A special Hague court, which was considering a case involving the restitution of property locted by the Germans from Dutch Jews during the occupation of Holland, upheld the right of the Jews to refuse an offer to accept a portion of it in lieu of a full settlement.
The issue before the court involved Jewish victims of the Nazis who were forced to “deposit” their assets with the Lipman-Rosenthal Bank during the occupation. The bank, which is in the process of liquidation, offered the “depositors” 70 percent of their deposits, if they renounce their claims to securities and other negotiable property which the bank has since sold. The offer was made at the suggestion of the Dutch Ministry of Finance.
Jewish leaders in Holland, protesting the offer, asked the court to endores the principle that the Jews are entitled to full repayment, and to order the immediate return of half of all deposits. The decision provides that the government must make public within two months the percentage which the bank will pay to its creditors on account of the approximately 400,000,000 guilders “deposited” in the bank.
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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.
