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Held under Israel’s Presidency of the IHRA, led jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Yad Vashem, the plenary week provided a valuable opportunity for delegates to meet in person and advance cooperation on Holocaust remembrance, education, and research in a setting of profound historical and moral significance. The week was preceded by a preliminary conference hosted by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which brought together delegates and experts to examine intergenerational transition, new technologies, and contemporary challenges related to antisemitism.
The Jerusalem Plenary was guided by the theme of Israel’s Presidency, “Crossroads of Generations”. Delegates reflected on the shared responsibility to ensure that Holocaust remembrance remains accurate, meaningful, and rooted in historical truth.
Addressing this generational shift, IHRA Chair Dani Dayan emphasized the need for deliberate and sustained action: “Memory does not sustain itself. Remembrance is not automatic. It depends on conscious transmission, on future generations choosing to carry it forward. That insight speaks directly to the crossroads we have reached in Holocaust remembrance. We are no longer merely witnesses to living memory; we are becoming its custodians.”
This perspective shaped the plenary’s engagement with IHRA’s mission and reinforced its role as an international alliance committed to safeguarding Holocaust memory for future generations.
The week opened with a minute of silence in remembrance of the victims of the recent antisemitic attack in Sydney, Australia. Delegates through the week remembered and paid tribute to the victims and reaffirmed the Alliance’s increased commitment to confronting antisemitism and defending democratic values.
In her opening speech, IHRA Secretary General Michaela Küchler stressed the inseparable link between remembrance and democratic values: “Holocaust remembrance is about the past. We remember those who lived and those who died because they matter. But Holocaust remembrance is also about safeguarding our democratic values in the present. Democracy rests on the principle that everyone’s rights are equal. When Jewish communities are not safe, that principle is already beginning to fall apart. The threat we face is not abstract. It is real, and it is taking lives.”
The opening was followed by a session examining the implications of the Presidency’s theme for practitioners in the different professional contexts represented in the IHRA. The discussions reinforced the importance of international cooperation, evidence-based approaches, and sustained dialogue in countering distortion, denial, and hatred.
Holocaust education was a cornerstone of the Jerusalem Plenary. Delegates formally adopted the updated IHRA Recommendations for Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust. The updated recommendations respond to contemporary educational challenges and support educators and institutions in delivering meaningful and historically accurate Holocaust education across diverse contexts. It reinforced the IHRA’s role as a foundational resource for policymakers, educators, and institutions worldwide. At the start of the week, Advisor to the IHRA, Dr Robert Williams reflected on the risks posed by distortion and the misuse of Holocaust history: “The Holocaust is a fact of history. It is a shared, international history. While it could be an opportunity to bind us, it is often misused in efforts to obfuscate responsibility, divide communities, or ignore the mutual suffering faced by so many.”
These reflections reinforced the IHRA’s mandate to share expertise between Member Countries, working groups, and committees. Discussions included the implementation of the IHRA Charter on Safeguarding Sites and the development of recommendations to support the protection and commemoration of sites of the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma. Delegates also discussed efforts to counter distortion and inversion – of the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma, including use of IHRA tools and resources.
During the Plenary meeting, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heads of Delegation affirmed several key decisions reflecting the IHRA’s ongoing development. Cyprus was accepted as an IHRA Liaison Country, further strengthening international engagement. Delegates also confirmed that France will assume the IHRA Presidency in 2027, following Argentina’s Presidency in 2026, ensuring continuity in the Alliance’s future leadership.