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Summary: A Rare Insider's View of Holocaust Recovery Efforts
Review: Having lived through the Holocaust, and as someone personally involved in ongoing efforts to recover art works stolen by the Nazis, I found Mr. Eizenstat's new book both revealing and insightful. Pissarro's Impressionist masterpiece "Rue St. Honore, apres midi, effet de pluie," stolen from the Cassirer family by the Third Reich in 1938, is currently being held, in violation of international law, by the Spanish government in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. Mr. Eizenstat has selflessly provided much needed assistance to our family in connection with our efforts to effect its return. "Imperfect Justice" illustrates, from a rare insider's point of view, the many challenges of typically difficult, complex and not infrequently controversial recovery efforts, and how these obstacles have been overcome on behalf of Holocaust victims and their families. The author's remarkable descriptions of how compensation agreements were forged, and many other fascinating details he shares from his first-hand experience on the "front line" of Holocaust recovery efforts are really most compelling. I encourage everyone interested in the "unfinished business" of the Holocaust to carefully read this unique work of non-fiction by a key figure in these extraordinary matters.
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Summary: an insult to the Swiss flag
Review: I am glad that all copies of this book on Swiss territory were confiscated yesterday by order of the Geneva district attorney. The author insults my country by showing our national flag together with a fascist symbol.
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Summary: A genuinely impressive account
Review: I worked with Stu Eizenstat when I was Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights in the Clinton Administration. Although I did not know him before, except by reputation, I soon came to know him as an inspired diplomat and public servant. The work he did in bringing a resolution to the Holocaust Assets dispute was a remarkable display of ability, imagination, persistence, and conscience. This book not only tells Eizenstat's story in a compelling way, and from a profoundly human perspective, but also captures the rare decency and commitment of the author to what many considered an impossible cause. As a modern human rights memoir, it ranks with Aryeh Neier's Taking Liberties and Jeri Laber's The Courage of Strangers. This is a memoir of conscience that anyone who wants to make human rights real should read, and remember.
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Summary: Not to be missed
Review: Imperfect Justice was unbelievable. Eizenstat's accomplishments are incredible and heroic. This book is not to be missed. Let no reader confuse a bitter and vitriolic diatribe for objective criticism. Any criticism or praise for a book should focus on the book itself, rather than the author's behavoir, or the actual topic of the book. This is the very definition of intellectual integrity (emphasis added towards the review above).
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Summary: Injustice for the Victims
Review: It is a great shame that Mr. Eisenstat and some 24 lawyers, the Organizations, Judges Gribitz and Korman, Prof. B. Neuborne had a great opportunity to finally secure payment for the victims for what was taken from them and they deliberately blew it. The German Companies worked us to death and paid "a pitance" under this agreement. The Swiss Banks promissed to safeguard our accounts and instead kept them mostly for themselves and hid the legdgers from us. Mr. Eisenstat writes at the end of his book (I paraphrase) "dont worry Gizella, Greta and-------I will take care of you". Yes, he Stuart Eisenstat, is taking care, but of himself and not the victims. He is portraying himself as a hero rather then a villain. Burt Neuborn has taken $5,000,000 from Germany for masterminding the Settlement and the other lawyers got over $54 million, or about $1 million each. Mr. Eisenstat is now seeking recognition. For what? He got for each victim approximately $7,000 from Germany and $400 from the Swiss Banks. He left Gizela bitter and due to the stress during the whole affair Gizela's son died from becaming terribly distressed because of the way Mr. Eisenstat and the others named above have treated her and the other concentration camp victims. It is a great shame that a Stuart Eisenstat, a Neuborn and a Korman could so terribly hurt the survivors and at the same time are able to give immunity from suits to the German and Swiss companies that became wealthy by sucking the blood and the life out of the still living survivors. Even worse is that they have destroyed the last hope of the survivors for a final, decent and fair treatment under a transparent due process. This whole process and attitude over which Eisenstat has presided in these two settlements is a morally bancrupt undertaking. And now they claim credit for themselves from an uninformed public. Read the book, if you have to, but the outcome for the victims speaks louder then what has been stated in the volume. We ask the general public; will someone correct this injustice and any future ones that a Suart Eisenstat is part of? Holocaust victims must be properly and directly compensated just like our brethren the US GIS who were in the camp with us at Berga during WWII and each received an appology and a payment between $75,000 and $100,000 from the German Government.
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Summary: an insult to the Swiss flag
Review: Mr. Eizenstat has written a book that is stunning in its breadth and reach. Even those who believe they understand the depravity of the Holocaust will find this remarkably well-researched book incredibly informative (and depressing).
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Summary: Read it and Weep!
Review: Mr. Eizenstat has written a book that is stunning in its breadth and reach. Even those who believe they understand the depravity of the Holocaust will find this remarkably well-researched book incredibly informative (and depressing).
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Summary: What It Takes To Make A Difference
Review: On one level, this book is worth reading just to affirm that there have in fact been times when important people, in this case one in particular -- the author -- cared fiercely about showing many suffering and powerless thousands that the world cared about the unfathomable injustices they had suffered. The victims didn't really get justice, as that was, as the title acknowledges, not remotely possible. But at least they knew that, finally, after decades of wall to wall indifference, someone was listening and trying, seriously, to do what could be done. But what will make it hard for many readers to put this book down is that it is both a good story, entertainly told, and a shrewd analysis of a complex multi-party, multi-governmental, legal and political negotiation with high stakes, bitter differences, and high-powered protagonists. The book is certainly one of the best case-studies in captivity of the tricky and combustible mix of law, diplomacy, and politics both bureaucratic and democratic, that drives such processes. That this episode stayed on track to reach the best result that it could have was very far from a sure thing, from the beginning to the end. Eizenstat's seasoned, sometimes cynical, frequently amusing exegisis of the calculations, mistakes, and victories of the players makes the book hugely instructive for professionals as well as entertaining for casual students of government. It could be a popular teaching aid in law schools, especially for Eizenstat's exposition of his own strategies, and his often surprisingly candid Monday Morning quarterbacking of himself.
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Summary: The victims are again mistreated
Review: Stuart Eizenstat has produced a masterpiece. I was riveted throughout this incredible saga. What started as a small component of his overall responsibilities became a great lesson for all of us. As a result of Eizenstat's enormous abilities--his dedication, hard work, brilliance, determination, his refusal to be deterred by numerous obstacles, and most of all, his incredible devotion to seeking justice for those who experienced tremendous suffering--he was able to bring justice to large numbers of Nazi victims. Eizenstat achieved all this a half-century after these atrocities occurred. Imperfect Justice is very well-written and a great testimonial to what one talented person can do in this world. I don't believe there's another person in the country who could have accomplished what Eizenstat was able to achieve. He was the perfect person for this assignment and succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. I strongly recommend this book to any thoughtful person who wants to be inspired by a fabulous success story.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Book
Review: Stuart Eizenstat has produced a masterpiece. I was riveted throughout this incredible saga. What started as a small component of his overall responsibilities became a great lesson for all of us. As a result of Eizenstat's enormous abilities--his dedication, hard work, brilliance, determination, his refusal to be deterred by numerous obstacles, and most of all, his incredible devotion to seeking justice for those who experienced tremendous suffering--he was able to bring justice to large numbers of Nazi victims. Eizenstat achieved all this a half-century after these atrocities occurred. Imperfect Justice is very well-written and a great testimonial to what one talented person can do in this world. I don't believe there's another person in the country who could have accomplished what Eizenstat was able to achieve. He was the perfect person for this assignment and succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. I strongly recommend this book to any thoughtful person who wants to be inspired by a fabulous success story.
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