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February 13, 2012
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February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
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February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Largest restitution claims ever filed in U.S. courts by a single family against another nation
By
Jori Finkel
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
The heirs of the Budapest-based Jewish banker Mor Lipot Herzog have filed a lawsuit in U.S. courts against Hungary and its leading national museums, seeking the return of what they have identified as more than 40 works of art looted from Herzog's collection during the Holocaust. The lawsuit values the artworks, including well-known paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder, El Greco, Francisco de Zurbaran and Gustave Courbet, at more than $100 million.
"This is one of the largest — if not the largest — restitution claims ever filed in U.S. courts by a single family against another nation," says Michael S. Shuster, the New York attorney representing the family.
Shuster, who says the lawsuit will be translated and delivered to Hungarian authorities according to the Hague Service Convention, calls it a last resort "to get the Hungarian government, which has been much less cooperative and consensual than Germany or Austria on these issues, to do the right thing."
David de Csepel, a real estate developer turned marketing consultant who lives in Marina del Rey, is serving as the lead plaintiff in the case for strategic as well as personal reasons. On the strategic side, Shuster says it was important to have a young plaintiff — a great-grandson of Herzog, De Csepel is 44 — to make sure Hungarian officials know that "they can't just wait out the elder members of the family."
But De Csepel, who is one of more than 20 Herzog heirs, also talks about the case in highly personal terms. A transplant to Los Angeles, he got to know his great-grandfather's collection, though only in reproduction, growing up in Connecticut.
"My grandmother used to cut out pictures from art books of paintings from her father's collection and hang them in her New York City apartment," he explains. "He worked so hard to build a legacy, and she worked hard to preserve it."
De Csepel's own commitment to recovering pieces from the collection grew after visiting the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest in 1995, not long after his grandmother's death. There he saw many of the paintings in question for the first time. Some had wall labels identifying them as works from the Herzog collection.
"It was a strange feeling," De Csepel says of the visit. "It's not like I wanted to have the paintings hanging at my home — I don't know if I could sleep at night.... It's more a feeling of wanting justice for my family."
"My family was forced at gunpoint to leave Hungary, and some didn't make it," he continued. "They were sent out to concentration camps and never heard from again. We can't of course redo the past, but there are some areas where justice can be done."
He says his family has been actively seeking restitution since the early 1990s, first pursuing diplomatic routes with Hungarian officials and ultimately filing a lawsuit through the country's courts. The Herzog heirs lost that suit, which reached an appellate court, in 2008.
The latest suit is unusual for the sheer number of works being pursued — more than 40 works with known whereabouts as well as any others that might be in the Hungarian government's "possession, custody or control." Herzog's collection, which at its peak included 2,500 works of art, was dispersed beyond Hungary's borders as well; Germany, for instance, made three restitutions to the Herzog heirs this year.
The case is also unusual in another respect: Along with filing the claim, which is sparking national and international news coverage, the family has published a website to share its story: www.hungarylootedart.com. The site, which has the tagline "Hungary on Trial," includes some Herzog genealogy, historic family photographs and an online gallery of artwork.
De Csepel credits his wife, Joy Chen, one-time deputy mayor of L.A. and now an executive recruiter, with helping the family in its strategic thinking for this case, which at this stage involves international politics as much as legal precedents.
"As a former politician, Joy has been really important in helping us to get our point across," he says, "It's a legal case, yes, but we really do want people to know what's going on. We really want Hungary to feel some pressure."
Or, as Shuster puts it, "I think it's good to raise public consciousness. Whether it will shame Hungary into action, only time will tell."
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© 2010,Los Angeles Times McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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