{"id":1520,"date":"2019-07-29T19:24:40","date_gmt":"2019-07-29T17:24:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gvf.lt\/en\/?page_id=1520"},"modified":"2025-07-16T10:12:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T08:12:13","slug":"regional-consultation-on-jewish-property-restitution","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gvf.lt\/en\/regional-consultation-on-jewish-property-restitution\/","title":{"rendered":"The World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) welcomes symbolic compensation payments for Holocaust era property in Lithuania"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hundreds of Lithuanian Jews and their Heirs Share \u20ac7.5 Million in One-Time Compensation Payments<\/em><\/p>\n

(NY, NY, July 14, 2025):<\/strong>\u00a0The Good Will Foundation (GWF) has completed the distribution of symbolic one-time compensation payments to Lithuanian Holocaust survivors and their heirs for private property wrongfully seized during the Holocaust and its aftermath. The World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO), which helped negotiate the original agreement and raise awareness about the application process, welcomes this meaningful step toward justice.<\/p>\n

A total of \u20ac7.5 million was distributed among hundreds of eligible Lithuanian Holocaust survivors and certain heirs, with each approved applicant receiving a symbolic payment of approximately \u20ac20,000[1]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0per property claim. These payments were made possible through new legislation passed in December 2022, following years of advocacy to reopen the restitution process for those previously excluded due to citizenship restrictions under Lithuania\u2019s original private property restitution law, which expired in 2001. The GWF, of which WJRO is a founding member, was designated to administer and distribute the payments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a profoundly important moment of recognition,\u201d said\u00a0Gideon Taylor, President, World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO).<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cThese symbolic payments cannot undo the wrongs of the past, but they acknowledge the deep personal losses suffered by Lithuanian Jews and their descendants and help restore a measure of dignity that was stolen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Almost 1,000 applications were submitted to the GWF before the deadline on December 31, 2023. Throughout 2024, the GWF worked closely with government archives and land registries to verify property claims and identify eligible recipients. WJRO supported outreach efforts across Israel, North America, Europe, and beyond to ensure families were aware of the opportunity to apply.<\/p>\n

For many recipients, the payments are deeply personal. \u00a0\u201cThis compensation program is a powerful and long-overdue acknowledgment of what happened to my father and his family during the Holocaust,\u201d said\u00a0Mark, 63, a second-generation survivor from Irvine, California.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cMy father\u2019s family owned several residential and commercial buildings in Siauliai, Lithuania, including houses and business facilities. These properties \u2013 and the lives connected to them \u2013 were stolen during the Holocaust. While this symbolic payment cannot undo that loss, it affirms that the suffering and injustice endured by my family and all Lithuanian Jews will not be forgotten. I am honored to help preserve my father\u2019s legacy and to share this recognition with generations of our family.\u201d<\/p>\n

In another case,\u00a0Rodney, 74, a filmmaker from Sydney, Australia<\/strong>, said, \u201cThe compensation payment made by the Good Will Foundation is a meaningful acknowledgment of the injustices my family endured. My great-grandparents, Avraham and Rachel, owned a house and factory for dyeing wool and cloth in Zagare, Lithuania. When they were murdered in October 1941, their property was taken and never acknowledged \u2013 until now. This symbolic payment recognizes both the loss of their property and the vibrant Jewish life that was destroyed. I\u2019m pleased to share this moment with family across Australia, Israel, England, France, and the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n

In another case,\u00a0Monica, 68, a London-based writer, curator, and academic<\/strong>, shared: \u2018When we learned our family had been approved for this symbolic payment, we knew right away that we wanted to use it to honor the memory of those who perished and to support future generations. My grandfather co-owned a successful textile factory in Memel, which was seized when my family was forced to flee. Our family decided to donate the funds to a remarkable initiative in Lithuania called Camera Obscura, which is preserving and cataloguing pre-war photographs of Jewish life. It\u2019s a way of reclaiming part of our history and ensuring it is never forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

In another case,\u00a0George, 77, of Vancouver, Canada<\/strong>, shared: \u201cMy grandfather was a chemist and businessman who owned several buildings and operated a successful factory in \u0160iauliai, Lithuania. In 1941, he, my grandmother, and several of their children were murdered in a mass shooting. This symbolic compensation acknowledges their loss and the irreparable damage to our family and community. I\u2019ve chosen to donate to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre to support their work in preserving our stories and educating future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEach story behind these payments reflects a legacy of loss \u2013 and a step toward justice,\u201d said\u00a0Rabbi Andrew Baker, Director, International Jewish Affairs at the American Jewish Committee and Co-Chair of the Good Will Foundation<\/strong>. \u201cThis initiative represents the Lithuanian government\u2019s symbolic commitment to acknowledging those losses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are proud to be able to provide these payments, and grateful to all those who applied and shared their family stories,\u201d said\u00a0Faina Kukliansky, Chairwoman, Lithuanian Jewish Community and Co-Chair of the Good Will Foundation<\/strong>. \u201cThis is about more than property \u2013 it is about identity, justice, and recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n

For further information or for those who wish to inquire about the appeals process, please contact the Good Will Foundation at\u00a0info@gvf.lt<\/a>\u00a0or visit\u00a0https:\/\/gvf.lt\/en\/payments.<\/a><\/p>\n

Background<\/strong><\/p>\n

WJRO, the Jewish Community of Lithuania, and the Association of Lithuanian Jewish Religious Communities established the Foundation for the Lithuanian Jewish Heritage in 2005. In 2011, the Foundation launched the Good Will Foundation to distribute \u20ac37 million provided by the government under Lithuania\u2019s Law on Good Will Compensation for the Real Estate of Jewish Religious Communities.<\/p>\n

Since 2014, the GWF has supported religious, cultural, health care, and educational initiatives serving Jewish communal life in Lithuania. Approximately $1.1 million of the initial compensation was designated for symbolic payments to over 1,550 surviving Lithuanian Jewish Holocaust victims.<\/p>\n

\u00a0In accordance with the 2022 legislation, the GWF allocated \u20ac7.5 million to compensate individuals for private property claims. An additional \u20ac37 million will be distributed over the next seven years to support Jewish communal life, as a symbolic acknowledgment of heirless Jewish property \u2013 an issue recognized in the 2009 Terez\u00edn Declaration. While this compensation represents only a fraction of the original property\u2019s value, it distinguishes Lithuania from many countries in the region that have yet to meaningfully address heirless property.<\/p>\n

During World War II, the Nazis and local collaborators annihilated over 90% of Lithuania\u2019s 220,000 Jews. Today, approximately 5,000 Jews live in Lithuania.<\/p>\n

WJRO<\/em><\/a>\u00a0represents world Jewry in pursuing claims for the recovery of Jewish properties in Europe (outside of Germany and Austria). WJRO was established by leading world Jewish organizations to address the restitution of Jewish property and to remind the world that the time has come to redress the enormous material wrongs caused to European Jewry during the Holocaust.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Media Contacts:<\/p>\n

Lisa Sherman-Cohen\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Eli Bardenstein<\/p>\n

Director, PR\/Communications, WJRO\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Bardenstein Communications<\/p>\n

lisa.sherman-cohen@wjro.org.il\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0eli.bardenstein@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

+1 646-485-2036\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +972 52-311-2124<\/p>\n

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[1]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0In the event that the property was jointly owned by more than one original owner, one amount of symbolic compensation was shared between the eligible applicants for this property. In the event that several heirs applied for the same property, one amount of symbolic compensation was shared between the eligible applicants for this property.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Regional Consultation: Restitution of Holocaust Era Assets \u2013 Ten Years After the Terezin Declaration<\/h3>\n

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In December 2019, the conference was held in Vilnius, Lithuanian Jewish (Litvak) Community (LJC), to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Terezin declaration, dedicated to solving Holocaust victims\u2019 property restitution questions. The experiences of returning assets of European countries were reviewed. Participants of the event had the chance to meet well-known Holocaust historians, to hear their presentations, to get acquainted with the results of many years of research. Lithuanian speakers had the opportunity to present Lithuania\u2019s situation and to define goals and objectives for the future.<\/p>\n

Jewish Community leaders from Czech Republic, Poland, Latvia and Hungary participating in the conference spoke about property restitution problems and unfulfilled promises of their governments, procrastination of cases in their countries and the prospect of creating new laws regarding property restitution procedures.<\/p>\n

In 2009, 47 countries signed Terezin declaration in Prague regarding the restitution principles of seized property of European Jews, Lithuania was among them.<\/p>\n

In December 2021, an e-publication was published to commemorate this conference.<\/p>\n

In her introductory speech to the e-publication, Faina Kukliansky, Chair of the LJC, states: \u201cThe question of restitution is not primarily a legal question, but a political, humanistic one. The Lithuanian state is obliged to recognize its responsibility as a state. We talk so much about the continuity of citizenship and the connection with the state, we discuss the restoration of citizenship, but we immediately forget everything when it comes to taking care of victims of the Nazis and returning what was once looted.\u201d<\/p>\n

The e-publication contains all presentations of the conference speakers. We invite you to read the e-publication:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photos from the conference held on December 2019. \u00a9Good Will Foundation<\/p>\n