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WJRO AND UNION OF POLISH JEWISH COMMUNITIES AGREE TO WORK TOGETHER ON PROPERTY RESTITUTION IN POLAND The World Jewish Restitution Organization and the Union of Jewish Religious Communities in Poland have agreed in meetings held yesterday and today in Warsaw to continue working together on reclaiming Jewish communal property that was seized during the Holocaust and nationalized in the post-war Communist era. An original agreement, establishing a joint Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage, was signed in June 2000. However, the implementation of the agreement foundered, while the deadline established by Polish law of May 2002 for registering claims to former communal property came ever closer. In order to put the Foundation and its work back on track, a delegation, led by Jewish Agency treasurer, Chaim Chesler, and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee executive vice-president, Michael Schneider, traveled to Poland to meet with representatives of the Polish community. The delegation was authorized by WJRO co-chairs, Sallai Meridor and Israel Singer, to modify certain elements in the original agreement, in order to ensure that the restitution work proceed properly. "We were determined to put the work of the Foundation back on track," said Chesler, "and we looked for a way to work in full cooperation with the Polish Jewish communities. While we entirely understand the needs of the communities, we explained to them our long-standing position that the material and cultural heritage of the pre-war Polish Jewish community belongs to the renascent Jewish communities in Poland, the Holocaust survivors throughout the world and the entire global Jewish community. Together we have a responsibility to reclaim as much of this heritage as possible before the May 2002 deadline, and put it to proper use." According to the agreement, Poland is divided into regions. The proceeds from reclaimed property in some of the regions will become the sole property of the local communities and the Union, and will be used to support the communities and their activities. The proceeds from other regions will become the property of the Foundation, and will be used for broader purposes, including the preservation of Polish Jewish heritage, the care of members of the pre-war Polish Jewish community now living elsewhere, and worldwide Jewish concerns, including education. Under the agreement, WJRO will provide funding for the necessary archival research. The Union and the local communities have already started reclaiming properties. The chairman of the Union, Jerzy Kichler, reported at the meeting that claims have already been registered on more than 760 properties. "We listened to the concerns of the communities and agreed to change the numerical and geographical division of the regions," explained Schneider. "I am optimistic that the work of restitution in Poland will now proceed at a faster pace and the Foundation will be fully registered with the Polish authorities. Speed is truly of the essence." "New hopes have been raised for the creation of joint activities of the WJRO and the Union in reclaiming communal Jewish property in Poland," said Kichler. "What we have agreed on is a victory of the Jewish people," said Chesler, at the conclusion of the meetings."
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