The Central Committee of Polish Jews and the Central Council of Jewish Communities in Poland have submitted memorandums to the Polish Government asking the restoration of Jewish communal property, it was revealed here today.
The memorandum of the Central Committee asks that buildings which belonged to Jewish institutions in various parts of Poland before the war be placed under its supervision. The Central. Council demands that synagogue guildings which remained intact come under its control, and points out that synagogue buildings in many Polish towns are still being used by the local non-Jewish population for clubs and recreation centers.
The question of transferring the property of extinct Jewish communities to the two bodies is complicated by the fact that they are not yet officially recognized by the Polish Government as the representative institutions entitled to inherit the property of pre-war Jewish communities. Jewish leaders here are hoping that the new Polish cabinet and the newly-elected parliament will finally resolve this problem.
Most of the premises of the Jewish institutions are occupied by Polish institutions and organizations. This is especially true in towns where few or no Jews survived the liquidation of the local ghettos by the Nazis. The redemption of the Jewish community buildings from Polish institutions will meet with great opposition, Jewish leaders believe.
The question of heirless Jewish property which belonged to individuals has still not been settled. At present, such property is calssified as “ownerless” and is managed by a special government office. All income from such property goes to the government.
Estimating that the Germans transferred several billion dollars worth of Jewish property from Poland to Germany, the Central Committee has established a special department for the purpose of identifying Jewish property among the transports of tools and machinery which are now being brought back from Germany. The department is also studying the question of reparations from Germany.
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