Realization of Holocaust Memorial of Names not dependent on restitution of leasehold charges |
19-02-2014 |
The realization of the Dutch Holocaust Memorial of Names is not dependent on any possible donation from leasehold charges. Although such a contribution would be welcome, the Holocaust Memorial of Names can be realized without this support.
In an article dated 14 February and entitled ‘Leasehold charges for wall of names’, the NIW writes that Mayor Van de Laan of Amsterdam has proposed donating some of any unreturnable leasehold charges to the Holocaust Names Memorial. The newspaper quotes a spokesman for the mayor as saying: ‘If not all leasehold charges can be returned to surviving relatives, Amsterdam might consider supporting initiatives such as the wall of names from the Dutch Auschwitz Committee and the Shoah Museum from the Hollandsche Schouwburg’.
In March 2013 it emerged that the Municipality of Amsterdam had imposed charges and fines on Jewish victims after World War II for failure to pay leasehold charges during the war. The NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies is now carrying out an investigation to discover how much money was involved. This will determine how much money will be repaid to surviving relatives.
As was previously the case with compensation paid for stolen Jewish assets (known as the Maror funds) it is expected that not all leasehold charges can be repaid to surviving relatives. Any unreturnable money will be set aside for the Jewish community in the wider sense. A donation from this money to the Holocaust Memorial of Names is of course highly welcome, but it not a condition for its construction.
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