Res. No. 1189 Title Resolution supporting Hungarian Holocaust survivors as they seek justice from the U.S. government for its mishandling of the "Gold Train". Body By Council Members Yassky, Brewer, Clarke, Comrie, Fidler, Gennaro, Jackson, Koppell, Nelson, Sanders, Weprin and Gerson Whereas, The Nazi persecution of the Jews of Hungary, achieved in just a few months in 1944, was among the most brutal chapters in human history; and Whereas, The Nazis systematically stole valuable and emotionally priceless personal property from the Hungarian Jewish community. The property was loaded onto a "Gold Train" and shipped west for plunder. When the war ended, the U.S. Army took possession of the train and its contents; and Whereas, Despite promising to return the property to the Holocaust survivors who were its rightful owners, our own government instead allowed the property to be misappropriated and sold at auction; and Whereas, The U.S. government misled these Holocaust survivors about what had happened for decades, forcing them to build new lives from scratch without their family possessions; and Whereas, These survivors - many of whom live in New York City - are now seeking justice, the full truth, and compensation for their property from the U.S. government; and Whereas, Instead of working with these elderly survivors, the U.S. Department of Justice has insisted on fighting them in court, claiming immunity and seeking to delay their case; therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York supports the cause of the Hungarian Holocaust survivors in their effort to find the truth and achieve justice; and be it further Resolved, That the United States Justice Department should stop resisting these elderly survivors, and instead should promptly reach a fair settlement with them as a modest and overdue measure of justice. LS#3620 - 2 -