It should be emphasised that IHRA is an organisation that is evolving and closely monitoring the changes taking place in the surrounding reality. Over the years, the alliance’s strategic objectives have been modified, but always with the full approval of the member states. Initially, it was essential to reach the consciousness of the generation of that time with a message stemming from the experience of the Jewish Holocaust and the lessons from this tragic experience. Later, subsequent subjects were incorporated into the mission of the IHRA: The Roma and Sinti Holocaust, counteracting crimes of genocide, preventing acts of anti-Semitism and anti-Gypsyism, worthy commemoration of victims of the policies of the Third Reich, including non-Jews.
In the IHRA structure, the Education Working Group is not only the largest in terms of the number of members but also the oldest because it was created first. In addition to the debate on the dissemination of knowledge about the Holocaust, the meeting in Ferrara focused on two thematic areas.
The first concerned the internal project implemented by the IHRA, entitled “Educational Guidelines-update, implementation and communication”, which is intended to update the recommendations developed by the EWG regarding the objective, content and method of teaching about the Holocaust. The second on the other hand is a review of educational projects implemented in member states, which constituted a presentation of examples of good practice.
The update of current educational recommendations is aimed at integrating its content with the assumptions of the new IHRA Grand Strategy, as well as the implementation of its assumptions in the educational practice in the member states. There is also a need to clarify the terminology used in the new document, and also take into account the local context of teaching about the Holocaust in particular countries.
Two examples of good educational practice were presented within the scope of the second thematic area: the first of these was the possibility of using the video accounts of Survivors and witnesses in education about the Holocaust, while the second, mentioned above, concerned the international travelling exhibition entitled “Auschwitz. Not so long ago, not so far away”.