A landmark agreement was signed Wednesday by the government of Luxembourg to compensate Holocaust survivors, return looted art and restitute dormant bank accounts.
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The deal was also signed by the World Jewish Restitution Organization, the Jewish community of Luxembourg, and the Luxembourg Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah.
As part of the agreement, Luxembourg will donate one million euros ($1.2 million) to support Holocaust survivors from Luxembourg and for the next 30 years will donate 120,000 euros ($145,000) to the Luxembourg Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah.
It will also purchase and restore the Cinqfontaines monastery from which the Jews of Luxembourg were deported to German concentration and extermination camps and turn it into a Holocaust education center.
Additionally, the government will establish a scientific foundation to research the Holocaust during the Nazi occupation and track down looted Jewish property, most importantly artworks.
"The agreement today is a profound statement by Luxembourg of its abiding commitment to preserving the memory of Jews who were persecuted and murdered during the Nazi occupation of Luxembourg," Chair of Operations of the World Jewish Restitution Organization Gideon Taylor said.
The Prime Minister of Luxembourg Zavier Bettel warns, however, that the fight against anti-Semitism is not over. "It wouldn't be right to say that Luxembourg is protected against anti-Semitism and racism now," he told Israel Hayom.
"Anti-Semitism and racism exist, and we need to fight them. Hate speech cannot be accepted, not against Jews, not against gypsies, gays, or the disabled.
"We are fortunate that there are no extreme right-wing political parties [in Luxembourg,] as opposed to other European countries. Until recently, a Neo-Nazi political party sat in the parliament in Greece. Has history taught us nothing?"
Until Wednesday Luxembourg was one of the last remaining European countries that did not compensate its Holocaust victims.
"As prime minister, I am also responsible for what happened in the country in the past," Bettel said. "I cannot say why previous governments did not act or reach this goal. I am proud that the current and previous government did what had to be done.
"It is never too late to act. Time has come to acknowledge our history and our responsibility."
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