Serbian Holocaust Restitution Deadline Looms
Place of Grief: A woman mourns at the site of a Nazi concentration camp in Belgrade. Image by historical archive of belgrade
Families of Serbian Jewish victims of the Holocaust have until March 1 to file claims for property restitution.
Serbia passed a law in October 2011 enabling restitution of Holocaust-era property or compensation in lieu of restitution for people whose property was confiscated by the Nazis or the Communist regime that followed.
This week, the World Jewish Restitution Organization, which handles Holocaust restitution advocacy relating to European countries other than Germany and Austria, launched a public relations campaign to get families of victims to file their claims by the March 1 deadline.
Approximately 14,500 of the estimated 16,000 Jews who lived in Serbia before the Holocaust were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. Information about filing a claim may be accessed via the Serbian Agency for Restitution at http://www.restitucija.gov.rs; by phone at 381-11-3061-398; or via the U.S. Embassy in Serbia at http://serbia.usembassy.gov/service/restitution.html.
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