[link|http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-brf-chagall-stolen0820aug20.story?coll=sns%2Dap%2Dnationworld%2Dheadlines|Ransom for Chagall: Mideast Peace]

August 20, 2001

NEW YORK -- A group claiming responsibility for the recent theft of a Marc Chagall painting from the Jewish Museum says the work will not be returned until there is peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

The prerequisite was in a letter postmarked June 12 and signed by the International Committee for Art and Peace, an organization not familiar to authorities, The New York Times reported Monday.

Authorities said they weren't sure whether the theft actually was politically motivated, but they were confident the letter was not a hoax. The writers had information about the painting that could only come from someone who had it in their possession, the Times said.

Museum officials discovered the painting missing June 8, the morning after a party at the museum. Police found no sign of forced entry.

The 8-by-10 oil painting, "Study for 'Over Vitebsk,"' has an estimated value of $1 million. The 1914 work shows an old man carrying a walking stick and beggar's sack, floating in the sky above a village.

On the Net: [link|http://www.thejewishmuseum.org|http://www.thejewishmuseum.org]

I doubt it'll help. :-(

Cheers,
Scott.