26 Jun 2025

Cultural property seized during Nazi persecution: Five German cultural institutions restitute 221 books to the descendants of Henry Torrès

On June 26, 2025, in Paris, five German cultural institutions have passed 221 books to the descendants of renowned French lawyer, journalist, and politician Henry Torrès (1891–1966). The books had belonged to Torrès or to one of his two wives, as evidenced by the dedications inside.

A number of German libraries participated in the restitution: 95 volumes were kept at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, 93 volumes at the ZfL. An additional 33 books were kept at the Saxon State and University Library Dresden, Rostock University Library, and the Staatliche Bücher- und Kupferstichsammlung Greiz. Crucial knowledge to identify the books was contributed by the research project “Nazi-confiscated property after 1945: the role of the Zentralstelle für wissenschaftliche Altbestände (ZwA)” conducted at the Staatsbibliothek. In the GDR, the ZwA was the central non-commercial authority for the distribution of library items such as duplicates. This also included Nazi-confiscated property which was redistributed in this way after 1945.

After the first books were matched, centrally recorded provenance data and information stored in the ProvenienzWiki quickly revealed that the case of Torrès affected multiple cultural institutions. The provenance research team at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin led the preparations for a joint restitution. This was supported by the Commission for the Restitution of Property and the Compensation of Victims of Anti-Semitic Spoliations CIVS, a long-standing partner concerning restitution issues. It supported the restitution effort by providing relevant content-related information for the research, establishing contact with heirs, and accompanying the practical implementation of the restitution.

Marion Ackermann, president of the SPK, says: “This restitution is a prime example for the cooperation between different German cultural institutions in the field of provenance studies. I am especially grateful to CIVS for their fundamental contribution that made this restitution possible.”

Henry (also: Henri) Torrès, born in Les Andelys in Normandy, came from a Jewish family. Having been politically active since his youth, he ran for positions in different Communist party groups, defended left-wing extremist activists, worked for the journal of the French Communist Party, and occasionally worked for the theater.

After the First World War, Torrès became famous as the lawyer of many different social and political prominent individuals. One of his greatest successes was the defense of Scholom Schwartzbard in 1927. Schwartzbard (1886–1938) had shot the former Ukrainian president Symon Petliura, who was living in exile in Paris, in broad daylight. Schwartzbard had blamed Petliura for the pogroms in Ukraine, which had claimed the lives of his family. With the help of 80 witnesses to the pogroms, Henry Torrès obtained a spectacular acquittal for Schwartzbard. From this point onwards, he was known far beyond France.

From 1919 to 1928, Torrès was married to Jeanne, born Levylier. She was also Jewish and was later known as a school founder and last wife of French president Léon Blum. She and Torrès had two sons, Jean and Georges. From 1930 to 1948, Torrès was married to resistance fighter Suzanne, born Rosambert, whom he married following her divorce from French general Jacques Massu.

Due to his Jewish origin and his legal and political activities, Henry Torrès was directly targeted by the German occupiers. In his autobiography, he recounts how, right after the occupation of Paris in 1940 and again in March of 1941, the Germans searched his apartment on Avenue Hoche 38 and confiscated countless items.

After the start of World War Two, Torrès held different positions at the French government’s Ministry of Information. After losing his government position following the German occupation, and fearing reprisals as a Jewish lawyer and as an opponent of the capitulation and the armistice, Torrès fled to the US after multiple stopovers. There, he taught criminal law at the École Libre des Hautes Études Françaises’, which was established in New York during the war, and also worked as an author and journalist. In November 1945, he returned to France. From 1948 to 1958, Torrès held a seat in the senate of the Departement Seine for the RPF party (eng.: Rally of the French People) founded by de Gaulle. He died in Paris on January 4, 1966.

The provenance of the books from the Torrès collection

The 221 volumes of the Torrès provenance identified in German libraries/institutions are works that were gifted to Torrès or to his partners by their respective authors, primarily in the 1920s and 1930s, including handwritten dedications. While most are political or historical publications, there are also works of fiction and plays. Some of the works are by Jewish authors, while others refer to the recipient’s Communist-patriotic stance. In these dedications, Torrès is often addressed as a personal friend.

The few works jointly dedicated to both Torrès and his respective wife include writings by the French poet, novelist, and essayist Gabriel Faure; the famous author, literary scholar, and historian André Maurois; and the novelist and essayist Gabrielle Élise Victoire Logerot, who wrote under the pseudonym Gabrielle Réval and others.

The 95 volumes of the Torrès provenance identified at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin were largely acquired between October 1946 and December 1954. At the same time (between April 1951 and June 1952), the four volumes identified at the Rostock University Library were sent to Rostock from Berlin as exchange copies.

Researchers know of several ways in which French books were transferred to the Staatsbibliothek’s predecessor institution, the Preußische Staatsbibliothek, during the Nazi era. However, it is also possible that these volumes were among the holdings of Nazi institutions that were dissolved at the end of the war.

The majority of the now-identified books was distributed to different libraries by the ZwA from 1960 onwards. The Staatliche Bücher- und Kupferstichsammlung Greiz received its 19 volumes around 1960. The 10 volumes from the Saxon State and University Library Dresden only were only acquired through the ZwA in 1979 and 1982. The Leibniz Center for Literary and Cultural Research (ZfL) likely also received its 93 volumes through the ZwA in 1979 and 1980.