Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Department of Justice
A 16th-century Hebrew religious text, known as the Chamisa Humshe Torrah (Five Books of Moses), printed in Venice by Giovanni di Gara in 1588, along with Haftarot from 1589, has been returned to the Jewish Theological Seminary of the University of Jewish Studies in Budapest. The announcement was made by Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Ricky J. Patel, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Field Office.
The repatriation ceremony took place at the Hungarian Consulate in New York City and included officials such as Hungarian Ambassador Szabolcs Takács, Consul General Istvan Pasztor, Rector Professor Gábor Balázs of the seminary, and others.
“The repatriation of the nearly 450-year-old Di Gara Text to the Jewish Theological Seminary marks the end of the text’s 80-year displacement from its rightful home,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton and HSI Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel. “The Di Gara Text was looted from the seminary’s holdings during the occupation of Budapest by Nazi forces in 1944 and was found in the Southern District of New York in 2023. Our offices are honored to have had a role in returning this precious text to where it belongs.”
Giovanni di Gara was a Venetian printer who produced Hebrew books during the 16th century. The Di Gara Text includes both a copy of the Jewish Torah and a collection called Haftarot, which contains selections from the Hebrew Bible.
The book became part of Italian Jewish scholar Lelio Della Torre's personal collection during his lifetime (1805–1871). After Della Torre's death, his collection was sold to the Jewish Theological Seminary around 1877. In 1944, Nazi forces occupied Budapest and looted many holdings from institutions like this seminary; it is believed that is when this particular volume disappeared.
In March 2023, Hungarian authorities informed U.S. officials that a book matching descriptions and bearing stamps associated with Della Torre’s collection was being offered for sale on AbeBooks.com for $19,000. AbeBooks is an online marketplace where rare books are often sold by independent vendors.
Following this notification, HSI agents seized the Di Gara Text in April 2023. On October 4, 2024, U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres confirmed its forfeiture so it could be returned to Hungary.
Mr. Clayton and Mr. Patel credited special agents from HSI’s Cultural Property, Art, and Antiquities Squad for their investigative work and thanked both Hungarian authorities for their cooperation throughout this process.
The case was managed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Gianforti from the Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit.
