A U.S. delegation led by the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues met with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel to discuss international efforts to address remaining Holocaust-era property issues. They agreed to form a working group to address outstanding asset issues and complete this work as soon as possible. The U.S. Ambassador thanked the Prime Minister for discussing how to continue allowing Jews to seek compensation and restitution from the Holocaust.

1. Media Advisory
U.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues
Meets with Prime Minister Xavier Bettel
Monday, 4 February 2019
U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg, Randy Evans, and U.S.
Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, Tom Yazdgerdi, led a
delegation including leaders of the World Jewish Restitution
Organization and the Jewish Community of Luxembourg, to a
meeting today with Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, to discuss
international efforts, including those of Luxembourg, to address
remaining Holocaust-era property issues.
The delegation and Prime Minister discussed positive steps
taken by Luxembourg regarding Holocaust issues, as well as
potential future actions that would address outstanding
Holocaust-era asset issues. They agreed to form a working
group, composed of representatives of the Government of
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2. Luxembourg, the World Jewish Restitution Organization
(WJRO) and the Jewish Community of Luxembourg, which will
commence discussions immediately to formulate a process to
address these open issues. The parties envisage that they shall
complete this work as soon as possible.
Ambassador Evans said of the meeting, “The Luxembourg
government, under Prime Minister Bettel’s leadership, has taken
significant steps to acknowledge and remember how the
Holocaust was also carried out in Luxembourg during World
War II under Nazi occupation. I want to thank Prime Minister
Bettel for meeting with our delegation to discuss our shared
objective in continuing to allow Jews to seek compensation and
restitution from the Holocaust. We pledged to the Luxembourg
government the full support of the United States as it reviews
options for compensating victims and restoring access to
accounts. We also look forward to Luxembourg’s upcoming
chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance
Alliance (IHRA), where Luxembourg can showcase its
leadership on Holocaust issues.”
Special Envoy Yazdgerdi saluted Prime Minister Bettel for
keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive and encouraged the
Luxembourg government’s continued efforts to resolve open
property issues, especially as it accedes to the chairmanship of
the IHRA. “We are encouraged by the commitment of the
Prime Minister to this important issue.”
“Prime Minister Bettel has been a leader in acknowledging the
suffering of the Jewish community in Luxembourg,” said
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3. Gideon Taylor, World Jewish Organization (WJRO) Chair of
Operations. “We look forward to rapid progress in completing
the return of property that was taken in Luxembourg. Time is of
the essence given the advanced age of the survivors.”
"There is great relief that this historical injustice will continue
to be faced up to," the Jewish Community of Luxembourg said
in a statement.
Historical reports commissioned by the government in 2009 and
2015 detailed how the Nazis and their collaborators
methodically robbed Jewish people of their every possession.
After World War II, around 1,500 Jews returned to
Luxembourg. Today, about 1,200 reside in the country.
The United States and Luxembourg are both members of the
IHRA. Luxembourg will assume the Chairmanship of the IHRA
in March. The IHRA unites governments and experts to
strengthen, advance and promote Holocaust education,
remembrance and research worldwide, and to uphold the
commitments of the 2000 Stockholm Declaration.
For more information please contact the Public Affairs section at the
U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg at +352 46 01 23 ext. 24 or at
LuxembourgPublicAffairs@state.gov
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