[MSN] CMC Professor to Resign as Holocaust Center Director

[MSN]

CMC Professor to Resign as Holocaust Center Director
Claremont Independent - 9 April 2008
By: Elise Viebeck

Dean to Faculty: Not the Result We Expected "A Few Months Ago"

(4/9/08) -- Claremont McKenna College history professor Jonathan Petropoulos will
resign as director of the Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide and Human
Rights effective summer 2008. Dean of Faculty Gregory Hess made the announcement to
CMC professors at a meeting on April 8.
The announcement comes amid controversy surrounding an effort by Petropoulos to
restitute a Nazi-looted painting to its rightful owner in which his associate, a
Munich art dealer, has been investigated for blackmail. The painting was looted in
1938 from the childhood home of Gisela Bermann-Fischer, now a resident of Zurich,
shortly after she and her family escaped the Nazi Anschluss.
Sources say that Hess' statement, which will be released to Trustees on April 9,
closely resembles a March 7 letter sent to Trustees and tenured and tenure-track
faculty. The March 7 message reads, in part:
Last summer, published media reports contained assertions that Professor Jonathan
Petropoulos had engaged in potentially questionable conduct relating to restitution
of a painting that had been confiscated in Austria prior to World War II.
In response, the College undertook a thorough review and retained an outside law
firm to assist in the four-month investigation. That process is now complete. Based
on evidence examined here and abroad, the College has concluded that Professor
Petropoulos adhered to applicable contractual and legal obligations in attempting to
arrange return of the painting. In addition, the College concluded that Professor
Petropoulos' account of his actions was accurate.
O'Melveny and Myers, LLP, a prominent Los Angeles law firm, compiled its findings
from the investigation in a final report. Dean Hess and Vice President for Special
Projects Jerome Garris told the CI in a March 6 interview that the report would not
be released.
After reading the statement to CMC faculty at the meeting, Hess said that the
outcome was not what the administration had expected "a few months ago."
Petropoulos, with associate director of the Holocaust Center Gary Gilbert, is
scheduled to lead a small group of CMC students on a two-week trip to Israel in May
2008. The fall 2007 edition of HiGHeR Issues, the Center's newsletter, reported that
14 of 40 applicants were selected for the trip.
After departing on May 19, the group will tour Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv to
explore Israeli "identity, culture...[and] collective memory" in the wake of the
Holocaust.

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Claremont McKenna College history professor resigns from a prominent post at college
By Will Bigham, Staff Writer
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - 9 April 2008
Article Created: 04/09/2008 11:46:34 AM PDT

CLAREMONT - The Claremont McKenna College history professor who has come under
scrutiny for actions surrounding the restitution of a plundered painting has
resigned from a prominent post at the college.
Jonathan Petropoulos confirmed in an interview this morning that he has resigned as
director of the college's Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human
Rights.
Petropolous declined to comment further. He will remain at the college as a history
professor.
In a letter sent Tuesday to college faculty by Dean of Faculty Gregory Hess, Hess
quotes from Petroloulos's resignation letter in which he states: "I recognize that
this matter is a continuing distraction that places an unnecessary burden on the
effective operations of the center."
Petropoulos has been the subject of scrutiny for his connection to an attempt to
return a painting stolen by Nazis to a descendant of its original owner.
The painting, by French impressionist Camille Pissarro, is valued at about $6.7
million, according to the Associated Press.
Petropoulos and a German art dealer were requesting an 18 percent finder's fee
before retuning the painting to a descendant of Jewish publisher Samuel Ficher, from
whom the work was stolen in 1938, the Associated Press reported.
German authorities found the painting in 2007 when they raided a safe belonging to a
trust with connections to Bruno Lohse, a prominent Nazi art plunderer, the
Associated Press reported.
After learning of Petropoulos's connection to the raid, Claremont McKenna employed
an outside law firm to conduct an investigation into the matter, said spokeswoman
Evie Lazzarino.
"While the issues in this case concern Professor Petroloulos' activities as a
consultant and are outside the scope of his (college) employment, a thorough and
objective investigation indicates that he acted in good faith to assist in the
painting's restitution and complied with the law," Lazzarino said in a statement.
Petropoulos's actions came under intense scrutiny locally when a Claremont McKenna
student publication, the Claremont Independent, covered the story extensively in a
February report.
In March, Petropoulos said in an interview that the report was "not an accurate
portrayal of what transpired."
"The fact is, the college, in conjunction with counsel from a prestigious
international law firm, conducted a thorough review, found no wrongdoing, and deemed
by account accurate," Petropoulos said.

This statement was delivered Tuesday to Claremont McKenna faculty members by from
Gregory Hess, dean of the faculty:
As we recently reported to the members of the CMC faculty, published media reports
contained assertions that professor Jonathan Petropoulos had engaged in potentially
questionable conduct relating to the restitution of a painting that was confiscated
in Austria prior to World War II.
In response, the college undertook a thorough review and retained an outside law
firm to assist in the investigation. Based on the evidence discovered through this
investigation, the college concluded that professor Petropoulos adhered to
applicable, contractual, and legal obligations in attempting to arrange for the
return of the painting. In addition, the college concluded that professor
Petropoulos' account of his actions was accurate.
Not withstanding these findings, professor Petropoulos has determined that it is in
the best interest of the Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human
Rights for him to step aside from his current position as director at the conclusion
of this academic year.
In particular, professor Petropoulos stated in his resignation letter to me, "Even
though I strongly believe I engaged in appropriate and ethical conduct, I recognize
that this matter is a continuing distraction that places an unnecessary burden on
the effective operations of the center."
The college appreciates and thanks professor Petropoulos for his leadership of the
center since the retirement of professor John Roth in December 2006, and looks
forward to his continued contributions as a member of our esteemed faculty.

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