The most that can be said for a congressional effort to provide redress for Holocaust survivors who believe their families were scammed by European insurance companies is that it provided for an entertaining back and forth last year in the House financial services committee. Several prominent Jewish organizations came out against the legislation, which would pave the way for survivors to sue insurers in U.S. courts, and the bill never went anywhere.
Now the Miami Herald is hoping to give the effort new life, with this ringing endorsement:
The bill would create a public registry that includes the names of Holocaust-era policy holders. This would allow victims and heirs whose policies have been destroyed to file claims. The bill also would explicitly give victims the right to sue for damages in court, a basic right that was lost in the recent court decisions.
The entire Florida delegation, Republican and Democrat, should support this legislation. Indeed, seeking fair redress for a historical wrong should be the business of all members of Congress, regardless of party affiliation. President Obama has many pressing items on his agenda, and Holocaust survivors, admittedly, represent a relatively small universe of people. However, creating a path to justice for Holocaust victims is an achieveable goal, one deserving of bipartisan support and worthy of the attention of a president who understands the value of using power to achieve a greater good.
