The work of the Bavarian Restitution Office has returned to normal this week following the replacement of Dr. Philip Auerbach, its Jewish head, by a Dr. Seitz, who conducted the formal investigation of Dr. Auerbach’s stewardship of the office.
After the inquiry Dr. Auerbach was removed because he “lacked the necessary qualifications” for the job–which he had handled for many months. The Bavarian Government also issued a statement that Dr. Auerbach had committed no criminal acts during his term of office. The investigation was launched after political opponents accused him of embezzling funds from the office.
Meanwhile, in an interview with a Munich newspaper, Dr. Auerbach charged that Dr. Seitz is a former assistant of Hans Frank, Nazi Governor of occupied Poland, who was hanged as a war criminal by the Allied Powers. Munich Chief Rabbi Ohrenstein stated today that the Restitution Office should be headed by a Jew, and that victims of persecution can have no confidence in a head of the office who was once connected with the Nazis.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
