IHRA Co-Chairs’ Statement on the IHRA’s working definitions and the Future of Remembrance
IHRA Co-Chairs Ambassador Terezija Gras and Sara Lustig state: “Following the conclusion of the first Plenary Meetings under the Croatian IHRA Presidency, we express our deepest concern about IHRA experts’ reports of rising antisemitism and Holocaust distortion, which threaten the fabric of our pluralistic societies and the very existence of Jewish communities around the world. However, we are equally motivated by the impact of the IHRA’s collaborative, cross-cutting approach to addressing these threats, and are convinced of its effectiveness. Seven years ago, the IHRA's adoption of...
IHRA Secretary General condemns the silencing of researchers in Poland
Following yesterday's attack by a Member of the Polish Parliament against Holocaust historian Prof. Jan Grabowski, Dr. Kathrin Meyer, IHRA Secretary General, says: "I strongly condemn the increasingly violent attempts in Poland to silence researchers like Jan Grabowski and Barbara Engelking, who, even in the face of threats and intimidation, have the courage to uncover the truth of the Holocaust, no matter how uncomfortable. IHRA Member Countries and our expert community share an understanding that research on the Holocaust must be built on facts, cooperation, and openness to the...
IHRA Chair's Statement on Ukraine and Babyn Yar
IHRA Chair Ambassador Ann Bernes states, "In my first act as IHRA Chair, I wish to echo yesterday’s United Nations General Assembly resolution and I condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine. By its illegal military actions, Russia is grossly violating international law and the principles of the UN Charter. I am shocked and deeply saddened by the violence and loss of life that have occurred in various parts of Ukraine over the past days. "I reject the inaccurate and inappropriate use of the term 'denazification' to...
IHRA Secretary General Statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
On the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, IHRA Secretary General Kathrin Meyer has recorded a personal message in which she stresses the importance of honoring the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, and the role that remembrance plays in countering Holocaust distortion, the greatest contemporary threat to the legacy of the Holocaust. She concludes by calling upon others to share their reasons for remembering the Holocaust with videos on social media using #WhyWeRemember.
IHRA Chair Statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Today, we commemorate the victims and survivors of the hatred that was the driving force of a totalitarian, criminal regime and its collaborators. Absolute responsibility and duty of all of us, who choose to be called heirs of humanitarian and democratic values is to honour the victims and survivors, to reflect upon their legacy and to act with this in mind. Today, we commemorate the Jews, as well as the other victims of the Nazi Regime who suffered and died cruelly, inhumanly, all of them victims of an absurd, unthinkable, targeted hatred. We commemorate six million Jews of all ages...
IHRA Plenary statement on recent antisemitic violence and hate speech
In light of the grave acts of antisemitic violence that have occurred in many places worldwide, the IHRA Plenary condemns the illegal hate speech which constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence, and supports the statement issued by the IHRA Chair, Ambassador Chris J. Lazaris, on 14 May: IHRA Chair, Ambassador Chris Lazaris, states: "We strongly condemn the antisemitic violence and hate speech that has taken place in response to the recent escalation of violence in the Middle East. While freedoms of speech and protest are essential pillars of all democracies, nothing...
IHRA Chair's Statement on the suing of Holocaust historians in Poland
"We view with great concern how historians researching the Holocaust are being sued in Poland for presenting the findings of their work. Together, the Member Countries of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) have pledged to uphold the Stockholm Declaration and the 2020 IHRA Ministerial Declaration. In doing so, they have committed themselves to aiding in 'efforts to promote education, remembrance, and research about the Holocaust,' encouraging 'the study of the Holocaust in all its dimensions,' and encouraging 'all countries and societies to address their respective pasts by...
IHRA Chair's Statement on the storming of the U.S. Capitol
IHRA Chair Ambassador Michaela Küchler states, "As the world watched yesterday in shock at the storming of the US Capitol building, the consequences of hate speech and baseless conspiracy myths were laid bare. This latest antidemocratic outburst reveals the increasingly violent nature of this dangerous trend, found all over the world. It erodes democratic principles and values, incites hate and encourages scapegoating of minorities. It is one, which time and again, provides a platform for antisemitism and Holocaust denial and distortion. That yesterday's events featured right-wing militia...
IHRA Chair's Statement on Holocaust distortion at "Querdenker" demonstrations
IHRA Chair Ambassador Küchler states, "It is simply unacceptable to compare the inconveniences brought about by coronavirus measures with any part of the persecution and murder of Europe’s Jews. Doing so scorns the memory of the millions of victims of the Holocaust. I strongly condemn the Holocaust distortion and antisemitic conspiracy myths gaining traction at so-called 'Querdenker' demonstrations against coronavirus restrictions around Germany. Comparisons between coronavirus measures and the 1933 Enabling Act (Ermächtigungsgesetz), or social distancing guidelines and the horrors experienced...
IHRA Chair's Statement on the attack at Hohe Weide Synagogue in Hamburg
IHRA Chair Ambassador Michaela Küchler states, "The news of yesterday's attack on a Hamburg synagogue left me with a deep feeling of unease. The IHRA stands in solidarity with the Jewish community in Hamburg and wishes the victim a speedy recovery. "This is, as German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas rightly pointed out, unfortunately not a one-off case. One year after the attack in Halle, we see that the threat to Germany's Jewish community remains. Beyond this recent attack in Hamburg, the rise in antisemitic incidents, both in Germany and beyond, reveal a worrying trend where people...