Members of Congress Urge Poland and Lithuania to Pass Property Restitution Legislation
Prague Holocaust Conference is an Opportunity to Address Property Restitution

(Washington, DC) Today, Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent letters to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius urging them to enact fair and comprehensive Holocaust property restitution legislation during the upcoming Prague Conference on Holocaust Era Assets which will take place June 26-30, 2009. Wexler was joined by twenty-four members including House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA), House Committee on Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and House Subcommittee on Europe Ranking Member Elton Gallegly (R-CA). Wexler was recently appointed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to serve on the U.S. delegation to the conference, which will be led by Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat and Ambassador J. Christian Kennedy, Department of State Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues. Other members of the delegation include Holocaust survivor and renowned author Elie Wiesel and Holocaust Survivor Alex Moscovic of Hollywood, Florida.

In the letters, Wexler and Members of Congress point out that although Poland and Lithuania are important allies of the United States, they are notably among the last post-Soviet countries to enact legislation establishing a process for the restitution of or compensation of property unjustly stolen by Nazis during the Holocaust or subsequent governments. 

“The Prague Conference is an opportunity for the Polish and Lithuanian governments to announce their intention to introduce, enact, and implement property restitution legislation that is fair, timely and accessible for both victims of Nazi, Communist or Soviet aggression.  I am hopeful that these governments are willing to fulfill their repeated promises to pass property restitution or compensation legislation and ensure a measure of justice for those individuals whose property was unconscionably stolen.   Given that both Poland and Lithuania are democratic allies of the U.S and share our commitment to the rule of law, it is imperative that both Warsaw and Vilnius join their European neighbors and seize this opportunity at Prague to address property restitution,” Wexler said.

Download the letter to the Lithuanian Prime Minister and the Polish Prime Minister.

Congressman Robert Wexler is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. Recently, Congressman Wexler served as an advisor on Middle East issues to President Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign.

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