Alfred Donath | Aided Nazis' victims, 78

Alfred Donath, 78, a Jewish activist who helped Holocaust victims and their heirs recover money from Swiss banks, died Monday in Geneva, Switzerland.

Dr. Donath led the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG) from 2000 to 2008.

He was a key figure in mediations between the World Jewish Congress and Swiss banks and was the federation's vice president in 1998, when Swiss banks reached an out-of-court settlement to pay Holocaust victims and their heirs $1.25 billion. The deal followed a concerted campaign by the congress and several lawsuits.

The banks had allegedly stonewalled many heirs of victims trying to recover deposits made by European Jews before they were killed in concentration camps.

"His work for the SIG over a quarter of a century and his courageous dedication to the concerns of the Jewish community and interreligious dialogue will remain unforgettable," the federation said in a statement.

Dr. Donath, who was born in Basel, Switzerland, became a professor of nuclear medicine after studying in Switzerland and France. - AP