BAD NEWS: The statement that  Stephanie Haney made that make the head coach of Cleveland annoying today….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLEVELAND — New on 3, get the latest information on what’s happening across Northeast Ohio on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, on 3News Daily with Stephanie Haney.

Today we continue to follow the brutal killings in Israel at the hands of Hamas, while Jewish people in Ohio grapple with the traumatizing murders. Mm

We also share what we know about two homicide investigation in Northeast Ohio, and the death of Cuyahoga County Judge Michael Russo. In Garfield Heights, Governor Mike DeWine is praising police efforts to curb violent crime.

In football news, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson didn’t practice again today as he deals with a mysterious shoulder injury.

Plus, we fill you in on what’s been going on at the Forbes Under 30 Summit, share where you can see Dr. Amy Acton on 3News , which Ohioan won $1 million in Saturday’s Powerball drawing, and more on 3News Daily.

Catch the highlights from each day’s most-read stories on wkyc.com, Monday through Friday, on 3News Daily with Stephanie Haney.

 

Watch on TV on 3, NBC News NOW and Peacock each weekday at 3 pm during NBC News Daily, and stream the extended version of 3News Daily every weekday afternoon on the WKYC+ app, which you can download for free on your Roku and FireTV.

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The artworks were surrendered by museums in Pittsburgh and Ohio, but prosecutors are still fighting in court to recover third artwork by the same artist, Austrian expressionist Egon Schiele, that was seized from a Chicago museum at the same time.

 

On Friday in Manhattan, the estate of Holocaust victim Fritz Grünbaum accepted “Portrait of a Man,” which was surrendered by the Carnegie Museum of Art and “Girl with Black Hair,” surrendered by the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College. Prosecutors have collectively valued the two pieces at around $2.5 million.

 

Ten of Schiele’s works have now been returned to the family, but “Russian War Prisoner” remains at the Art Institute of Chicago, which maintains that it was legally acquired.

This combo of images shows three artworks by Austrian expressionist Egon Schiele. ‘Girl With Black Hair’ is on the far right.

Grünbaum was the son of a Jewish art dealer and law school student who began performing in cabarets in Vienna in 1906. As the Nazis rose to power, he mocked them, once saying on a darkened stage, “I can’t see a thing, not a single thing; I must have stumbled into National Socialist culture.”

 

In 1938, he was captured by Nazi officials, who created a trail of paperwork. Manhattan prosecutors say they forced him to give power of attorney to his wife, and then forced her to sign away the art — including around 80 Schiele works — to Nazi officials. Some of the art was sold to fund the Nazi war effort, they say. Elizabeth and Fritz Grünbaum died in concentration camps.

 

Prosecutors say the works reappeared in 1956 in Switzerland, part of a shady art deal with members of the Nazi regime, that led to them being sold in New York galleries.

 

On Friday, one of Grünbaum’s heirs thanked leaders at Oberlin College and the Carnegie Institute, saying they “did the right thing.”

 

“This is a victory for justice, and the memory of a brave artist, art collector, and opponent of Fascism,” said Timothy Reif, Grünbaum’s great-grandnephew and a federal judge in New York City, in a statement released by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “As the heirs of Fritz Grünbaum, we are gratified that this man who fought for what was right in his own time continues to make the world fairer.”

 

A New York judge ruled in 2018 that other two works by Schiele had to be turned over to Grünbaum’s heirs under the Holocaust Expropriated Recovery Act, passed by Congress.

 

In that case, art dealer Richard Nagy said he was the rightful owner of the works because Grünbaum’s sister-in-law had sold them after his death. But the judge in the case ruled that there was no evidence that Grünbaum had given them to her voluntarily, writing it was “a signature at gunpoint.”

 

The Art Institute of Chicago, however, disputes that. And it argues that “Russian War Prisoner,” a pencil and watercolor piece, was legally acquired.

 

“We have done extensive research on the provenance history of this work and are confident in our lawful ownership of the piece,” said Art Institute of Chicago spokesperson Megan Michienzi.

 

Michienzi pointed to a prior 2010 ruling from another federal judge that she said “explicitly ruled that the Grünbaum’s Schiele art collection was ‘not looted’ and ‘remained in the Grünbaum family’s possession’ and was sold by Fritz Grünbaum’s sister-in-law.”

 

Reif and his relatives had been fighting in a separate federal civil court case for the return of the work. The Art Institute of Chicago had the case thrown out in November on technical grounds, successfully arguing that, unlike the Nagy case, the family had missed a lawsuit deadline under the Holocaust Expropriated Recovery Act.

 

After that case was dismissed, Bragg’s office earlier this month asked a Manhattan court to authorize the return of the artwork.

 

CLEVELAND — As more Israeli hostages have been freed, 3News is hearing from a family of four who escaped Hamas when they entered their Kibbutz on Oct. 7.

 

The family tells 3News’ Laura Caso that they are fortunate to be alive after what so many others endured. The Rotbart family is a Spanish-speaking family that calls Israel home at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. After the Hamas attacks, they flew to America to stay with their extended family in Cleveland.

 

They recall the morning of Oct. 7 and say it was a typical Saturday morning in Israel until they heard a barrage of rockets. The Rotbart family is familiar with the sound of rockets, however, they say this was different.

 

“This time it was a large continuous stream of rockets. It sounded like a thousand jet engines above you and that’s when I woke up,” said oldest son, Uriel. “And then machine gun fire, that is very unusual, that never happened in the previous cases.”

 

Tanya, Sergio and their sons Uriel and Rafael stayed in their home bomb shelter from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. The family was communicating on WhatsApp with those in their Kibbutz community. They started to hear stories of Hamas entering homes and the devastating stories of kidnapping and killing.

 

“Since we know where everyone lives…we sort of have a map in our head of the kibbutz and we are hearing reports of people [all over] and so we understand [Hamas is] getting closer to us.

 

The sounds of gunshots and bombs continued throughout the entire day. It wasn’t until 8 p.m. that the Israeli military transported the family out of their home to a communal shelter. The family is grateful to be alive and safe in Cleveland. Sadly, more than 200 people in their extended community were kidnapped or killed and they say they know almost everyone.

 

“I have teachers who were kidnapped or killed, former classmates, [my mom] has people she took care of who died,” said Uriel.

 

The Rotbart family lived about 2.5 miles from Gaza but they always felt safe. Their Kibbutz is community living, which includes a peaceful lifestyle based on agriculture.

 

Together, they celebrate holidays, they hold events, and teach their children as one unit.

 

“Even if your house didn’t get hit, if the entire community doesn’t return, the village dies essentially, you don’t have a functioning community,” said Tonya.

 

Tonya wants to raise money to reconstruct the homes, and increase security. Ultimately, she wants to return home and live the life she once lived with her family and her community by her side. However, there are many unknowns for this family and thousands of others who were victims of Hamas attacks.

 

“I don’t know how my day to day will look like after this is all over because so much is lost,” said Uriel. I wasn’t hurt…none of my family was hurt…but my life will never be the same.