The U.S. Supreme Court has heard oral arguments in two cases related to the Nazis’ forced sale of valuable art by Jews at extremely reduced prices. One case involves the heirs of Hungarian Jews; the other involves heirs of German Jews. The cases raise legal questions about whether such claims involving foreign countries can be adjudicated in U.S. courts. As of this writing, the Supreme Court has not yet issued a decision.
Quotes: “The Nazi regime stripped German Jews of the protection of the rule of law from the moment Hitler took power and declared explicitly that Jews were not ‘German.’ ” | “It is beyond serious debate that Nazi Germany took property in violation of international law by systematically targeting its Jewish citizens to make their property vulnerable for seizure.”
Sources:Wikipedia, Los Angeles Times
Learn more about Nazi looting of artwork on Wikipedia. >>
Read “Supreme Court weighs heirs’ claims over forced Jewish art sales during Nazi era” >>
Watch “Heirs to medieval art collection sold to Nazis seek restitution” [6:02]. >>
Photo: WEMU
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