LERMAN OPENING REMARKS AT CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST ASSETS
USIA
30 November 1998
TEXT: LERMAN OPENING REMARKS AT CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST ASSETS
(11/30 - Chairman of U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council) (870)
Washington -- Miles Lerman, chairman of the United States Holocaust
Memorial Council, spoke at an opening reception November 30 for
participants in the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets.
Lerman called for "a global network of Holocaust education that will
be both general and country-specific," adding, "Should this Conference
endorse an international Holocaust education initiative, we at the
[U.S. Holocaust Memorial] Museum stand ready to assist you in any
necessary form to make sure that such efforts are fruitful and
productive."
The Museum and the State Department are co-sponsoring the November
30-December 3 Conference.
Following is the text of Mr. Lerman's remarks:
(Begin text)
Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets
Opening Remarks
Miles Lerman, Chairman
United States Holocaust Memorial Council
November 30, 1998
It is proper and most fitting that this Conference began with a
symbolic ceremony of silent contemplation in the Hall of Remembrance
of the Holocaust Memorial Museum, where we invoked the memory of and
paid tribute to those who were consumed in the Nazi inferno.
Now let me welcome you to the Washington Conference on Nazi Era
Assets. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is pleased to
co-chair with the State Department this historic event.
For the next three days, representatives of 45 countries will have the
opportunity to explore a just and orderly return of confiscated assets
to their rightful owners.
It took over 50 years for the world to come to grips with the fact
that the Holocaust was not only the largest murder of the century, it
was also, as my friend Ben Meed [President, American Gathering of
Jewish Holocaust Survivors] reminds us, the largest robbery in
history. This fact is not limited to one country only. What really
shocked the conscience of the world was the discovery that even after
the War, some countries tried to gain materially from this cataclysm
by refusing to return to rightful owners what was justly theirs. The
refusal to respond to these rightful claims was a great injustice, a
moral wrong that cannot be ignored.
And this is what brings us together today. We are here to make sure
that these wrongs are corrected in a just and proper manner.
Under Secretary Eizenstat and Edgar Bronfman deserve our gratitude for
their unrelenting efforts to bring about full accountability for all
wrongs that must be made right. Among us are countries that on their
own volition began this process. These countries are to be
complimented for setting the right examples.
The issues surrounding the Nazi era assets are very complex. They
require a thorough research of archival data of the countries
involved. Some of these archival repositories are still inaccessible.
This inaccessibility is a major obstacle to the discovery process, one
that we must overcome.
We at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum have made strides in
this area. We have gained access to many archival repositories and we
hope to be helpful in the discovery process. However, to be fully
successful in our endeavors, we as a group must use our collective
influence to obtain unrestricted access to all archival repositories
of this period. Only then will we be able to resolve the outstanding
issues judiciously.
Much progress has been made. The agreement that the World Jewish
Congress has negotiated with Swiss banks is a step in the right
direction.
It is clear that survivors can never be compensated for their
decimated families and destroyed lives. They are, however, entitled to
a full accounting of all the assets that were confiscated from them or
their families. For this, they must be fully compensated.
However, as imperative as the financial settlements are, it is
important to bear in mind that the last word on the Holocaust cannot
be about gold or bank accounts. The final word must be remembrance.
The lessons of the Holocaust must continue to serve as a reminder and
a warning to you, to me, and to the generations that will follow us.
That is why this conference has decided to deal so extensively with
ongoing Holocaust education.
Some countries have already begun various educational programs, and we
applaud them for these efforts. However, we must aim to create a
global network of Holocaust education that will be both general and
country-specific.
We at the Holocaust Memorial Museum have substantial experience in
this field. We work annually with 30,000 teachers at all levels,
representing many disciplines. Should this Conference endorse an
international Holocaust education initiative, we at the Museum stand
ready to assist you in any necessary form to make sure that such
efforts are fruitful and productive.
I am sure that Yad Vashem, which has vast experience in this field,
would be ready to do the same.
Secretary Eizenstat, Judge Abner Mikva, the Chairman of this
Conference, and I are looking forward to working with you to make sure
that the next three days move us ahead with our goals and objectives
and we return to our respective homes with a sense of tangible
accomplishment. The memory of the victims demands no less.
(End text)