An Israeli mediator claims he was handed the keys to secret Nazi-era Swiss bank accounts. His mission has reignited difficult questions about Swiss secrecy, Holocaust-era assets, and what justice may still demand.
A Rabbi’s Quest for Lost Fortunes
Rabbi Ephraim Meir does not look like a man chasing billions. Mild in manner and appearance, the 72-year-old German-Israeli rabbi speaks softly, apologizing for being hard to reach. His afternoons are spent teaching Torah; the night before our interview, he attended his great-grandson’s haircutting ceremony.
From a weathered briefcase, Meir produces photocopied bank documents and affidavits. The papers, he says, trace back to six numbered Swiss accounts allegedly opened by Nazi affiliates in the late 1930s and expanded through wartime deposits.
According to Riva Pomerantz, an investigative journalist with Ami Magazine, the heirs of one account holder have legally transferred their rights to Meir, who claims he intends to dedicate any recovered funds to Jewish charitable causes — “to turn treif money into something kosher.”
The claim, if proven true, would reach into the most secretive corners of European banking and Holocaust restitution, stirring moral and historical tensions that have long simmered beneath Switzerland’s image of neutrality.
From Berlin to Zurich: An Unlikely Emissary
Meir, a former Israel Defense Forces chaplain and educator, told Ami Magazine that his involvement began unexpectedly in 2007. A group of East German lawyers approached him, claiming their unnamed clients had connections to Nazi-era Swiss accounts. They sought an Israeli intermediary to penetrate what they described as a “wall of secrecy.”
Meir initially dismissed the inquiry. But then came the faxes — account numbers, codes, and sketches tracing how small wartime banks had merged into today’s financial giants.
Plans to collaborate with the late Yaakov Neeman, Israel’s former finance and justice minister, fell apart over conflicts of interest. Israeli intelligence, Meir says, declined official participation but offered tacit encouragement.
A Meeting at UBS
In March 2009, Meir and German banking attorney Harald Reichart, a specialist in dormant accounts, met with officials at UBS in Zurich. Their goal, Meir recalls, was not to demand funds but to trace what had become of the accounts.
According to his account in Ami Magazine, a senior UBS lawyer acknowledged that the accounts had been transferred to the Claims Resolution Tribunal (CRT) — the entity created after the 1990s U.S. class-action settlement over Holocaust-era assets.
To Meir, the admission was startling. The CRT was designed to manage victims’ accounts, not money belonging to Nazi functionaries.
UBS has repeatedly stated that it fulfilled all obligations under the court-approved restitution framework. The Washington Mirror has not independently verified Meir’s account or the existence of the specific accounts described.
The CRT and Switzerland’s Wartime Shadows
Switzerland’s wartime role in handling Nazi-linked assets remains one of Europe’s most contentious historical issues. Its official neutrality did not prevent Swiss banks from accepting Reich gold, foreign currency, and deposits tied to Nazi Germany.
In the 1990s, whistleblower Christoph Meili exposed UBS employees shredding wartime documents. Public outrage and U.S. lawsuits led to a $1.25 billion settlement in 1998, funding the Claims Resolution Tribunal to adjudicate Holocaust-era claims.
Meir now distinguishes between the original CRT — which he calls fair and transparent — and what he terms “CRT-II,” which he alleges became a tool for concealment, rejecting claims without explanation and manipulating records.
Much of the CRT’s documentation remains sealed. U.S. District Judge Edward R. Korman ordered certain records closed until 2070 but allowed for future review if new evidence surfaces.
The Heir, the Assignment, and a Hidden Map
According to Ami Magazine, Meir and Reichart traced their claim to Detlev Köhler, the son of a Nazi-era intelligence officer. In 2023, Köhler and his sister reportedly signed a full rights transfer to Meir in Zug, Switzerland — not just a power of attorney but outright ownership.
At that same meeting, the siblings allegedly revealed a hand-drawn map hidden in an old desk compartment, marking a tunnel near Buchenwald where valuables were buried. German authorities have reportedly approved initial safety assessments for excavation.
These claims could not be independently verified by the Washington Mirror.
A Legal Battle for Transparency
UBS has reportedly declined further communication with Meir since 2009. Undeterred, he now seeks to create what he calls a “third CRT” — a transparent, court-supervised process with open records and full oversight.
His lawyer, Dr. Gerhard Podovsovnik of AEA Justinian Lawyers, argues that UBS’s 2023 acquisition of Credit Suisse consolidates decades of banking mergers — and with them, the duty to explain the origins of all dormant assets.
“They will need to open the books,” Podovsovnik told Ami Magazine.
Parallel efforts may involve litigation in the U.S. and diplomatic outreach to Swiss regulators.
What the Money Would Fund
If successful, Meir says the funds will support religious and humanitarian causes. He has pledged to donate 18 Torah scrolls in memory of the victims of the 2008 Merkaz HaRav attack — a tragedy that coincided with his first UBS meeting.
Despite the magnitude of his claim, Meir insists he will continue living modestly.
Unresolved Questions
Legal experts note that any recovery faces immense obstacles. Courts must validate ownership, trace the accounts through multiple bank mergers, and determine whether such claims can even be reopened decades after prior settlements.
Still, for many, the issue is as much moral as financial: what happened to the money that vanished amid Europe’s darkest years?
As Meir told Ami Magazine: “Justice has a long memory. If the doors won’t open, we’ll knock through the courts.”
Whether those doors reveal hidden fortunes — or simply another generation of legal battles — remains uncertain.
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
Legal Notice & Source Attribution
This report summarizes and cites Ami Magazine’s “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 originate from that publication.
The Washington Mirror has not independently reviewed sealed or disputed records.
Historical context 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 published for journalistic analysis and commentary under U.S. fair use and EU press freedom standards. The Washington Mirror makes no independent allegations of wrongdoing.
Editor’s Note
This article is based on documents and accounts provided by named sources and prior published reporting from Ami Magazine (October 1, 2025). Several claims remain disputed or could not be independently verified. Allegations are attributed to the individuals involved or to Ami Magazine’s reporting where appropriate.
