Artwork Taken by Nazis Returned to Jewish Family

The Louvre, Paris, France

Seven original paintings were either stolen, looted or confiscated from two Jewish families during the 1930s and 1940s by Nazis. They ended up in museums in France—three of them in the Louvre.

Thomas Selldorf of Massachusetts has been fighting for rights to regain his grandfather’s six paintings for the past twelve years. The paintings were 18th-century German and Italian artists. The seventh painting will be returned to the heirs of Josef Weiner, who was a Jewish banker from Prague. The Gestapo confiscated his collection in 1939. The family found this painting on a list stating that it hung in the Louvre in France until the mid-2000’s.

There are about 2,000 works of art that are now in France and are suspect of being stolen. These paintings were given back as part of France’s efforts to return hundreds of works of art in museums around the country that were previously stolen.

In Europe, between 1933-1945, the Nazis confiscated 670,000 works of art, including famous works by Monet and Chagall. Adolf Hitler wanted them to be displayed in a museum he had hoped to build. Most of the stolen art has not been returned to their rightful owners or heirs, but France is working hard, using archives to locate them.

Many families today work to get back what was taken of theirs or of their ancestors.  Their families were invaded just “because they were Jewish.” How these families must feel when they hear governments saying that the Holocaust never happened.  Not only did they lose precious paintings, but they also lost precious lives.

Anti-semitism is on the rise again…subtle in the US, but it is here and growing. It is more obvious in Europe. What do the Holy Scriptures say about this? God says He will curse those who curse the Jewish people. Be careful not to allow any form of anti-semitism to be acceptable in your sphere of influence. Israel is the “apple of God’s eye” and they are to be blessed.