My Mother's Diamonds: In Search of the Holocaust Assets - Softcover

Kirby, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1865080659 ISBN 13: 9781865080659

Publisher: Allen & Unwin, 1999

Synopsis

For 40 years, Swiss banks denied the existence of thousands of accounts opened by Jewish families during World War II as a haven for their savings, until forced into admission in July 1997. Told in the words of the families and lawyer Henry Burnsteyner - who brought the first successful case against the banks - this text reveals how events unfolded. The process opened to question Switzerland's neutrality during the war and focused attention on the everyday crimes of omission and comission which contributed to the Holocaust.

About this title

Review:

This fascinating and well-structured account of justice too long delayed, but pursued with vigour, will delight and instruct many readers. -- Thomas Keneally, Author, Schindler's Ark

From the Back Cover:

Set against the backdrop of the international struggle for restitution by Holocaust survivors, My Mother's Diamonds: In Search of the Holocaust Assets takes the action from the dark days of World War II to the spectacular $2 billion global settlement made by the Swiss banks in late 1998.

Recounting the individual testimonies of more than a dozen Holocaust survivors, My Mother's Diamonds uncovers remarkable stories of bravery across the entire landscape of the Holocaust era.

From Stephen Baruch watching as his mother bribed Nazi border guards with her jewellry, to Hillel Pelmutter emerging from Auschwitz to fight for his family fortune, this is an enthralling account of a campaign which is far from over.

About this edition

• Publisher: Allen & Unwin
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 1865080659
• ISBN 13: 9781865080659
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 216