ITF Chair's Statement regarding recent arson attacks on the Etz Hayyim synagogue, Crete
As the Chair of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research (formerly ITF, now IHRA), I was shocked and outraged to hear of two recent arson attacks against the historic Etz Hayyim synagogue in Hania, Crete. The synagogue was first attacked on 6 January and then again on 16 January. Numerous books and archives were destroyed and substantial damage was incurred to the building. Particularly disturbing was the evidence, retrieved after the first attack, of antisemitic references to the Holocaust. In addition to being the only functioning...
ITF Chair's Statement regarding Vandalism and Theft in Auschwitz
As the Chair of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research (formerly ITF, now IHRA), I am outraged that the infamous sign "Arbeit Macht Frei" over one of Auschwitz' main gates has been stolen. Having visited Auschwitz recently I can testify to the power of that sign. It bears witness to the unprecedented mass murder of over a million innocent civilians in Auschwitz-Birkenau during the Second World War. This horrible and shameful act of vandalism must be strongly condemned.
ITF Statement concerning Hate Crimes and Discrimination targeting Roma in Europe
The following statement was endorsed by the 27 member States of the ITF at the Plenary session in Trondheim, Norway, on 3 December 2009 Statement by the ITF (now IHRA) Concerning Hate Crimes and Discrimination targeting Roma in Europe 3 December 2009 The Roma were subject to persecution and genocide under Nazi-rule. The Roma in Europe still suffer from the repercussion of the destruction of their communities. It is very disturbing that in several European countries the situation of Roma has deteriorated seriously during 2009. Hate crimes have led to deaths and Roma are...
Chair's Statement on references to the Holocaust in the US healthcare debate
The Chair of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research (formerly ITF, now IHRA) has registered that statements have been made during the current health care debate in the US making inappropriate references to the Holocaust in an attempt to influence the political deliberations. The Chair of the ITF condemns these statements as they trivialize the history and memory of the victims of the Holocaust which must be held sacred for future generations.
ITF Chair's Statement on President Ahmadinejad's Holocaust denial
As the ITF (now IHRA) Chair I am appalled by and condemn the President of Iran's statement of 18 September 2009 denying the reality of the Holocaust. Make no mistake: Holocaust denial is not merely a radical and baseless form of historical revisionism, but a form of antisemitic hate speech. It is aimed not just at Israel or Zionism but at inciting hatred against Jews everywhere. As the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre said in his statement following a similar instance of Holocaust denial by the Iranian President at the Durban Review Conference on 20 April 2009, "I...
Statement by the ITF Chair on the Importance of Teaching Children about the Holocaust
With great concern, the ITF (now IHRA) Chair has become aware of recent statements made by members of Hamas regarding efforts of the United Nations to introduce education about the Holocaust into the Gaza school system. The 27 member states of the Task Force are committed to the Declaration of the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust, which reaffirms the universal meaning of the Holocaust for all mankind and pledges to uphold the terrible truth of the Holocaust against those who deny it. In the same spirit, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution on 1...
Statement of the ITF Chair regarding the European Parliament resolution on European conscience and totalitarianism
The following statement is issued by the Chair of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research (formerly ITF, now IHRA), Ambassador Tom Vraalsen, in conjunction with the resolution passed by the European Parliament on 2 April 2009, determining 23 August, the date on which in 1939 the infamous Ribbentrop-Molotov agreement was signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, as a date of remembrance to victims of both regimes. Statement of Chairman Amb. Tom Vraalsen: Recognizing the importance of commemorating all victims of totalitarian...
Statement of the ITF Chair Concerning the Commemoration of Knut Hamsun
After extensive consultations, the ITF (now IHRA) Chair has authorized the ITF's Permanent Office to transmit the following statement: In recent weeks, certain individuals and institutions have publically questioned Norway's suitability to chair the "Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF)". The reason for this is Norway's commemoration this year of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Nobel Prize winner Knut Hamsun. The commemoration of Knut Hamsun's birth has led to a debate about him as an acclaimed author and as a person who...
Statement about the Pope's Decision on Bishop Williamson's Unacceptable Stance Regarding the Holocaust
Statement about the Pope's decision on Bishop Williamson's unacceptable stance regarding the Holocaust The Chair of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (formerly ITF, now IHRA) welcomes and fully supports the Yad Vashem comment (see below) regarding the Pope's decision on Bishop Williamson's unacceptable stance regarding the Holocaust. The Work of the ITF is based on the Declaration of 2001 of the Stockholm International Forum of the Holocaust which states inter alia: Together we must uphold the terrible truth of the Holocaust...
Chair Expresses Abhorrence at the Intention of Neo-Nazis to Demonstrate in the Old Jewish Quarter of Prague on November 10
Final – approved 30 October, 2007 The Chair of the ITF (now IHRA), on behalf of the members of the ITF, expresses his abhorrence at the intention of neo-Nazis to demonstrate in the old Jewish Quarter of Prague on November 10, the anniversary of the „Kristallnacht“ Pogrom perpetrated by Nazi Germany in 1938. The Nazi regime and its actions have justifiably come to represent absolute evil, and any pro-Nazi demonstration must be seen as an expression of identification with that abhorrent regime and as an attempt to return Nazism to this world. The Chair and the ITF condemn all efforts to...