IHRA Chair's Statement on Shooting in New Jersey
Ambassador Georges Santer, Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) said: “It was with deep shock that I learned of the fatal shooting at the JC Kosher Supermarket on 11th December in New Jersey. I express my sincere condolences to the families and friends of those murdered in the attack, as well as its survivors, and the whole Jewish community across New Jersey. We condemn this abhorrent and antisemitic hate-crime. IHRA works tirelessly to counter antisemitism in all of its forms. We are calling on political, social and religious leaders to speak out against all...
Statement Condemning Concentration Camp Figure-Skating outfit
Dr. Kathrin Meyer, IHRA Executive Secretary comments: “Competing in a uniform made to resemble concentration camp prisoners and subsequently being nominated for “Best Costume” of the year is deeply offensive to Holocaust victims, survivors and their families. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) works tirelessly to counter Holocaust distortion and our working definition makes clear that portraying the Holocaust positively is unacceptable. We deeply regret that we are witnessing such incidents of distortion on an alarmingly regular basis. While we appreciate that The...
Statement on Amazon sale of Auschwitz-themed Christmas decorations
Dr. Kathrin Meyer, IHRA Executive Secretary, comments: “The sale of Auschwitz-themed Christmas decorations can be interpreted as casting the Holocaust as a positive historical event and is deeply offensive to Holocaust victims, survivors and their families. The IHRA works tirelessly to counter Holocaust distortion and our Working Definition of Holocaust Denial and Distortion makes clear that portraying the Holocaust positively is unacceptable. While we appreciate that Amazon has removed these items, they must ensure future episodes of this nature do not occur.”
IHRA Chair Statement on threats against Liliana Segre
Ambassador Georges Santer, Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), said: “We are outraged at the barrage of threats made against Holocaust survivor Liliana Segre, which have led to her being given police protection. IHRA condemns antisemitism in all forms and we are alarmed by the abuse and hatred directed towards a Holocaust survivor. The intolerable hate speech and incitement to hatred aimed at Mrs Segre is itself proof of the need for the commission against antisemitism, racism, hate and violence which she proposed in the Italian Senate and which was...
IHRA Chair's Statement on Attack on Synagogue in Halle
"As the Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, it was with deep shock that I learned of the attempt by an armed gunman to enter a synagogue in Halle, Germany, and the subsequent deadly shootings nearby on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for the Jewish community. In the name of all 33 Member Countries of the IHRA, I express my sincere condolences to the families and friends of those murdered in the attack. Our thoughts are also with those wounded and we wish for their quick recovery. Over the last years we have witnessed an increase in right-wing extremism. We...
IHRA Chair pays tribute to the late French President Jacques Chirac
"Today, the French people pay their last respects to their late President Jacques Chirac. In the name of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, I would like to pay tribute to President Chirac for the courageous speech he delivered on 16 July, 1995, at the Vel d’Hiv, fifty years after the roundup that cost the lives of many thousands of French Jews. The history of all our nations contain chapters written in golden letters and pages written in poisonous ink. Nobody will ever forget the determination, the bravery and the fearlessness of the French Resistance movement during World...
IHRA Chair commends removal of plaque honouring Jonas Noreika in Lithuania
"The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance commends the brave action taken by Mayor Remigijus Šimašius to remove the plaque honouring Jonas Noreika due to the controversy surrounding his actions during the Holocaust, including his role in the ghettoization and expropriation of property of Jews in Siauliai district in 1941. It is important to remember that any distortion of the history of the Holocaust can allow for more violent and more dangerous forms of Holocaust denial and antisemitism to take place. We will continue to work with the governments of our 33 Member Countries to...
IHRA Academic Working Group Statement on Scholarly Comparisons
"The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance aims to safeguard the record and counter distortion of the history of the Holocaust and genocide of the Roma. Its vision is to work towards the moral imperative of “a world without genocide.” Eschewing scholarly comparison, which enables early recognition of the symptoms of militarized, dehumanizing, mass detention of civilian populations and supports voicing timely warnings, defeats the very meaning and purpose of the IHRA mission. The IHRA Academic Working Group stands in opposition to any and all such prohibitions."
Dr Gilly Carr appointed as first representative for Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney in the UK's delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance
The IHRA welcomes the appointment of Dr Gilly Carr as the first representative for Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney in the UK's delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. As the foremost international network of governments and experts working on the topic of the Holocaust, a central pillar of IHRA’s work is safeguarding the historical record of the Holocaust. Dr Carr is also leading the IHRA project ‘Safeguarding Sites: the IHRA Charter for best practice' which aims to create guidelines for the protection of sites. The research and preservation of sites where Nazi...
IHRA Chair’s Statement on House of Fates, Budapest
"On 4th June 2019, the IHRA Plenary agreed to appoint a group of IHRA experts to provide input or suggestions to the international advisory boards of the House of Fates museum in Budapest, Hungary. The IHRA has taken great interest in the House of Fates museum since 2014 as the previous concept was much criticized by domestic and international audiences. The decision of the Plenary followed the presentation of a new preliminary outline for the House of Fates museum by the Hungarian delegation to the IHRA, led by Minister of State Szabolcs Takacs. The Hungarian Head of Delegation quoted...