Olga Kefalogianni meets with the World Organization for the Restitution of Jewish Property

The Minister of Tourism received, at their request, a delegation from the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO), led by its President, Mr. Gideon Taylor, which was accompanied by members of the American Embassy in Greece, as well as the President of the Central Council of Jewish Communities in Greece, Mr. David Saltiel.

The purpose of the meeting was the presentation of the long-standing issue of restitution or compensation for more than 100 properties that belonged to Jews before the war and which have ended up in the Greek State, as well as the issue of the best possible “provenance research” of works and objects confiscated by the Nazis and found in the collections of museums.

The interlocutors said that they sought a meeting with Ms. Kefalogianni in relation to issues concerning the Greek Jewish community and asked for her support, in her ministerial and parliamentary capacity, for the settlement of the long-standing issue of the restitution or compensation of ancestral property.

Also, they indicated that settling this issue, as well as improving the procedures for researching the provenance of museum exhibits, would have a positive impact on tourism, both in terms of the flow of tourists from Israel and from the United States, especially with regard to the American Jewish element.

Further, they referred to a unanimous bipartisan resolution in the US Congress regarding the issue of Jewish properties worldwide.

The Minister indicated, for her part, that she understands and shares the entirely legitimate demand of the Jewish side, the settlement of which has been considerably delayed, and pledged to support, to the extent of her powers and capabilities, the promotion of its speedy settlement, which, she pointed out, is the responsibility of other Ministries.

Mrs. Kefalogianni recalled that Greece was one of the first countries, immediately after WWII, with laws as early as 1944 and 1946, that took immediate measures to return to the Jewish Community property belonging to Jews lost in the Holocaust and which were not sought by heirs.

He also stressed that important steps have already been taken so that the Greek Israeli community, which unfortunately has been reduced due to the Holocaust, can feel in daily practice the equality and security provided by the Greek state.