Book Detectives - Intensify Efforts to Recover Jewish-Owned Works Looted by Nazis

Several looted books returned by UCLA are now part of the collection at the Jewish Museum in Prague, according to Shannon Tanhayi.

After World War II, the world focused on the human toll of the Holocaust, pursuing justice for survivors and bereaved families. Reparations and restitution efforts soon followed, aiming to address the atrocities and recover property seized by the Nazis.

While high-value artworks stolen from Jewish families have garnered significant attention, the fate of millions of Jewish-owned books looted by the Nazis remains less widely known.

In their campaign to obliterate Jewish culture, the Nazis confiscated books from libraries, universities, and public and private collections across Europe. Some books were destroyed or recycled into paper, but many were preserved for institutions the Nazis intended to create, where scholars would “scientifically” argue Jewish inferiority. Although these institutions were never built, looted books were shipped to sorting centers, often processed by forced Jewish labor.

Diane Mizrachi, a librarian at UCLA, had little awareness of the looted books until she received an email in 2020 from a curator at the Jewish Museum in Prague (JMP). The curator was working to restore the collection of Prague’s Jewish Religious Community Library (JRCLP), devastated by the Nazis, and had identified several books at UCLA as belonging to the library.

The email marked the beginning of months of collaboration to investigate the provenance of three 19th-century books. By May 2022, six titles, including religious texts and rabbinical commentaries, were repatriated in a ceremony. Mizrachi, who has since uncovered dozens more such books at UCLA, views the effort as a moral imperative.

Whenever something is stolen—whether through imperialism, colonialism, or oppression—it is inherently wrong,” Mizrachi said. The original owners or their heirs might no longer be here, but their stories are essential to preserve,” Mizrachi explained.

Following the war, the remnants of the JRCLP were incorporated into the Jewish Museum in Prague. However, with approximately 30,000 volumes looted, many remain unaccounted for.

Michal Bušek, head of the museum’s library department, said that digitization, online auctions, and increased provenance research have accelerated recovery efforts. About 2,800 titles remain missing, not only in university libraries but also in museums, private collections, and secondhand bookstores.

Bušek’s team has traced 80 missing books so far, with 63 successfully returned. Negotiations are ongoing for others. Bušek emphasized the importance of these efforts, noting that Prague’s Jewish community began searching for the books during World War II, even as their lives were endangered.

In April 1945, these looted Jewish books and altar cloths were found stored by the Nazis in a church in Germany.

These books are all that remain of their owners. Their legacy lives on, and we aim to bring them back where they belong, he said.

In Germany, a pioneering exhibition is inspiring citizen scientists—including students and amateur historians—to assist in tracing another trove of plundered books, further amplifying the global effort to recover these vital cultural and historical artifacts.

The Library of Lost Books, an exhibition available both online and in-person at the University Library Frankfurt until January 31, shines a spotlight on the Higher Institute for Jewish Studies in Berlin (Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums). Founded in 1872, the institute was dedicated to Jewish history, culture, and rabbinical studies.

In 1942, the Nazis forcibly closed the institute, destroying some of its estimated 60,000 books while sending others across Europe. The exhibition showcases some of these looted texts, preserving their historical significance.

Unlike efforts by institutions such as Prague’s Jewish Museum, “The Library of Lost Books” does not aim to repatriate the institute’s volumes. Instead, it seeks to create a comprehensive database documenting their locations.

There is no legal successor, so this isn’t about determining where these books belong, explained Irene Aue-Ben-David, director of the Leo Baeck Institute (LBI) in Jerusalem. The exhibition is a collaboration between the LBI, its UK sister organization, and the Association of the Friends of the LBI in Berlin.

Our aim is to shed light on the history of these books, inspire people to report them, and document their locations online,” added Aue-Ben-David. “This effort is not about making legal claims.

The interactive project invites the public to contribute to solving the enduring mystery of these looted books while fostering a sense of justice in response to Nazi atrocities, say the organizers.