Helen Mirren Backs Bill on Returning Art Stolen by Nazis

Helen Mirren Backs Bill on Returning Art Stolen by Nazis¹

British actress Helen Mirren has joined U.S. lawmakers' efforts to return artwork stolen by Nazis during the Holocaust² to its rightful owners. Decades after Nazis looted the art mostly from Jews, many valuable pieces remain in art galleries and private collections worldwide. Earlier this year, a group of U.S. senators introduced a bill that would ensure that claims in the United States to Nazi-confiscated art are resolved fairly and quickly.

Helen Mirren got interested in the subject during the making of the movie "Woman in Gold," in which her character fought successfully to reclaim⁴ a piece of art that was stolen from her family during the Holocaust.

"And it is a story that is not made possible without this incredible country - the United States of America. These are American stories - stories that capture the integrity and the power of the United States," said Mirren.

At a Senate hearing Tuesday, co-chaired by Texas Republican Ted³ Cruz, the Oscar winning actress said the right thing to do in every instance is to return the art to its rightful owners.

"It's a terribly sad fact that more than 70 years later, victims of the Holocaust and their families are still contemplating⁵ whether to seek restitution⁶ for what was stolen from them and lost under the most horrible of circumstances," said Mirren.

A lack of transparency and legal restrictions⁷ discourage many rightful owners from seeking their inheritance. One of them, Simon Goodman, testified that he had been fighting for 20 years for the return of his grandfather's collection.

"Fritz Goodman was murdered in Terezienstadt in April 1944, but it was not until 1994, when my father died and I inherited his correspondence, that I became aware of my father's solitary⁸ and largely unsuccessful quest to regain⁹ his own father's dispersed¹⁰ collection," said Goodman.

One of the most common obstacles is the lapse¹¹ of time between the theft and the claim for restitution. Advocates, like Agnes Peresztegi of the Commission for Art Recovery, maintain there can be no statute¹² of limitations for crimes perpetrated during the Holocaust.

"Just like the prosecution¹³ of genocide should never be barred by statute of limitations, in the same manner works of art and valuable property taken during the campaign of genocide should be deemed as forever tainted," said Peresztegi.

The bipartisan Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act would ensure that claims to Nazi-confiscated art are not unfairly barred by statutes¹⁴ of limitation and other procedural obstacles.

1 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

3 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

4 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

5 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

6 restitution   

n.赔偿；恢复原状

参考例句：

• It's only fair that those who do the damage should make restitution.损坏东西的人应负责赔偿，这是再公平不过的了。
• The victims are demanding full restitution.受害人要求全额赔偿。

7 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

8 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

9 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

10 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

11 lapse   

n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效

参考例句：

• The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。
• I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。

12 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

13 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

14 statutes   

成文法( statute的名词复数 )； 法令； 法规； 章程

参考例句：

• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Each agency is also restricted by the particular statutes governing its activities. 各个机构的行为也受具体法令限制。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法