers will receive $2,500 each, and those who qualify as slave laborers will
receive $7,500 each.
For application and distribution information for surviving Jewish laborers in the United
States and worldwide, contact the following:
Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany
Tel: (212) 696-4944
15 East 26th Street, Room 906
Fax: (212) 679-2126
New York, NY 10010
E-mail: info@claimscon.org
For application and distribution information for non-Jewish victims in the United States and
worldwide ( except Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia,
and Lithuania, which are listed separately by country) contact:
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Tel : (202) 862-1826
Slave and Forced Labor Compensation Project
Fax : (202) 862-1879

CRS-7
1752 N Street, N.W.
E-mail: compensation@iom.int
Washington, D.C. 20036
Internet at: [http://www.compensation-for-forced-labour.org]
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Project for Payments to Former Nazi Slave and Forced Workers
17 Route des Morillons, C.P. 71
Tel: 011-41-22-7179235
CH-1211 Geneva 19
Fax: 011-41-22-7986150
Switzerland
E-mail: compensation@iom.int
For information on separate funds that offer compensation to former laborers in factories
owned by Siemens and Volkswagen, contact them at:
Siemens AG
Tel: 49-89-636-32353
Humanitärer Hilfsfonds
Fax: 49-89-636-33582
(Humanitarian Relief Fund for Former Forced Laborers)
Postfach 10 12 12
E-mail: humanitaerer.hilfsfonds@siemens.de
Munich 80088, Germany
Volkswagen Fund for Former Forced Laborers
KPMG Deutsche
Fax: 49-69-9587-3333
Treuhand-Gesellschaft AG
Postfach 550350
60402 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
France’s Mattéoli Commission—Created in 1995 by the French government to
investigate the confiscation of Jewish assets in France. Inquiries regarding claims of
individual assets by former Jewish citizens of France should contact:
Mission d’Étude sur la Spoliation des Juifs de France
Tel: 33-1-45-05-1441
1 rue de la Faisanderie
Fax: 33-1-45-05-1430
75016 Paris, France
German Compensation to Non-Jewish Victims of Nazi Persecution—A separate
government program for victims of Nazi persecution who were not Jewish at the time of
their persecution and therefore not eligible for any of the funds administered by the Claims
Conference. For eligibility requirements and additional information contact:
Bezirkregierung Köln
Tel: 49-221-147-2315
Widergutmachung- Dezernat 37.7
Fax: 49-221-147 3331
Zeughausstr. 2-10
50667 Köln, Germany
Holocaust Art Restitution Project (HARP)—For stolen or missing art contact:
Holocaust Art Restitution Project (HARP)
Tel: (202) 857-9260
B’nai B’rith National Jewish Museum
Internet at: [http://lostart.org]
1640 Rhode Island Avenue, N.W.

CRS-8
Washington, D.C. 20036-3278
Holocaust Claims Processing Office, New York State Banking Department — For
filing claims for dormant bank accounts, insurance, and information on additional claims
contact them at:
New York State Banking Department
Tel: 1-800-695-3318 or (212) 618-6983
Holocaust Claims Processing Office
Fax: (212) 618-6908
2 Rector Street
E-mail: claimsques@banking.state.ny.us
New York, NY 10006
Internet at: [http://claims.state.ny.us]
International Commission on Holocaust Insurance Claims (ICHEIC)—For World
War II-era insurance claims, contact the address and telephone number listed below. Please
note: Residents of California, Florida, New York, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania should
contact their state insurance commissioners directly for updates.
TNT International Mail
Tel: 1-800-957-3203
LHR / LCY / 690547 / 001
Internet at: [http://www.ICHEIC.org]
Int. Antwoordnummer
C.C.R.I Numero 5120
3000 VB Rotterdam
Pays - Bas
Nederland
The Netherlands —The Jewish community in the Netherlands has established a claims
registration office for assets including Dutch bank accounts, insurance, and looted art.
Centraal Meldpunt Joodese Oorlogsclaims
Tel: 31-20-416-7596
Postbus 12969
Fax: 31-20-416-5915
1100 AZ Amsterdam, Netherlands
E-mail: meldount@cjo.nl
Pennsylvania Treasury Department’s Holocaust Assets Recovery—“A Search for
Justice” Web site assists anyone from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with reason to
believe that assets deposited in Swiss banks between January 1, 1933, and May 9, 1945,
belonging to them or a relative to which they are an heir are urged to contact this office.
Persons with claims on insurance policies issued by a European insurance company should
also contact this office. No address was provided.
Tel: 1-800-379-3999 or (717) 705-2959
Internet at: [http://www.treasury.state.pa.us/DefaultASearch.html]
Poland—For citizens and current residents, Jewish and non-Jewish, for compensation for
forced labor.
Foundation for Polish-German Reconciliation
Fax: 48-22-629-5278
Warsaw, Poland

CRS-9
Polish American Congress (PAC)—For information on lost art works in Poland, and
claims forms for compensation for slave/forced labor in German industries. Access to the
electronic document Wartime Losses, Polish Painting, Oil Paintings, Pastels, and
Watercolors, Lost between 1939-1945 by the PAC and the Polish Embassy in
Washington, D.C., is available via the Internet at:
[http://www.polamcon.org/lostart]. For further information, contact:
Attn:Boguslaw M. Majewski
Telephone: (202) 234 3800
Embassy of Poland
Fax: (202) 328-6271
2640 16th Street, N.W.
Email: embpol@telcocom.com
Washington D.C. 20009
Attn: Joseph Bulat, Legal Counsel
Telephone: (773) 763-9944
Forced Labor Compensations
Fax: (773) 286-0842
Polish American Congress/PNA
6100 N. Cicero Avenue
Chicago, IL 60646
Russia—For citizens and current residents, Jewish and non-Jewish, for compensation for
forced labor.
Russian-German Foundation for “Understanding and Reconciliation”
Moscow, Russia
Fax: 7-95-203-0450
Simon Wiesenthal Center—For information on dormant bank accounts in Britain,
France, Sweden, and Switzerland, as well as Holocaust-era insurance policies, contact
them at the address below or visit their Web site “Holocaust Assets” for information on how
to obtain copies of the various claims forms. Information on insurance claims made in
California against European insurers is also located at this Web site.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center
Tel: 1-800-900-9036
9760 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90035
Internet at: [http://www.wiesenthal.com/swiss/index.html]
Swiss Bank Settlement—The toll-free number for information on the $1.25 billion Swiss
Bank Settlement is available in English and Hebrew.
Tel: 1-888-635-5483
Internet at: [http://www.swissbankclaims.com]
Swiss Bureau on Looted Art
Contact Bureau on Looted Art
Tel: 41-31-322-03-25
ATTN: Dr. Andrea F.G. Raschèr
Fax: 41-31-322-92-73
Hallwylstr. 15
E-mail: andrea.rascher@bak.admin.ch
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland

CRS-10
Swiss Embassy—For information on additional compensation programs not listed.
Embassy of Switzerland
Tel: (202) 745-7900
2900 Cathedral Avenue, N.W.
Fax: (202) 387-2564
Washington, D.C. 20008
Internet at: [http://www.swissemb.org]
Swiss Fund for Needy Victims of the Holocaust/Shoah—This fund was created in
1997 by the Swiss Federal Council to assist needy victims in the United States, Eastern
Europe, and the former Soviet Union. New applications are no longer being accepted. On
February 26, 1999, checks of $502 each were mailed to accepted applicants. The
notification letters to those applicants who did not meet the eligibility criteria were also
mailed on that date. Final judgment on disputed claims was made in August 1999.
Ukraine—For citizens and current residents, Jewish and non-Jewish, for compensation for
forced labor.
Ukrainian National Foundation for “Understanding and Reconciliation”
Kiev, Ukraine
Fax: 38-44-224-6555
United Restitution Organization—Provides legal assistance for individuals in claims
against Germany, including information on property restitution in Eastern Europe (excluding
the former East Germany) for a nominal fee.
United Restitution Organization
Tel: (212) 921-3860
570 7th Avenue, 11th Floor
Fax: (212) 575-1918
New York, NY 10018
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum—Provides information on the various
compensation plans by country and by type of asset at their Internet site.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Tel: (202) 488-0400
100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20024
Internet at: [http://www.ushmm.org/assets/index.html]