Helen Mirren Testifies on Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery

Actress Helen Mirren testified on Capitol Hill Tuesday over Jewish art that was confiscated by the German Nazi's during World War II, also known as the greatest displacement of art in human history.

Mirren sat alongside the president of the World of Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, who also testified on the lost art. 

Lauder said if it wasn't for Mirren's movie, he wasn't sure if this meeting would happen. 

Mirren's testifying comes after her film called, "Woman in Gold," where she played a Jewish woman who fought for the return of her family's long-lost art collection that was taken by the Nazis during the Holocaust, according to The Hill.

Sen. Chuck Schumer began the hearing alongside Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn and Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal to introduce the Holocaust Art Recovery Act, called (HEAR). 

Cruz initiated the hearing by speaking on the horrors soldiers found when they came across the concentration camps. 

"The goal was to dehumanize the Jewish people. If a regime is willing to strip a people of their precious belongings it is not much further of a step than to take their lives as well. Sadly even today we are still trying to cope with the consequences of the Holocaust," he said.

Mirren then shared the story of the woman she portrayed in the "Woman in Gold."

"I personally had to go on a journey portraying Maria, and the memory of the Second World War was very much a part of my history," she said. "Playing Maria Altmann, I had to put her memories in my mind."

"That is why I am here now, playing Maria made the reality of those days real. It is terribly sad families are still seeking what was stolen from them," she continued. "Logically we can all agree we should return the art to the rightful owners. It was unjust and inhuman."

Mirren said that some still lack the will to recognize the victims and families as the rightful owners to their art.

"Restitution is so much more than reclaiming a material good. Restoring physical parts of lost heritage is a moral imperative. Art restitution has little to do with financial gains, it is an opportunity to reclaim history, their memories and families," she said.  

Cruz praised Mirren's film and added that he hopes this act will help those reclaim a tangible link before the darkness of the Holocaust. Cruz also said that although those on the panel disagree on many issues, but he is glad to see bipartisan effort on this issue.

Lauder explained that this issue remains a very complex problem.

"We would like to see every piece of stolen art returned to its rightful owner," he said. "In many cases a confiscated piece of art was purchased with good intentions since the buyer was unaware the work was stolen."

"Art is a reflection of memories," Mirren said. "The Jewish people lost their memories, which is like having no family."