Kurt May
Encyclopedia
Kurt May was director of The United Restitution Organization, which assisted victims of Nazism
, from its inception in 1948 to his retirement at age 91, in 1988.
For more than forty years he played a leading role in efforts to obtain compensation for Jews who had been persecuted, maltreated and robbed of their possessions by the Nazis. He presided over a worldwide organization with branches in 19 countries and a staff of more than 1000. In the course of its existence, the URO aided over 500,000 people.
He also virtually singlehandedly compelled the postwar German government to admit that the Nazis had persecuted Roma (Gypsies) on grounds of race and ethnicity. The decision was made in a 1956 German court ruling after a 10-year legal battle, and opened up the possibility of Roma claiming compensation for Nazi crimes.
Benjamin Ferencz, the Chief Prosecutor for the United States Army at the postwar Nuremberg war crimes trials, wrote in his book “Less than Slaves” (1979) that Kurt May had also been one of the driving forces in efforts to obtain compensation for former slave laborers who had been forced to work under horrendous and often fatal conditions at I.G. Farben and other companies which collaborated closely with the Nazi SS.
in 1896. He fought on behalf of Germany in the First World War, serving in the Ardennes and at the Russian front, and was decorated for his bravery. After the war he built up a thriving legal practice in Jena
, but with the rise of Hitler and the Nazi persecution of Jews, he left for Palestine in 1934. He was also an outstanding tennis player and played in various international tournaments as a young man.
, who went on to become a distinguished literary editor in London.
wrote in its obituary (June 1, 1992) “Kurt May was engaged in an historic act of redress and helped tens of thousands to rebuild their lives.” The Guardian
wrote in its obituary (June 3, 1992) “May was an outstanding personality. Hundreds of thousands of former Nazi victims in many different countries have good reason to be grateful to him.”
In its obituary, The Independent
(June 3, 1992) wrote: “There are literally hundreds of thousands of people who may have never heard the name of Kurt May but who are heavily in his debt. He conducted his work with a passion for justice, an unshakable belief in the right to demand the redress for wrongs and always maintained the greatest degree of dignity in the pursuit of this cause.”
The Times
of London added (June 3, 1992): “As a young man Kurt May had been strikingly handsome, and he retained his looks in old age, along with an uncomplicated sense of humour and much of the stamina that had once made him an outstanding tennis player. At the age of ninety he could still set out on an Alpine walk and leave companions half his age puffing and wheezing as they tried to keep up.”
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, from its inception in 1948 to his retirement at age 91, in 1988.
For more than forty years he played a leading role in efforts to obtain compensation for Jews who had been persecuted, maltreated and robbed of their possessions by the Nazis. He presided over a worldwide organization with branches in 19 countries and a staff of more than 1000. In the course of its existence, the URO aided over 500,000 people.
He also virtually singlehandedly compelled the postwar German government to admit that the Nazis had persecuted Roma (Gypsies) on grounds of race and ethnicity. The decision was made in a 1956 German court ruling after a 10-year legal battle, and opened up the possibility of Roma claiming compensation for Nazi crimes.
Benjamin Ferencz, the Chief Prosecutor for the United States Army at the postwar Nuremberg war crimes trials, wrote in his book “Less than Slaves” (1979) that Kurt May had also been one of the driving forces in efforts to obtain compensation for former slave laborers who had been forced to work under horrendous and often fatal conditions at I.G. Farben and other companies which collaborated closely with the Nazi SS.
Early life
Kurt May was born into a prosperous and assimilated German-Jewish family in the eastern German town of MeiningenMeiningen
Meiningen is a town in Germany - located in the southern part of the state of Thuringia and is the district seat of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. It is situated on the river Werra....
in 1896. He fought on behalf of Germany in the First World War, serving in the Ardennes and at the Russian front, and was decorated for his bravery. After the war he built up a thriving legal practice in Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
, but with the rise of Hitler and the Nazi persecution of Jews, he left for Palestine in 1934. He was also an outstanding tennis player and played in various international tournaments as a young man.
Family
In Jerusalem in 1936 he married Vera Feinberg, a fellow German-Jewish refugee who later became a judge. All their relatives in Germany died in the Holocaust. They had a daughter in Jerusalem, Miriam GrossMiriam Gross
Miriam Gross has had a long and distinguished career as a literary editor. She was the Deputy Literary editor of The Observer from 1969–81, the Women’s editor of The Observer from 1981–84, the Arts editor of The Daily Telegraph from 1986–91, and the Literary editor of The Sunday Telegraph from...
, who went on to become a distinguished literary editor in London.
Obituaries
May died, aged 95, in 1992. Obituaries appeared in major newspapers in Europe in 1992 but have not yet been put on line. The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
wrote in its obituary (June 1, 1992) “Kurt May was engaged in an historic act of redress and helped tens of thousands to rebuild their lives.” The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
wrote in its obituary (June 3, 1992) “May was an outstanding personality. Hundreds of thousands of former Nazi victims in many different countries have good reason to be grateful to him.”
In its obituary, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
(June 3, 1992) wrote: “There are literally hundreds of thousands of people who may have never heard the name of Kurt May but who are heavily in his debt. He conducted his work with a passion for justice, an unshakable belief in the right to demand the redress for wrongs and always maintained the greatest degree of dignity in the pursuit of this cause.”
The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
of London added (June 3, 1992): “As a young man Kurt May had been strikingly handsome, and he retained his looks in old age, along with an uncomplicated sense of humour and much of the stamina that had once made him an outstanding tennis player. At the age of ninety he could still set out on an Alpine walk and leave companions half his age puffing and wheezing as they tried to keep up.”