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70 Years of Holocaust Compensation and Restitution / Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Fellowships, Conference and Awards,Tel Aviv University, 14-16 November 2022

On September 10, 1952, historical agreements were signed in Luxembourg between the government of Israel, the Conference on Jewish Materials Claims Against Germany, and the government of West Germany regarding the provision of reparations and compensations. 

To mark the 70th anniversary of the signing, the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center at Tel Aviv University, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, and Yad Vashem are organizing a conference in Tel Aviv in November 2022

Programme

To see a PDF of the Final Programme, click here, and to see a PDF of the biographies of the speakers, click here.

The event will take place on Monday-Wednesday, November 14-16, 2022 (Israel Time), at ANU - Museum of the Jewish People, Tel Aviv University and will also be broadcast live on Zoom. The conference will also be recorded and made available subsequently on YouTube.

Kindly view the attached invitation.

For your attention – the event will be held in English.

Registration: 

In-Person Participation >
Online Participation >

Monday, November 14, 2022

10:00 – 11:00 Reception
11:00 – 12:30 Opening Session

Chair and Opening Remarks: Roni Stauber

Greetings
Dani Dayan, Chairman of Yad Vashem
Greg Schneider, Executive Vice President of the Claims Conference
Steffen Seibert, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the State of Israel
Stuart Eizenstat, former United States Ambassador to the European Union and United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury (Pre-recorded)
Milette Shamir, Vice President, International, Tel Aviv University

12:30 – 13:00 Coffee Break

13:00 – 14:00 Keynote
Constantin Goschler

Some Reflections on the Historiography of Holocaust Reparations and the Future of Reparations for Genocides
Respondent: José Brunner 

14:00 – 15:30 Lunch Break

15:30 – 18:00 First Session: The Origins of the Luxembourg Agreement
Chair: Dina Porat
Ronald Zweig

Nehemiah Robinson, the Institute for Jewish Affairs and the Origins of Reparations
Gideon Reuveni

The September 27 German Declaration on the ‘Judenfrage:’ A Misread Turning Point?
Jacob Tovy
Post-Holocaust Reckoning: The Public-Political Campaign in Israel over the Issue of Reparations, 1951–1952
Shlomi Chetrit
“Battlefield in Front of the Knesset”: The Police and the Restitution Riots, January 7, 1952

18:00 – 18:30 Coffee Break

18:30 – 20:00 Screening of the film Reckonings
Presented by the producer, Karen Heilig


Tuesday, November 15, 2022

10:00 – 12:30 Second Session: The Negotiation Process and Implementation of the Luxembourg Agreement

Chair: Michael Borchard
Kai Wambach
German Theme Portal Wiedergutmachung  Impact, Challenges, Opportunities
Lorena De Vita
Negotiating the Luxembourg Agreements: On the Local, National and International Significance of the Talks in Wassenaar
Daniel Siemens
British Perspectives on the West-German-Israeli Negotiations and the Luxembourg Agreement, 1951–1955
Irit Chen
Between Material Baggage and Past Baggage: The Israeli Purchasing Mission to Cologne and Implementation of the Reparations Agreement

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch Break

14:00 – 16:00 Third Session: Conflicts and Consequences in Israeli Society
Chair: Amb. Colette Avital
Tzachi Cohen
Alterman's Poems Regarding the "Shilumim"
David Witzthum
The Paradigm Shift in Germany's Image in the Israeli Public Discourse following the Shilumim Agreement: From "Amalek" to a Friendly Partner in Less than a Decade, 1952–1960
Yael Mishly
Do Reparations Increase Intergenerational Mobility? Evidence from Israel’s Holocaust Survivors

16:00 – 16:30 Coffee Break

16:30 – 19:00 Fourth Session: The Consequences of Compensation for Individual Claimants
Chair: Leora Bilsky
Iris Nachum
Complicated Encounters: Jewish Claimants and German Legal Categories
Regula Ludi
What Do Reparations Do to Claimants? Looking at Reparations from a Praxeological ViewpointJoanna Sliwa Compensation Programs for Jewish Child Holocaust Survivors
Gustavo Guzman
On Nationality, Property, and Re-Migration: The Impact of German Reparations on the Jews of Chile, 1952-1977

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

10:00 – 12:30 Fifth Session: The Struggle for Compensation and Restitution of Jewish Property (I)
Chair: Rudiger Mahlo
Kim Wünschmann

The Luxembourg Agreement as a Comic: A Graphic History of Restitution and CompensationIngo Loose Equalization of Burdens versus Restitution: Postwar Battles between Jewish Survivors of the Holocaust and Former “Aryanizers” – Some Case Studies from Lower Silesia, 1936–1978
Rachel Blumenthal
“The Austrians Got Away with Murder”: The Difference between Germany and Austria in Dealing with their Past
Shir Kochavi
Art Restitution and National Responsibility: Israel’s Shifting Policy towards Nazi-looted Art

12:30–  14:00 Lunch Break

14:00 – 16:30 Sixth Session: The Struggle for Compensation and Restitution of Jewish Property (II)
Chair: Mark Weitzman
Avi Weber

Late Recognition of Holocaust Survivors from Behind the Iron Curtain: Legal History of German Compensation Legislation Changes Recognizing the Rights of Holocaust Survivors from the Eastern Bloc
Stefan Cristian Ionescu
Courts Reversing Robbery: Implementing the Reversal of Romanianization of Jewish Property, 1944–1950
Ana Ciric Pavlovic
Delayed Restitution of Jewish Property in Bosnia and Hercegovina: Challenges and Perspectives

16:30 – 17:00 Coffee Break

17:00 – 19:30 Seventh Session: Subsequent Developments of the Luxembourg Agreement and Recent Campaigns
Chair: Dan Michman
Wesley Fisher

From the Jewish Restitution Successor Organization to the 2018 Jerusalem Declaration: The Handling of Looted Cultural Property by the Claims Conference
Ovidiu Creanga
From Protocol II to Germany's 'Last Gesture': Legal Precedent, Uncompensated Shoah Survivors, and the Creation of the Hardship Fund (1980)
Meir Bnaya
Holocaust Compensations for North African and Middle Eastern Jews?
Blandine Landau
Local Context and Long-term Echoes of the Luxembourg Agreement of 1952 in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg

19:30 – 20:00 Concluding Remarks

Official Invitation (PDF) >
Registration for In-Person Participation >
Registration for Online Participation >


To see a PDF of the Programme, click here.

Source:
https://en-humanities.tau.ac.il/events/en_70_Years_of_Holocaust_Compensation_and_Restitution_International_Conference
_______________________________________________________


Initial Information from the organisers:

1. CALL FOR PAPERS
   Apply by 31 October 2021

On September 10, 1952, historical agreements were signed in Luxembourg between the government of Israel, the Conference on Jewish Materials Claims Against Germany, and the government of West Germany regarding the provision of reparations and compensations. Both the government of Israel and the Claims Conference emphasized that the agreements were meant to provide compensation for material claims alone, and not for the murder of six million Jews for which no compensation was possible. The agreement signed by the government of Israel established that West Germany would pay Israel the sum of three billion marks (round about 715.000.000,00 dollar) over the course of 12-14 years, mostly in the form of various goods and means of production. The agreement signed by the Claims Conference included two protocols: one concerned Germany’s promise to enact legislation that would directly compensate the victims of persecution, and the second concerned Germany’s agreement to transfer 450.000.000,00 marks (round about 110.000.000,00 dollar) to provide assistance and rehabilitation to Nazi victims around the world. The agreements have had a considerable impact on Israel’s economy and society. At the same time, it has been a cornerstone in prolonged campaigns for compensations and restitutions in which the Claims Conference has played a crucial role.

To mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Luxembourg Agreement, the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center at Tel Aviv University, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, and Yad Vashem are organizing an international conference to be held at Tel Aviv University on November 14 to 16, 2022, in cooperation with a number of additional institutions.

The aim of the conference is to consider the development and impact of the Reparations Agreement from a broad range of perspectives – historical, diplomatic, legal, economic, social, etc. – and provide a platform for presenting new research in the field and promoting fruitful academic discussion. The academic committee will be pleased to receive proposals concerning the Luxembourg Agreement as well as previous and subsequent campaigns for reparations, compensation and restitution of property related to the Holocaust and will review any proposal that directly or tangentially touches on the following fields:

– Early compensation claims before Luxembourg Agreements
– Issues relating to the Luxembourg Agreements
– The impact of the agreements on Israeli law, society and economy
– The impact of the compensation on Germany (including politics, society, Holocaust awareness, etc.)
– The impact of the agreements on Jewish-German relations or Israel-German relations
– Legislations and litigation re indemnification in Germany, Israel, and the public and political criticism and debates over the years
– Evaluation of the compensation to individuals – how it affected the individuals (psychologically, economically, relationship with Germany, etc.); how the process worked, adjudication of claims
– The GDR and its position and actions regarding compensation for Holocaust survivors
– Negotiations between the German government and the Claims Conference during the last seven decades
– The negotiation with Austria regarding personal compensation or the restitution of Jewish property
– The claim for property and assets (including books, archives and art) throughout Europe
– Issues relating to agreements with industrial companies
– Restitution lawsuits brought against Swiss banks and German corporations and museums

All lectures will be delivered in English, and it is planned to subsequently publish a volume of the conference proceedings in English. The conference will be recorded and the full lectures will be made available online by Tel Aviv University and/or Claims Conference and/or Yad Vashem, for public access following the event. Scholars who wish to present twenty-minute papers are invited to submit proposals to the steering committee (see address below) by October 31, 2021.

The steering committee will consider the submitted proposals and will inform the candidates of its decision by the end of November 2021.

Proposals should be written in English and include:
– Full name and academic title
– Academic affiliation
– Contact details
– Curriculum Vitae
– Title and abstract of proposed lecture

Please send your submissions electronically to Adi Moskovitz, Conference and Publications Coordinator, the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center: adip@tauex.tau.ac.il

Academic Steering Committee:

Prof. Dan Michman, Dr. Iael Nidam-Orvieto, Prof. Havi Dreifuss, Prof. Roni Stauber, Prof. Jose Brunner, Prof. Leora Bilsky, Dr. Wesley Fisher, Prof. Constantin Goschler, Prof. Stephan Lehnstaedt, and Prof. Michael Bazyler. In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this Conference.


2. CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
    Apply by 31 October 2021

On September 10, 1952, historical agreements were signed in Luxembourg between the government of Israel, the Conference on Jewish Materials Claims Against Germany, and the government of West Germany regarding the provision of reparations and compensations. To mark the event and within the framework of an international conference on the topic, “70 Years of Holocaust Compensation and Restitution”, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany will provide five fellowships of 5.000 dollar each to outstanding doctoral and post-doctoral scholars whose research deals with topics relating to the agreement and its various past and present implications, such as social, diplomatic, legal, and economic aspects. The conference will be organized jointly by the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center at Tel Aviv University, the Claims Conference, and Yad Vashem, in cooperation with a number of additional institutions, and will be held at Tel Aviv University on November 14-16, 2022.

Projects should involve approximately a one-year study, including presentation of a paper at the conference, and submission of an article in English based upon the research. In addition, Fellows will be invited to take part in a research group that will hold monthly online seminars organized by the Leo Baeck Institute, the Jacob Robinson Institute for the History of Individual and Collective Rights, and the Minerva Center for Human Rights as well as any related academic events on the topic.

The academic committee will be pleased to receive proposals concerning the Luxembourg Agreement as well as previous and subsequent campaigns for compensation and restitution of property related to the Holocaust and will review any proposal that directly or tangentially touches on the following fields:

– Early compensation claims before Luxembourg Agreements
– Issues relating to the Luxembourg Agreements
– The impact of the agreements on Israeli law, society and economy
– The impact of the compensation on Germany (including politics, society, Holocaust awareness etc.)
– The impact of the agreements on Jewish-German relations or Israel-German relations
– Legislations and litigation re indemnification in Germany, Israel, and the public and political criticism and debates over the years
– Evaluation of the compensation to individuals – how it affected the individuals (psychologically, economically, relationship with Germany, etc.); how the process worked, adjudication of claims
– The GDR and its position and actions regarding compensation for Holocaust survivors
– Negotiations between the German government and the Claims Conference during the last seven decades
– The negotiation with Austria regarding personal compensation or the restitution of Jewish property
– The claim for property and assets (including books, archives and art) throughout Europe
– Issues relating to agreements with industrial companies
– Restitution lawsuits brought against Swiss banks and German corporations and museums

The Academic Steering Committee will select a total of five doctoral and post-doctoral scholars to receive a 5.000 dollar fellowship funded by the Claims Conference, to be paid directly to the recipients in two installments: 2.500,00 dollar upon being selected and another 2.500,00 dollar upon submission to the Diaspora Research Center of the paper based upon their research. In the event that a volume of proceedings will be prepared after the conference, the committee will consider including these papers in the volume; otherwise, the recipients will be encouraged to publish their papers in other publications.

The selected scholars will be expected to physically attend the Conference to be held in November 2022 at Tel Aviv University (unless it will be held virtually). They will be invited to deliver a 20-minute lecture and present their research as well as to submit an article for inclusion in the proceedings volume. Transportation and accommodation will be covered in addition to the fellowship.

Doctoral students and post-doctoral candidates who have received their Ph.D. in the last five years and who have not yet entered a tenure-track position at a university are eligible to apply and are invited to submit proposals to the steering committee (see address below) by October 31, 2021.

Proposals should be written in English and include:

– Full name and academic title
– Academic affiliation
– Contact details
– Application form
– Curriculum Vitae
– Title and abstract of proposed lecture
– A letter of recommendation from a supervisor (for doctoral students) or a distinguished scholar in the field (for post-doctoral candidates) who knows and recommends the applicant and his/her research proposal.

The steering committee will consider the submitted proposals and will inform the candidates of its decision by the end of November 2021.

Please send your submissions electronically to Adi Moskovitz,
Conference and Publications Coordinator, the Goldstein-Goren
Diaspora Research Center: adip@tauex.tau.ac.il

Academic Steering Committee:

Prof. Dan Michman, Dr. Iael Nidam-Orvieto, Prof. Havi Dreifuss, Prof. Roni Stauber, Prof. Jose Brunner, Prof. Leora Bilsky, Dr. Wesley Fisher, Prof. Constantin Goschler, Prof. Stephan Lehnstaedt, and Prof. Michael Bazyler

In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this Conference.