WFDB calls for 'halting' late Helmut Horton's jewellery sale by Christie's

The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) has expressed its objection to the sale of the jewellery collection of the late Heidi Horten, whose husband late Helmut Horton, a Nazi, forcibly bought Jew businesses to accumulate wealth.
In an attempt to stop the sale or retrieve the proceeds for charity purposes, Yoram Dvash, President of WFDB has penned a letter to Francois Curiel Chairman of Christie’s-Europe to rectify the injustice of the yesteryear and distribute the proceedings to charity organisations. 
“On behalf of the Executive Board of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, I would like to express the WFDB’s objection to this sale, so clearly associated with the Nazi plunder of Jewish businesses. In a time of Holocaust denial and the resurgence of anti-Semitism around the world, we find it especially appalling that a world-renowned auction house would engage in such a sale,” Yoram Dvash said. “Although we are aware that Christie’s has made a concession to the universal public outcry against this auction, by stating that it will make a significant contribution from its final proceeds to Holocaust research and education, we feel it necessary to express our outrage at this auction. The WFDB strongly requests that if Christie’s insists on holding the Horten auction, you personally ensure that the major portion of the proceeds is donated by Christie’s to charities supporting the welfare of Holocaust survivors, as well as commemoration and education. For the sake of transparency, we also request that the amount of the contribution and the recipient organizations be announced to the public.”

Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished