After the Fact

A look back at some of the people, places and things that made headlines in 1998:

There was good news aplenty after all this year for Christoph Meili. The former Swiss bank guard was hailed as a hero in 1997 for his role in exposing Swiss banks for holding Jewish assets confiscated during the Nazi Holocaust. As a result, though, he was forced to flee with his family to America, and until recently the 30-year-old was working as a hotel doorman in Manhattan.

Now he’s looking forward to spending the next four years studying under full scholarship (about $18,000 a year) at Chapman University in Orange, where university President James Doti has hailed him for his “deep conviction and courage” and says he expects Meili to be “a wonderful role model for our students.”

Meanwhile, the “1939” Club, an organization of Holocaust survivors and descendants in Los Angeles, has been spearheading an effort to raise funds to help Meili support his wife and two children while he earns his degree. The club president, attorney William Elperin, says contributions have been coming in from all over the country.

“At this point,” Elperin says, “we’ve raised enough to provide for two years of support. We’ve hired a tutor for him [out of] the fund so he can improve his English.” Until he starts school in the fall, Meili will be generating income on his own by giving speeches; he is set to appear Feb. 2 at Sinai Temple in Westwood.

And the list goes on: A moving company in Orange County has offered to relocate the Meili family cross-country for free. Chapman has offered an on-campus job to Meili’s wife, Giuseppina. And, Elperin adds, “The ‘Leeza’ show wants to fly him out; ‘Good Morning America’ wants him. . . .”