Martyrdom and Resistance, January/February 1997

ID Transcript mare2303_01 "Vol. 23 - No. 3 ISSN 0892-1571 Swiss Government, Banks Seek Solution To Plundered Funds Since stories first surfaced about hidden funds of Holocaust victims in Swiss banks, writers and community and political leaders referred to this issue as the last episode of the Holocaust. The story has grown beyond the episode. It has become a tortuous narrative of ever-new turns, featuring renewing rounds of charges, counter-charges, and denials. The drama has also directed the spotlight on other countries, and on happenings that had seem closed with the end of the Holocaust. And the issue remains far from resolved! It took months of pressure from American Jewish groups, American political officials, and the media: finally, the Swiss government, banks and businesses have agreed to a fund for Holocaust victims. In a January 23 story with a Bern dateline, the agreement left open important questions: who would contribute; who would be the eligible recipients; what would be the legal basis for such a fund. When Will Payments Start? A Year's Wait Most Likely The country's second largest bank, Credit Suisse, called for the quick establishment of a ""well-endowed"" fund to exceed $70 million. The financing would be borne equally by the government, the Swiss National Bank, and the commercial banks. But Swiss politicians said that it might be more than a year before any payments might be made. At that time a report is scheduled to be issued by a joint commission of Swiss bankers and Jewish groups. ""A decision on the appropriate participation of the Government in the financing of the funds,"" according to a Swiss coalition government statement, ""will be made when the hard, historical facts are presented."" The January 23 agreement was hailed as ""a major (Continued on page 6) DOCUMENT LOOKS TO END OF CZECH-GERMAN ENMITY In a dramatic move to end nearly six decades of hatred, bitterness and revenge that began with Nazi dismantlement of Czechoslovakia in 1938, Germany and the Czech Republic signed a declaration that admitted past wrongs on each side. ""We want to ask for forgiveness, and we want to forgive,"" said German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, at the signature ceremony, in the Liechtenstein Palace on the banks of Vltava, Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus responded, ""We should not forget, but we should not permit the tragic past to complicate our good neighborly relations."" The German document expressed grief for all the victims of Nazi violence when Germany occupied Czech territory, starting in 1938. Czechoslovakia regretted expelling some 3 million Sudeten Germans between 1945-46. (Continued on page 6) January-February 1997 -Teves-Shevat 5757 Vision 2001: Remembrance Program Of Yad Vashem Is Moving to Reality Vision 2001 — a farsighted goal of remembrance for Yad Vashem, Israel's Remembrance Authority However, a visit to Yad Vashem proves that this is more than a vision. Construction work is readily apparent as this master plan takes shape towards realization. Features of the plan are: Computerization, providing the most accessible and best information to scholars and researchers worldwide; New Archives Building, scientifically housing more than 40 million documents and 100,000 photographs; Central School for Holocaust Studies, conducting seminars in seven languages, developing pedagogic tools and expanding programs of Holocaust research; Historical Museum, bringing together artifacts and evidences of the Holocaust; Children's Memorial, dedicated to the 1.5 million martyred Jewish children; Hall of Remembrance, used for commemorative ceremonies; Valley of the Communities, eternalizing the 5,000 Jewish communities destroyed during the Holocaust; Soldiers, Ghetto-fighters, and Partisans Monument, memorializing the Jewish soldiers, ghetto fighters, and members of the resistance movement; Visitors Center/Plaza, a bridge between the every- (Continued on page 8) "