A significant cultural milestone was reached as 91 Greek Jewish artifacts, looted by the Nazis during World War II, were repatriated from Poland to Greece. The handover took place in Warsaw, where Greek Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, officially received the items from her Polish counterpart, Marta Cienkowska.
Lina Mendoni, Marta Cienkowska, Mike’s-Sami Modiano, Piotr Wcislik, Samuel (Makis) Matsas
The artifacts, which had been seized from synagogues and Jewish families by the Nazi organization Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, were recovered after the war in castles in Lower Silesia. In 1951, they were transferred to the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, where they were identified as originating from Greece.
The return marks the first repatriation of cultural property from Poland to its country of origin under a dedicated legal process. “Without the strong political will of both governments, today’s repatriation would not have been possible,” Mendoni said, emphasizing that these artifacts are not only of historical and artistic value but also part of the living memory of Greek Jews and their families affected by the Holocaust.
The collection includes 46 ritual textiles, 17 pairs of Rimonim (Torah scroll finials), nine individual or partial rimonim, and a pair of hanging decorative items. Their return is the result of decades of effort, with claims formally submitted to Poland in December 2024 and coordinated by Greece’s Ministry of Culture in cooperation with the Jewish Museum of Greece.
Rimonim (relicitations) 2 pairs for the Torah scrolls and a mantle for the Torah scrolls
Polish Minister Cienkowska described the event as a “historic moment,” noting that Poland had implemented a special legal procedure to allow the restitution of cultural property taken illegally from foreign states. The process was supported by the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO), which advocates for the recovery of assets lost during the Holocaust.
Minister Mendoni underscored the broader principle guiding such actions: countries seeking the return of cultural treasures must also be willing to return items belonging to others when there is a clear legal and ethical obligation. This repatriation strengthens Greek-Polish cultural ties and reinforces international cooperation in protecting and restoring heritage.
