"Progress slow on art stolen by Nazis" Associated Press September 12, 2014
BERLIN — Fifteen years after the first international agreement on the restitution of Nazi-era looted art, more than half of the countries that endorsed such accords have done ‘‘little or nothing’’ to implement them, the Jewish Claims Conference said in a report released Thursday.
Nothing personal, but I'm so sick of Jewish whining these days.
In the report, the Claims Conference and the World Jewish Restitution Organization analyzed the activities of some 50 countries and concluded that only four — Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, and the Netherlands — have made ‘‘major progress’’ in implementing agreements on returning art and other cultural property plundered during the Nazi era.
The Nazis stole hundreds of thousands of objects of art from Jews, museums, and other institutions in Europe. Many found their way into the hands of the Soviets, Western Allies, or others, and are scattered around the world.
The countries analyzed in the report are all signatories to either the 1998 Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art or the 2009 Terezin Declaration, or both.
All have also signed a resolution calling for museums to establish the full provenance of items in their collection, but only a minority of museums have implemented this code, the report said. The groups called for the creation of a panel of specialists to help ‘‘guide museums toward more actively and professionally investigating the histories of items in their collections.’’
‘‘As we approach 70 years since the end of World War II, and 15 years since the Washington Conference, action and restitution must take the place of talks and agreements,’’ said Greg Schneider, Claims Conference executive vice president, in a statement.
The report concluded that in addition to the top four, another 11 countries had made ‘‘substantial progress,’’ but seven were listed as only having taken some steps and 23 as having made no significant progress. Several others weren’t ranked for lack of information.
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Related: Monet picture found in German collector’s suitcase
They always get their man!
MONDAY UPDATE:
I could have gave this item it's on post complete with vulgar analogy, but it fits the theme so....
"Merkel leads Berlin rally against anti-Semitism | Associated Press September 15, 2014
BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel led a rally against anti-Semitism on Sunday, telling several thousand people that Jewish life is part of Germany’s identity and she wants to ensure that Jews feel safe here.
Germany’s Jewish community organized the rally at the capital’s Brandenburg Gate after tensions over the Gaza conflict spilled over into demonstrations in Europe that saw anti-Jewish slogans and violence.
I'm so sick of being flogged by the Zionist pre$$ whip. The implication is if you oppose the butchery of Israel in Palestine you are somehow a Nazi!
You wanna turn that record over, please?
President Joachim Gauck joined ministers and Germany’s top Protestant and Catholic clerics at the event, along with Muslim community leaders.
Jewish leader Dieter Graumann said the summer saw ‘‘the worst anti-Semitic slogans on German streets for many, many decades.’’
Did anyone mention to him that Palestinians and Arabs are also semitic people?
‘‘We won’t let ourselves be intimidated,’’ he said. ‘‘But we would have liked a bit more empathy in the last few weeks. Many of us still come from Holocaust families . . . how do you think we feel when we hear on German streets today, ‘Jews to the gas?’ ’’
Whine, whine, whine, whine, as they drop the phosphorous on Palestinians. I know, I know, I'm an "anti-Semite," and I wear the badge with pride.
Merkel said it is ‘‘verging on a miracle that well above 100,000 Jews live in Germany today,’’ seven decades after the Nazi Holocaust. After the end of World War II, only around 15,000 remained in Germany.
Actually, if you run the numbers there are more Holocaust™survivors than claimed remained. None of it makes sense, but clear your mind and believe the $elf-$erving narrative and dogma while opening that wallet for something most had nothing to do with.
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