The University of Sao Paulo, in Brazil, has been named to inherit some $10 million from the Nazi organization Odessa, according to a report in the Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.
It is believed that the inheritance consists of a treasure of some 465 lbs. of jewels, rare coins, gold and precious stones, kept for more than 40 years in a vault of the Banco do Brazil in the care of Albert Willi Louis Blume, a Nazi German who died heirless in December 1983.
Blume died reportedly in poverty, and today his tomb is unkempt. It appears that he waited faithfully for the valuables to be claimed by Odessa, but that never happened.
“He lived in misery and was buried as an indigent, but everything leads one to believe that he was a trusted receiver of Odessa’s goods,” said Ben Abraham, a writer and historian who investigated the Nazis who lived in Brazil.
“Odessa gave refuge to Nazis such as Blume, Josef Mengele and Franz Warner. And the valuables helped the Nazis to corrupt officials and buy false IDs,” he said.
According to Brazilian law, fortunes without heirs are meant to go to public institutions. In this case, the recipient is the University of Sao Paulo.
There has been no public mention of the fact that the valuables were stolen from Nazi victims in Europe.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
