Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) Photograph

The Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg fur die besetzten Gebiete (Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce for the Occupied Territories) was a Nazi organization established in 1940 for the purpose of seizing Jewish and other cultural property from countries invaded by Germany during World War II. It was directed by Alfred Rosenberg, the head of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories. The ERR was initiated as part of a proposed Nazi university (Hohe Schule der NSDAP), which was to be an institute for research on the opponents of Nazi ideology. After the war, file records of the ERR, such as this one, were dispersed to many repositories around the world. The records have been instrumental in efforts to return looted property to rightful heirs.

This photograph from the Russian Archives shows the Restoration Room of a small town museum in Lawra, where Judaica objects are spread out over the floor. The photograph is mounted on a file card.