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...
IHRA Executive Secretary Statement on Vandalism of Holocaust Survivor Photo Exhibition in Vienna
"It is deeply upsetting to see photographs of Holocaust survivors vandalised in Vienna for the third time. The IHRA condemns this hateful act of antisemitism and contempt for the victims of Nazism. We will continue to work with the governments of our 32 member countries to counter antisemitism and protect and preserve the memory of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust." Dr Kathrin MeyerIHRA Executive Secretary
IHRA Executive Secretary statement on Holocaust reference in Alabama Abortion Bill
The text of Alabama's bill on abortion (HB 314) compares abortion to the Holocaust, among other genocides and mass atrocity crimes. "The comparison made between abortion and the Holocaust is abhorrent. The suggestion is offensive and trivializes the Holocaust, offending the memory of Holocaust victims and survivors. These two matters are in no way related and to seek to make this comparison for political purposes is completely unacceptable." Dr Kathrin Meyer IHRA Executive Secretary
IHRA Chair’s Statement on Shooting at Chabad of Poway Synagogue, San Diego
“As the Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, it was with deep shock and sadness that I learned of the shooting at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue in San Diego on 27 April, on the final day of Passover. In the name of all 32 Member Countries of the IHRA, I express sincere condolences to the families and friends of Lori Gilbert-Kaye who was killed in the attack and our thoughts and sympathies are with Rabbi Goldstein, Noya Dahan and Almog Peretz who were wounded. We stand with the Jewish community in San Diego County. With humanity still scarred by genocide, ethnic...
Statement on Center for the Study of the Genocide and Resistance of Lithuania
"We, the undersigned chairs and recent chairs of expert working groups and committees of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), express our grave concern about the decision of the Center for the Study of the Genocide and Resistance of Lithuania to justify the wartime actions taken by Jonas Noreika in relation to the Jews of that country. The text issued by the Center on 27 March, 2019, is the most recent of a series of attempts to rehabilitate the reputation of Noreika, a man, documentary sources indicate, with a key role in the ghettoization and expropriation of property of...
Statement on Disruption of International Symposium on Polish Research on the Holocaust
"On behalf of the experts of the Academic Working Group of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, we express our grave concern about the recent disruption of the international symposium held in Paris from 21-22 February, entitled “The New Polish School of Historical Research on the Shoah”. An organized, appointed group of Polish Nationalists aimed to interrupt the debate and they harassed the speakers. Publicly voiced antisemitic remarks have been reported to the public prosecutor. We commend the swift reaction of Dr. Jerzy Duszyński, President of the Polish Academy of Sciences...
Statement on the Holy See’s Decision to open the Pius XII Archives
"As current and incoming Chairs of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, we warmly welcome the Holy See’s decision to open the Pius XII Archives. The IHRA has long enjoyed a close relationship with the Holy See and had the honour of holding a joint conference focusing on refugee policies from 1933 to the present day in February 2017. We very much appreciate the constructive talks we had in the past with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, and in October 2018 with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, and we are delighted to...
IHRA Chair's Statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
On the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 74th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz Birkenau. German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945), the Italian Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, Ambassador Sandro De Bernardin, stresses the importance of countering distortion and safeguarding the historical record. “The Holocaust was not an incident of history that came out of the blue, but was the outcome of a process marked by legal discrimination and the progressive denial of the human rights of individuals and groups. We have...
IHRA Chair's Statement on Adoption of Declaration on Antisemitism by the Justice and Home Affairs Council
"In my capacity as Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, I commend the unanimous adoption of the declaration on antisemitism by the Justice and Home affairs Council by the 28 Member States on 6 December. The declaration is a strong statement that democracies must pay closer attention to - and take specific steps to combat - the problem of antisemitism. Existential questions have been raised about the viability of continued Jewish life in Europe – a community that has existed in Europe for millennia. Were this to change, so too would the future of Europe as a...
In Memory of Mihnea Constantinescu
It was with deep sadness that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance learned yesterday of the death of former IHRA Chair, Ambassador Mihnea Constantinescu. Ambassador Constantinescu was a highly-respected colleague within the IHRA community, where he skillfully chaired the organization in 2016. “Mihnea was a highly professional diplomat with a sharp wit and real warmth of character. I had the pleasure of working closely with him throughout 2016 and was struck by his unwavering commitment to combatting antisemitism and safeguarding the memory of the Holocaust. Even after his...