The scrolls and manuscripts originated in the countries of Romania, Hungary, Ukraine and Slovakia. They contained prayers for the dead, memorial pages, operating rules of society, identity of society religious leaders and even names of those deported to Auschwitz. They were written as early as the mid-19th-century and as late as World War II, according to the press release.
They were supposed to be sold at the Kestenbaum and Company auction house located in Brooklyn, New York. The auction house has specialized in selling rare Judaic material for over 25 years. They admitted that they didn't own the manuscripts. "Kestenbaum and Company is not the owner of the material concerned, but rather represents a private collector who has exerted much effort over past decades to rescue and preserve Jewish historical documents that would have otherwise been lost," the auction house said in a statement. "Kestenbaum and Company fully supports and applauds the leadership of the US Attorney's Office in the ongoing effort to appropriately resolve this meta-historical issue."The DOJ is now working to return the scrolls to their rightful owners. The Paris Peace Treaty of 1947 declared that all unclaimed Jewish property be returned to survivors' communities, according to a DOJ affidavit quoted by USA Today.
“The Scrolls and Manuscripts that were illegally confiscated during the Holocaust contain priceless historical information that belongs to the descendants of families that lived and flourished in Jewish communities before the Holocaust." Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Jacquelyn Kasulis said. "This Office hopes that today’s seizure will contribute to the restoration of pre-Holocaust history in Eastern Europe.”
The seizure was part of a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) cultural property investigation, according to HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh. "We are fortunate to be part of the team that is able to return these artifacts to their rightful Jewish communities,” Fitzhugh said in the statement. "[We] will continue to bring to justice the individuals and transnational criminal organizations who profit from the trafficking of these cultural treasures."
The press release stated that the scrolls were confiscated by people who "had no right to do so." It added that there was no legitimate way for them to be imported into the US.