December 04, 2025 • 12 Pages • Volume 23 • Issue 26
Celebrating 23 Years 2002 - 2025
96-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor Demands Return Of Looted Family Art In Historic Public Statement
Jewish Connection News
Aug 15, 2025
In An Extraordinary Interview Now Published On The Times Of Israel Blog (https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/survivor-uncovers-hungarys-holocaust-art-theft/), 96-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor Clara Garbon-Radnoti Has Issued An Uncompromising Call For The Return Of All Holocaust-Era Looted Art Still Held By Hungarian Museums. Clara’s Voice Is A Rare, Living Link To Those Who Survived Both The War And The Theft Of Their Family’s Cultural Heritage.
Clara lost two paintings by renowned Hungarian artists Mihály Munkácsy and János Vaszary during the Nazi occupation of Hungary. She spent nearly 20 years translating 180 reels of Hungarian wartime records at the Zekelman Holocaust Center outside Detroit. These documents expose the systematic, state-orchestrated looting of Jewish-owned art in 1944 — including works by Raphael, Rembrandt, Sisley, Munkácsy, and Vaszary — and identify the Jewish families from whom the art was stolen, as well as the institutions that received it.
Working in partnership with Jonathan H. Schwartz, attorney and co-founder of the Holocaust Art Recovery Initiative, Clara’s work has produced a documented map of stolen artworks and other property and their last known locations. The evidence demonstrates that Hungarian museums, universities, libraries, and government agencies not only participated in but still benefit from this organized theft.
Clara’s message is unequivocal: “It’s not yours. And I’m ready to fight for it.”
Schwartz, who has used AI tools and legal expertise to cross-reference names and track artworks, underscores the urgency: “We are running out of time. The moral obligation to return this property is clear, and the law provides only a short window for claims.”
The Holocaust Art Recovery Initiative calls on the Hungarian government and cultural institutions to return all looted works, not merely provide documentation or engage in limited discussions. Clara’s demand is for complete restitution — a call echoed by survivors, historians, and advocates worldwide.
About the Holocaust Art Recovery Initiative (HARI):
HARI is dedicated to documenting, publicizing, and pursuing the restitution of cultural property stolen during the Holocaust. Through legal advocacy, research, and public awareness, HARI works to restore dignity to survivors and their families by securing the return of looted art and artifacts.
For more information, visit: the Holocaust Art Recovery Initiative – https://holocaustartrecovery.org - Or contact: Jonathan H. Schwartz holocaustartrecovery@yahoo.com