Some Measure of Justice : the Holocaust Era Restitution Campaign of the 1990s /

In 2008, Marrus (emer., Holocaust studies, Univ. of Toronto) delivered the Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem's George L. Mosse Lectures, which serve as the basis for his splendid engagement with the 1990s Holocaust restitution campaign. Considering international and national law, historical memory, human motives, and the role of historians in settling disputes, Marrus examines the roots of the 1990s campaign; compares it with earlier reparations movements; explains its contribution to defining the meaning of the Holocaust; and suggests its broad implications for "justice seeking" today. Though restitution claims for Nazi genocide surfaced before the Third Reich crumbled, they turned to ice during the Cold War but thawed significantly after the fall of the Soviet empire. The 1990s provided "a new surge of transgenerational memory" for Holocaust-related claims as central and eastern Europeans brought forth all manner of appeals for restoration of property, and rights groups worldwide clamored for justice for historic wrongs. By the turn of the century, survivors of Nazi atrocities and their heirs had received restitution of around $8 billion. Marrus argues that though settlements inadequately compensated survivors, providing little more than "some measure of justice," they remind the world that rectifying historic injustices is an ongoing legal, moral, and political process. Summing Up: Highly recommended. For all collections. J. D. Smith University of North Carolina at Charlotte