Below is a database of 50,000 Holocaust-era Jewish names. If you recognize the
name of a relative, you or someone in your family may be an heir to unclaimed Holocaust-era assets.
The database comes from two sources. One is the list of unclaimed Swiss bank accounts released by the Swiss government.
They are identified with a Code of "S". These names usually include the city and country where the account
was opened.
The second list comes from a collection at the Austrian State Archives in Vienna. They are identified with a Code
of "A". The Austrian files include ALL assets, including possible Swiss bank accounts, as well as insurance
policies and other holdings. When the Germans occupied Vienna in 1938, they required all Jewish residents to complete
a detailed declaration of valuables, including bank accounts, insurance policies, real estate, art, etc. These
declarations are the files held in the archives in Vienna. Our source provides only given name, family name and
date of birth.
Swiss Banks
Almost any Jew (or their heirs) who lost assets or suffered during World War II may have a claim to the $1.25 billion
compensation fund established by the Swiss banks.
Potential categories of claims include:
- Those with Swiss bank accounts
- Individuals who had valuables that the Germans looted or removed during World War II--in any country
- Those forced into slave labor
- Those who fled the Germans but were turned away at the Swiss border or mistreated after entering Switzerland
For details on how to register a claim. go to http://www.swissbankclaims.com.
Austrian Archives
NOTE: Those with Austrian files should also fill out the Swiss bank registration. Until files are retrieved from
the Austrian archives and examined, there is no way to know if a Swiss bank account was part of the holdings. Even
those without Swiss bank accounts may be eligible for compensation under one of the other categories.
At this time, there are only two mechanisms for possibly retrieving assets of individuals in this database. One
is the class action lawsuit against the Swiss banks. In addition, if the relative had life insurance, as many did,
it may be possible to recover the current value of the policy. Additional information about life insurance policies
can be found at www.ICHEIC.org.
The first step is to obtain a copy of the file. A sample letter and the address is found below.
Sample Letter to Austrian Archives
Below is a sample letter that may be used to request a file:
