William Penn Life, 2008 (43. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2008-02-01 / 2. szám
Magyar Matters Court rules art stolen by Nazis need not be returned from The Budapest Sun BUDAPEST — The Municipal Court of Budapest has rejected a lawsuit from U.S.-based Holocaust emigre and Herzog-heiress Martha Nierenberg concerning the return of artworks originally stolen from her family by the Nazis when Germany invaded Hungary in 1944. This is the fifth and legally binding decision in the case, but it is the first decision that has gone in favor of the state. The Municipal court ruling declared that the Hungarian state acquired the works of art through "prescription," meaning that by possessing a property for long enough the state had gained ownership of it. Although the masterpieces were originally seized by the Nazis, they have belonged to the Hungarian NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - Tickets for the American Hungarian Foundation's Mega 50/50 Raffle are still available. The raffle features 100 prizes, including a potential top prize of $50,000. The drawing will take place on Saturday, May 17, during the AHF's 45th Annual Carousel Ball at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick. Tickets for the raffle are $100 each, and a maximum of 2,000 tickets will be sold, meaning the prize pool could reach as high as $100,000. The grand prize will be 50 percent of the prize pool, for a potential grand prize of $50,000. There will also be 99 other cash prizes awarded as follows:- one first prize equal to 12.5 percent of the prize pool (max. $12,500);- one second prize equal to five percent of the prize pool (max. $5,000);- two prizes equal to 2.5 percent of National Gallery for several decades. Baron Lipot Herzog assembled one of the greatest art collections of the time in pre-war Budapest, consisting of some 2,500 pieces at its peak. Nierenberg's quest has focused on only 11 artworks—including paintings by El Greco, Van Dyck, Courbet and others-with an estimated worth of between $15 million and $20 million. The last ruling in the case was back in 2000, when an appellate court said the works of art had to be returned to the family, but this was appealed by the state. "I'm 82; I guess they're hoping they can wait me out," Nierenberg told the Neiv York Times. "Part of me is frustrated. Part of me is angry at the government. It's been a long time, but you keep on," she added. the prize pool (max. $2,500 each);-15 prizes equal to 0.5 percent of the prize pool (max. $500 each); and- 80 prizes equal to 0.25 percent of the prize pool (max. $250 each). In last year's inaugural Mega 50/ 50 Raffle, the top five prize winners were awarded more than $26,000. Tickets may be purchased by filling out a ticket application form and submitting it along with a check for $100. Ticket applications are available by calling the AHF at (732) 846- 5777. Only the first 2,000 applications will be honored; all other contributions will be returned. More information about the raffle can also be found on the AHF's website at www.ahfoundation.org. Go to the website's home page and click on the "Raffle" link found at the bottom of the column on the left side of the page. All proceeds will benefit the AHF and its efforts to preserve and promote the culture, history and contributions of Hungarians in America. In Brief Hungary begins new year battling winter weather from The Budapest Sun More than 500 injuries, more than 100 car accidents and continuous delays to train and road traffic marked the first two weeks of 2008 for Hungary. The National Weather Service set a third degree alert for nearly the whole of the country for the first weekend of January.The sleet beginning on Jan. 4 resulted in a massive increase in calls to the ambulance services. Firemen were also frequently called out to retrieve vehicles that had tipped into roadside ditches. Public transportation suffered major delays. The Hungarian Railway Company, MÁV, didn’t wait for the sleet to suffer huge disruption. An alert triggered by a false weather forecast caused nearly 40 percent of the railway system to stand idle on Jan. 2, causing a political dispute along with the traffic chaos. Poll says politicians least trustworthyj Politicians are the least trustworthy people in Hungary, according to a poll commissioned by the tabloid daily Blikk. Some 23 percent of Hungarian people said they would lend money to President László Sólyom. He was followed by the leader of opposition party Fidesz, Viktor Orbán, and Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) leader Ibolya Dávid (19 percent each). Television personality and quiz show host István Vágó topped the poll with 46 percent, followed by news presenter Antónia Erős and reporter Tamás Vitray with 44 percent each. Tickets for Mega Raffle available 11 William Penn Life, February 2008
