A rare carving of three Stars of David was discovered in a box car from a German train used to transport Jews to concentration camps in Poland that was brought to Israel two and a half months ago. First reported by Israel Hayom, the carving includes three vertical markings at the center of each star, likely symbolizing the year they were made -- 1943. The carving is located on an iron bar that is part of the box car's structure. It was found by the restoration team that was preparing the box car for display at a Netanya Holocaust memorial site. Holocaust researcher and preservation expert Roni Dotan confirmed that the carving is extremely rare and that "whoever engraved it risked [his or her] life. If the Germans had found it, everyone would be killed. He wanted to send a message from history." Meanwhile, the French and U.S. governments met last month to begin talks on compensating Holocaust survivors and the families of victims who were transported to concentration camps by French railway company SNCF, the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Wednesday. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that both countries hope to complete the talks as soon as possible, but added that "Recent initiatives of certain state legislatures, such as New York and Maryland, have begun to pose a serious obstacle to achieving this goal." The bill in Maryland, which would have barred SNCF from bidding on the $2.2 billion Purple Line light-rail project until it pays compensation to the deportation victims and their families, stalled in the General Assembly earlier this week. In 2010, the state passed a bill requiring SNCF to disclose its role in transporting Holocaust victims before it could bid on Maryland projects. Psaki urged the legislators to allow the compensation talks to move forward, saying, "The current American-French dialogue, in our view, represents the best means of reaching an agreement that will meet the concerns expressed by lawmakers in these states."
Rare carving found on German Holocaust-era box car
Holocaust researcher Roni Dotan tells Israel Hayom carving of three Stars of David found during restoration is extremely rare • France and U.S. announce talks to compensate Holocaust survivors and families transported by French railway company SNCF.
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