California Law Aids Recovery of Holocaust Art

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 2867 into law, aimed at helping residents recover art and personal belongings stolen during the Holocaust. This legislation comes after a Ninth Circuit ruling allowed a Spanish museum to retain a painting by Camille Pissarro, which was forcibly sold by a Jewish family fleeing Nazi Germany in 1939. The new law clarifies that California law applies in lawsuits regarding stolen property from the Holocaust, thus enabling families like the Cassirers to pursue ownership claims. Newsom emphasized the moral and legal imperative to return valuable and sentimental items to their rightful owners. The bill is seen as a significant step towards justice for Holocaust survivors and their descendants, with supporters highlighting its role in confronting historical injustices. This law represents a potential turning point in the long-standing dispute over the Pissarro painting, now valued in the tens of millions of dollars.