In my presentation, I will compare property restitution in Poland and Slovakia in 1944-1948. I will argue that the problem transcended national borders, becoming a universal obstacle in Jewish attempts at rebuilding life in Eastern Europe after the war. At the same time, a comparative discussion of property restitution shows that East European Jews did attempt to rebuild their lives, reclaim their roles in society, and were willing to fight lengthy battles in order to do so. It also tells us about the complex relationship between the new state ideology and the bottom up attempts of citizens to retain their property rights under the pressures of advancing nationalization.

Anna Cichopek-Gajraj is an Assistant Professor of East European Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Arizona State University (USA).