III

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 54

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Auschwitz-Birkenau state

museum in Poland should release seven paintings by Auschwitz survivor

Dina Babbitt made while she was imprisoned there, and that the governments of the United States and Poland should facilitate the return

of Dina Babbitt’s artwork to her.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

AUGUST 5, 1999

Mrs. BOXER (for herself and Mr. HELMS) submitted the following concurrent

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the AuschwitzBirkenau state museum in Poland should release seven

paintings by Auschwitz survivor Dina Babbitt made while

she was imprisoned there, and that the governments

of the United States and Poland should facilitate the

return of Dina Babbitt’s artwork to her.

Whereas Dina Babbitt (formerly known as Dinah

Gottliebova), a United States citizen now 76 years old,

has requested the return of watercolor portraits she

painted while suffering a year and a half long internment

at the Auschwitz death camp;

Whereas Dina Babbitt was ordered to paint the portraits by

the infamous war criminal Dr. Josef Mengele;
2

•SCON 54 IS

Whereas Dina Babbitt’s life, and her mother’s life, were

spared only because she painted portraits of doomed inmates of Auschwitz-Birkenau, under orders from Dr.

Josef Mengele;

Whereas Dina Babbitt is unquestionably the rightful owner

of the artwork, since it was produced by her own talented

hands as she survived the unspeakable conditions that

prevailed at the Auschwitz death camp;

Whereas only 22 of the 3,800 Czech Jews scheduled for

death at Auschwitz in March of 1944 survived the Auschwitz ordeal, and among those who were murdered were

relatives of Dina Babbitt;

Whereas to continue to deny Dina Babbitt the property that

is rightfully hers adds to the pain and suffering she has

experienced because of the Auschwitz ordeal;

Whereas the artwork is not available to public view at the

Auschwitz-Birkenau state museum and therefore this

unique and important body of work is essentially lost to

history; and

Whereas this continued injustice can be righted through cooperation between agencies of the United States and Poland: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) recognizes the moral right of Dina Babbitt

4 to obtain the artwork she created, and recognizes

5 her courage in the face of the evils perpetrated by

6 the Nazi command of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death
3

•SCON 54 IS

1 camp, including the atrocities committed by Dr.

2 Josef Mengele;

3 (2) urges the President to make all efforts nec4 essary to retrieve the seven watercolor portraits

5 Dina Babbitt painted, while suffering a year and a

6 half long internment at the Auschwitz death camp,

7 and return them to her;

8 (3) urges the State Department to make imme9 diate diplomatic efforts to facilitate the transfer of

10 the seven original watercolors painted by Dina Bab11 bitt from the Auschwitz-Birkenau state museum to

12 Dina Babbitt, the rightful owner;

13 (4) urges the Government of Poland to imme14 diately facilitate the return of the artwork painted

15 by Dina Babbitt from the Auschwitz-Birkenau state

16 museum to Dina Babbitt; and

17 (5) urges the officials of the Auschwitz18 Birkenau state museum to transfer the seven origi19 nal paintings to Dina Babbitt as expeditiously as

20 possible.

Æ