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The first day of the workshop was hosted by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in Vienna. Sirpa Rautio, Director of FRA, welcomed all participants. FRA is concerned with research into fundamental rights and the Director mentioned in her welcome speech the worrying spike in antisemitism, which is part of why collaboration between all partners present is of importance.
After the opening, moderator of the day, Eliot Nidam Orvietto (EHRI-IL; Yad Vashem) stated the aims of the workshop and Reto Speck, Director of EHRI, introduced the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure, with a short overview of the mission, work and activities of the EHRI-ERIC.
Following this first introduction session, four multilateral organizations provided presentations outlining their respective pillars of work.
IHRA and EHRI
The workshop was honoured by the attendance of Michaela Küchler, Secretary General of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), who emphasised the importance of archives. The safeguarding and making accessible of all Holocaust related materials is a goal IHRA and EHRI share. To improve accessibility, Recital 158 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (concerning national legislation to allow for further processing of data for archiving purposes related to the political behavior under former totalitarian state regimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, in particular the Holocaust, or war crimes) will receive an update and remain a focal point. Here EHRI can play a role as it is in touch with institutions and researchers and can collect info from individual researchers on specific needs.
Michaela Küchler then made the special announcement to the workshop that a few days before EHRI was accepted by IHRA as its 10th Permanent International Partner (PIP). With IHRA and EHRI sharing several goals, she welcomed EHRI into the IHRA structure, marking an important step forward in both organizations’ shared mission to preserve, protect, and make accessible Holocaust-related archival materials worldwide.
She emphasized that EHRI-ERIC can play an important role in improving the visibility and accessibility ofHolocaust archives. Ms. Küchler also strongly advocated for EHRI to include the Roma and Sinti more visibly in the mission.
EHRI can now take part in IHRA’s semi-annual plenary meetings per its new status. The next presidency of IHRA will be held by Argentina. This will be an excellent opportunity to find new ways of making Holocaust-related archival sources in South America more accessible.
After Michaela Küchler’s presentation, Michal Brandl, who is Chair of the Archives Access Forum under IHRA and coordinator of EHRI-Croatia, presented more details about the IHRA Archival Working Group. At the moment a survey is being held among scholars and researchers to identify leading research topics as a tool to prioritize digitization efforts (led by Arolsen Archives). A discussion on strategies of digitization of records is expected to follow. Another important step is the development of a guide to the GDPR on your rights and responsibilities for researchers, educators and commemorators.
FRA, Claims Conference and ESHEM
Other presentations followed by Eva-Esther Sobotka of FRA, Wesley Fisher and Elinor Kroitoru representing the Claims Conference and Aleksandra Janus, Director of the newly established ESHEM – European Sites of Holocaust Memory.
FRA and the Claims Conference are also Permanent International Partnersof IHRA.
On invite of FRA, the meeting was attended by human rights statutory bodies from Poland, Germany and Croatia who presented their activities in the area of countering antisemitism, including Holocaust distortion and challenges related to the topic of remembrance and memory.
The Claims Conference is active in many fields that align with the work of EHRI and also IHRA and FRA, such as digital archiving, testimonies, surveys, education and fellowships.
ESHEM is currently collaborating with IHRA on defining European sites of Holocaust memory; these sites can vary in size, recognition and status. The consortium goal is to build a network with transnational theme clusters.
After the presentations and lunch, more discussion on synergies and collaboration followed in two groups. Several areas of possible collaboration were identified, such as on fellowships, communication, or education.
Café Centropa
The day ended with one more presentation, by Centropa – Central Europe Center for Research and Documentation. Centropa was founded in Vienna and Budapest in 2000 with the goal of preserving Jewish memory in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Baltics, and the former Soviet Union, then disseminating the findings to the widest possible audience through education, films and other channels.
After the introduction to the work of Centropa, the workshop participants took part in an event “Café Centropa”, moderated by Hannah Lessing of the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism. Café Centropa is a monthly meeting of Holocaust survivors and their families, where they share their stories in an informal cafe location. Hearing the stories of the survivors themselves turned out to be the highlight of the workshop and a special reminder of the importance of our shared efforts and mission to support “Never Again”.
The second day of the workshop was hosted by the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute (VWI) for Holocaust Studies, a longstanding partner of EHRI projects and now coordinator of EHRI Austria.
After a welcome by Director Jochen Böhler, VWI gave two presentations on their recent activities: the creation of the EHRI Online Edition “The Sunflower”, on the book by Simon Wiesenthal, and the Online Exhibition “Wiesenthal in Linz”.
Following these presentations, the workshop participants took part in a final brainstorm session. It was an inspired discussion where many good suggestions were made. In the end, four areas of possible collaboration and focus points were defined:
•
•
•
•
Participants indicated that they considered the workshop a positive experience and that they would be willing to explore another cooperation workshop in the future.
The two-day workshop ended with two guided visits to relevant sites in Vienna: the Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial and the Shoah Wall of Names Memorial.
The first day of the workshop was hosted by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in Vienna. Sirpa Rautio, Director of FRA, welcomed all participants. FRA is concerned with research into fundamental rights and the Director mentioned in her welcome speech the worrying spike in antisemitism, which is part of why collaboration between all partners present is of importance.
After the opening, moderator of the day, Eliot Nidam Orvietto (EHRI-IL; Yad Vashem) stated the aims of the workshop and Reto Speck, Director of EHRI, introduced the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure, with a short overview of the mission, work and activities of the EHRI-ERIC.
Following this first introduction session, four multilateral organizations provided presentations outlining their respective pillars of work.
IHRA and EHRI
The workshop was honoured by the attendance of Michaela Küchler, Secretary General of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), who emphasised the importance of archives. The safeguarding and making accessible of all Holocaust related materials is a goal IHRA and EHRI share. To improve accessibility, Recital 158 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (concerning national legislation to allow for further processing of data for archiving purposes related to the political behavior under former totalitarian state regimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, in particular the Holocaust, or war crimes) will receive an update and remain a focal point. Here EHRI can play a role as it is in touch with institutions and researchers and can collect info from individual researchers on specific needs.
Michaela Küchler then made the special announcement to the workshop that a few days before EHRI was accepted by IHRA as its 10th Permanent International Partner (PIP). With IHRA and EHRI sharing several goals, she welcomed EHRI into the IHRA structure, marking an important step forward in both organizations’ shared mission to preserve, protect, and make accessible Holocaust-related archival materials worldwide.
She emphasized that EHRI-ERIC can play an important role in improving the visibility and accessibility ofHolocaust archives. Ms. Küchler also strongly advocated for EHRI to include the Roma and Sinti more visibly in the mission.
EHRI can now take part in IHRA’s semi-annual plenary meetings per its new status. The next presidency of IHRA will be held by Argentina. This will be an excellent opportunity to find new ways of making Holocaust-related archival sources in South America more accessible.
After Michaela Küchler’s presentation, Michal Brandl, who is Chair of the Archives Access Forum under IHRA and coordinator of EHRI-Croatia, presented more details about the IHRA Archival Working Group. At the moment a survey is being held among scholars and researchers to identify leading research topics as a tool to prioritize digitization efforts (led by Arolsen Archives). A discussion on strategies of digitization of records is expected to follow. Another important step is the development of a guide to the GDPR on your rights and responsibilities for researchers, educators and commemorators.
FRA, Claims Conference and ESHEM
Other presentations followed by Eva-Esther Sobotka of FRA, Wesley Fisher and Elinor Kroitoru representing the Claims Conference and Aleksandra Janus, Director of the newly established ESHEM – European Sites of Holocaust Memory.
FRA and the Claims Conference are also Permanent International Partnersof IHRA.
On invite of FRA, the meeting was attended by human rights statutory bodies from Poland, Germany and Croatia who presented their activities in the area of countering antisemitism, including Holocaust distortion and challenges related to the topic of remembrance and memory.
The Claims Conference is active in many fields that align with the work of EHRI and also IHRA and FRA, such as digital archiving, testimonies, surveys, education and fellowships.
ESHEM is currently collaborating with IHRA on defining European sites of Holocaust memory; these sites can vary in size, recognition and status. The consortium goal is to build a network with transnational theme clusters.
After the presentations and lunch, more discussion on synergies and collaboration followed in two groups. Several areas of possible collaboration were identified, such as on fellowships, communication, or education.
Café Centropa
The day ended with one more presentation, by Centropa – Central Europe Center for Research and Documentation. Centropa was founded in Vienna and Budapest in 2000 with the goal of preserving Jewish memory in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Baltics, and the former Soviet Union, then disseminating the findings to the widest possible audience through education, films and other channels.
After the introduction to the work of Centropa, the workshop participants took part in an event “Café Centropa”, moderated by Hannah Lessing of the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism. Café Centropa is a monthly meeting of Holocaust survivors and their families, where they share their stories in an informal cafe location. Hearing the stories of the survivors themselves turned out to be the highlight of the workshop and a special reminder of the importance of our shared efforts and mission to support “Never Again”.
The second day of the workshop was hosted by the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute (VWI) for Holocaust Studies, a longstanding partner of EHRI projects and now coordinator of EHRI Austria.
After a welcome by Director Jochen Böhler, VWI gave two presentations on their recent activities: the creation of the EHRI Online Edition “The Sunflower”, on the book by Simon Wiesenthal, and the Online Exhibition “Wiesenthal in Linz”.
Following these presentations, the workshop participants took part in a final brainstorm session. It was an inspired discussion where many good suggestions were made. In the end, four areas of possible collaboration and focus points were defined:
•
•
•
•
Participants indicated that they considered the workshop a positive experience and that they would be willing to explore another cooperation workshop in the future.
The two-day workshop ended with two guided visits to relevant sites in Vienna: the Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial and the Shoah Wall of Names Memorial.