ATHENS – The first repatriation of cultural property from Poland to its country of origin has now become a reality. The historic collection of 91 Greek-Jewish religious artifacts was handed over to Greek authorities on March 4and is now on its way back to Greece.
The collection – which includes, among other items, 46 liturgical textiles, 17 pairs of rimonim (finials for the Torah scrolls), nine individual rimonim or fragments of them, and one pair of hanging ornaments – was received in Warsaw by Greece’s Culture Minister Lina Mendoni. She had finalized the agreement for the repatriation of the artifacts with the Polish government a few months earlier, in an emotional atmosphere.
The 91 valuable Greek-Jewish religious artifacts had been stolen from synagogues and from families of Greek Jews during World War II and the Nazi occupation by the organization Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, which systematically looted cultural goods, artworks, libraries, and archives throughout occupied Europe. After the end of World War II, Polish authorities located part of the organization’s loot stored in castles in Lower Silesia.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni Traveled to Warsaw to Receive the Historic Collection of 91 Greek-Jewish Artifacts, Returning to Greece After Decades.
(PHOTOS: MINISTRY OF CULTURE/EUROKINISSI)
Greece, in cooperation with the Jewish Museum of Greece, had been seeking the repatriation of these artifacts since 2001. The official request to the Polish government was submitted by the Greek Ministry of Culture in December 2024, and a year later this systematic effort produced the desired result.
“These artifacts do not possess only historical or artistic value; they are part of the living memory of our country and of Greek Jews. They are intertwined with stories passed down from parents and grandparents. They are connected with the memory of relatives who never returned from the camps, victims of the Holocaust,” Lina Mendoni.
The Culture Minister added meaningfully: “Their emotional weight is great, and our collective desire for their return was particularly strong. Our claim for them was motivated – beyond legal and administrative issues – by a deep sense of duty to honor the Greek Jews who were exterminated during World War II. As the history of these artifacts demonstrates, the persecution of the Jewish population – including in Greece – was not directed only against people. It also struck a severe blow to their cultural and religious heritage.”
Some of the 91 precious Greek-Jewish religious artifacts that were stolen from synagogues and Jewish families in Greece during World War II and the Nazi occupation by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, an organization that systematically looted cultural property, artworks, libraries, and archives across Europe. (PHOTOS: MINISTRY OF CULTURE/EUROKINISSI)
She also referred to the long and demanding process required for the repatriation of the Jewish artifacts: “Poland had to chart a new path, since it had no institutional precedent or legal framework for such a return. For this reason, today’s ceremony is a historic milestone. It is the first time that Poland proceeds with the repatriation of cultural goods that were illegally removed from a country and had been under its custody.”
Mendoni continued: “On behalf of the Greek government, I would like to warmly thank the Polish government, the Minister of Culture Marta Cienkowska, as well as her predecessor Hanna Wróblewska, and the competent authorities for their determination to overcome legal and administrative difficulties in order to complete this process. Without the strong political will of both sides, today’s repatriation would not have been achieved.”
The Minister also referred to Greece’s long-standing request for the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum: “Greece seeks the return of cultural treasures that were removed from its territory or its museums – with the most emblematic case being the Parthenon Marbles. At the same time, we do not hesitate to proceed with the return of cultural objects discovered in our country that are products of illegal trafficking. Through the conclusion and implementation of bilateral and multilateral agreements to prevent the illegal trade in cultural property, as well as through our active participation within UNESCO, we aim to establish a strong international legal framework that will combat the illicit trafficking of cultural goods and facilitate the return of illegally traded treasures to their countries of origin.”