LITHUANIA Commission on Restitution of Jewish Communal Property in Lithuania On June 17, 2002, the Government of Lithuania formed the Commission on Restitution of Jewish Communal Property in Lithuania. Vytautas Markevičius, Minister of Justice, was appointed chairman of the commission. Representatives of the Government of Lithuania, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Department of Archives, Department of National Minorities, and Vilnius Municipality will serve as members. The commission is mandated to coordinate activities of the working group formed by the Government of Lithuania in January 2002, in preparation of the legislative projects to deal with restitution of the Jewish communal property in Lithuania. The commission will release a report of its findings in November 2002. Tarptautine Komisija Nacių, ir Sovietinio Okupacinių, Rezimų Nusikaltimams Lietovoje Jvertinti [The International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania] Established by presidential decree on September 9, 1998, the commission was created to examine the circumstances and establish factual data relating to the Holocaust in Lithuania and annihilation of Lithuanian citizens during World War II and the Soviet occupation in Lithuania during and after the war. When proceedings commenced November 17, 1998, it was decided to create two subcommissions to research crimes committed by the two occupying powers during and after the Holocaust. The Subcommission for the Evaluation of Nazi Crimes is chaired by Liudas Truska. Its members include Saulius Suziedelis, Julius Smulkstys, Joachim Tauber, Dan Mariaschin, Martin Gilbert, Rabbi Andrew Baker, and Toma Birmontiene. Contact: Gedimino Ave. 11 Vilnius 2039 Lithuania Telephone: +1 370 2 66 38 04 Fax: +1 370 2 66 38 05 Email: komisija@lrvk.lt http://www.komisija.lt Lietuvos Dialės Muziejus [Lithuanian Art Museum] The Lithuanian Art Museum maintains a list of artworks and cultural assets that were looted from 1942 to 1944 by Nazi officials. The list serves as a register of museum treasures lost during this period. Contact: 4 Didžioji/5 Bokšto Street 2001 Vilnius, Lithuania Telephone: +1 370 2 62 80 30 Fax: +1 370 2 22 60 06 E-mail: muziejus@ldm.lt http://www.ldm.lt/Looted/looted1_e.htm The Restoration of the Rights of Ownership of Citizens to Existing Real Property Law This law, passed on July 1, 1997, declares that restitution applies to citizens of the Republic of Lithuania and to religious communities before 1940, regardless of where they currently reside. Torah scrolls returned to Jewish communities worldwide On January 30, 2002, the Lithuanian government returned more than 309 Torah scrolls and megillot, which had been hidden during World War II, to world Jewry at a ceremony in Vilnius. Torah scrolls will be brought to the Hechal Schlomo Center in Jerusalem to be analyzed and restored. Conferences Lithuania participated in the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets. Proceedings of the Washington Conference may be found at http://www.state.gov/www/regions/eur/holocaust/heac.html. Lithuania participated in the London Conference on Nazi Gold. Lithuania hosted the Vilnius International Forum on Holocaust Era Looted Cultural Assets. Proceedings of the Forum can be found at http://www.vilniusforum.lt/proceedings/index.htm.