A retired Israeli rabbi says he holds the keys to Nazi-era Swiss bank accounts long thought lost to history. His pursuit to uncover them has reignited one of Europe’s most enduring moral questions — who profited from the war, and who is still waiting for justice?
A Rabbi on a Moral Mission
At 72, Rabbi Ephraim Meir hardly fits the image of a man chasing hidden wealth. Gentle and modest, the German-Israeli rabbi spends his days in study and prayer. Yet tucked inside his worn briefcase, he says, are the photocopied documents that could unlock billions from Europe’s darkest era.
As first reported by Ami Magazine, Meir claims the papers trace back to six numbered Swiss bank accounts allegedly opened by Nazi affiliates in the 1930s and quietly expanded during the war. The heirs of one of those account holders, he says, have formally assigned their rights to him.
His goal, he insists, is not personal enrichment but moral restitution — “to turn treif money into something kosher.”
From East Germany to Zurich: Following a Paper Trail
Meir told Ami Magazine his journey began in 2007 when East German lawyers contacted him about clients linked to dormant Nazi-era assets in Swiss banks. They sought an Israeli intermediary to pierce what they called Switzerland’s “wall of secrecy.”
Initially skeptical, Meir hung up. But then came the documents — faxed account numbers, access codes, and archival hints showing how smaller wartime banks had been absorbed by giants like UBS and Credit Suisse.
A proposed collaboration with the late Israeli finance minister Yaakov Neeman fell through over legal conflicts, but Meir continued. He says Israeli intelligence officials declined direct involvement but did not discourage his work.
The 2009 UBS Meeting
In March 2009, Meir and German banking attorney Harald Reichart, a specialist in dormant accounts, traveled to Zurich to meet with executives at UBS.
According to Ami Magazine, they presented archival identifiers and passbooks, asking not “Where is my money?” but “Where are these accounts now?”
A senior UBS representative allegedly told them the accounts had been transferred to the Claims Resolution Tribunal (CRT) — the international body created after the late-1990s U.S. class-action lawsuits against Swiss banks.
For Meir, this raised profound questions. The CRT was established to process the claims of Holocaust victims, not to hold deposits belonging to Nazi officers.
UBS has said publicly that it has met all obligations under international restitution agreements. The Chicago Times Herald has not independently verified the meeting or the documents referenced.
Switzerland’s Wartime Shadow
Switzerland’s neutrality during World War II remains one of the country’s most complicated legacies. Its banks handled gold, currency, and assets from Nazi Germany while maintaining the façade of impartiality.
In the 1990s, whistleblower Christoph Meili revealed that UBS had destroyed wartime documents. The ensuing global outrage led to a $1.25 billion settlement and the creation of the Claims Resolution Tribunal, which reviewed more than 30,000 accounts tied to Holocaust victims and their families.
Meir now distinguishes between the original CRT, which he calls “legitimate,” and what he terms “CRT-II” — a later phase that he alleges involved rejected claims, sealed files, and manipulated valuations.
U.S. District Judge Edward R. Korman ordered portions of the CRT’s records sealed until 2070 but allowed for reopening if credible new evidence appears.
The Heir and the Map
After years of research, Meir and Reichart say they found Detlev Köhler, the son of a Nazi-era intelligence officer. In 2023, Köhler and his sister allegedly met with Meir in Zug, Switzerland, and signed over all legal rights to him — not just power of attorney but full ownership.
That meeting, Ami Magazine reports, revealed an extraordinary find: a hand-drawn map hidden in a desk compartment, marking a tunnel near the Buchenwald concentration camp where valuables were said to be buried.
German authorities, Meir says, have approved initial safety assessments before any excavation begins.
The Chicago Times Herald could not independently verify these claims.
Legal Pressure and a Call for Openness
Since UBS refused further meetings after 2009, Meir has called for the creation of a “third CRT” — an independent, transparent tribunal to handle unresolved accounts with open discovery.
His lawyer, Dr. Gerhard Podovsovnik of AEA Justinian Lawyers, told Ami Magazine that UBS’s 2023 acquisition of Credit Suisse consolidates decades of financial history and, with it, the responsibility to account for all dormant assets.
“They will need to open the books,” Podovsovnik said.
Meir also plans to pursue discovery orders in U.S. courts and encourage diplomatic pressure on Switzerland to reveal what he calls “the last closed chapter of Europe’s wartime economy.”
What Happens if He Succeeds
If his claims are validated, Meir says he will use the funds for religious and humanitarian causes. Among his plans: the donation of 18 Torah scrolls in memory of the victims of the 2008 Merkaz HaRav attack — the same day as his first UBS meeting.
He insists he will not personally profit from any recovery. But he admits that the legal hurdles are immense — proving ownership, tracing mergers, and challenging past settlements decades after closure.
For many families still waiting for restitution, Meir’s pursuit is about more than money. It’s about moral clarity — about confronting what was lost and demanding transparency from those who still hold the records.
“Justice Has a Long Memory”
As Ami Magazine notes, Meir’s story reignites the long-running debate over Swiss neutrality, the ethics of secrecy, and the moral price of financial convenience.
“Justice has a long memory,” Meir said. “If the doors won’t open, we’ll knock through the courts.”
Whether those doors reveal hidden fortunes or more locked files may depend on judges, archivists, and the will to confront a buried past.
Contact for Holocaust-Era Account Claims
Dr. Gerhard Podovsovnik, LL.M., M.A.S.
Vice President, AEA Justinian Lawyers
📧 office@drlaw.eu | 📞 +43 664 110 3403
Editor’s Note
This article draws from Ami Magazine’s investigative feature “Nazis, Swiss Banks & the Jewish Money That Vanished” (October 1, 2025) by journalist Riva Pomerantz.
All factual claims regarding Rabbi Ephraim Meir, UBS, Credit Suisse, and the Claims Resolution Tribunal are attributed to that publication.
The Chicago Times Herald has not independently verified sealed or disputed records.
Background on the Swiss Banks Holocaust Settlement is available through the Claims Conference and U.S. District Court filings related to the 1998 settlement.
This article is presented for journalistic analysis and commentary under U.S. fair use and international press freedom standards. The Chicago Times Herald makes no independent allegations of wrongdoing.
