The violins include dozens of priceless Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati instruments as well as lesser-known models prized for their musical and monetary worth. In its Sunday editions, the Chicago Tribune reported its research into the seizures. The coveted violins could lead to opening the next area of inquiry into Holocaust reparations. The World Jewish Congress has been leading the effort to seek justice for Holocaust-era lootings. Museums who gained some of the valued instruments through questionable deals might be slow to help further the investigation, the Tribune reported.
Violins are also more difficult to identify than works of art.
Adolf Hitler's chief ideologue, Alfred Rosenberg, created a task force in 1940 to collect the best musical instruments and scores. The campaign ran for five years. German musicologists followed the Nazi troops as they invaded other countries. They catalogued and prepared the instruments for transport to the Music Office in Berlin. The 2002 survey, published Sept. 10, ranked YU up four places from last year.