ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES Annual Report 2016, Jerusalem ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES Annual Report 2016 INTRODUCTION CONTENTS Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance From the Chairman of the Directorate 4 Center, is the leading source for Holocaust From the Chairman of the Council 5 education, documentation and research. From the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem, Yad Vashem's Highlights of Yad Vashem's Activities in 2016 6-7 integrated approach incorporates meaningful Education 8-25 educational initiatives, groundbreaking research Remembrance 26-45 and inspirational exhibits. Its use of innovative technological platforms maximizes accessibility Documentation 46-61 to the vast information in the Yad Vashem archival Research 62-73 collections to an expanding global audience. Yad Vashem works tirelessly to safeguard and impart Public Representatives and Senior Staff 74-77 the memory of the victims and the events of the Financial Highlights 2016 78-79 Shoah period; to document accurately one of the darkest chapters in the history of humanity; and to Yad Vashem Friends Worldwide 80-99 contend with the ongoing challenges of keeping the Holocaust relevant today and for future generations. YA D V A 2016 SHEM T POR E | A R L NN UA UA NN L R | A E POR T SHEM 2016 A V D YA 2 3 FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE DIRECTORATE FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL Dear Friends, Dear Friends, After the Holocaust, it was widely hoped that the enormity of its horrors, and their searing significance, Each year, around the Pesach holiday period, I reflect upon my many Pesach celebrations; from those would be recalled forever as deeply relevant to all of humanity. Shoah remembrance was intended, as a young child at my father's Seder table in Piotrków, to the meaningful Seders I have been blessed from the start, to serve as an eternally meaningful buttress against the evils that facilitated the to lead here in the State of Israel, the eternal homeland of the Jewish people. Traditionally, Pesach is a murder of millions of Jews and the annihilation of their civilization. At Yad Vashem, we have always time when Jewish families gather to recount the narrative of the redemption our nation from slavery been inspired by that hope, and faithfully pursued this institution's mission in order to realize it. in Egypt. Focal to the Pesach celebration is the recitation of the Haggadah. Year after year, we retell Much has been achieved to that end, in the vital contexts of documentation, research, education and the same story, read the same words. Why? What is gained by repeating the tale over and over again? commemoration. Our sages teach us that every Jew is to view him- or herself as if they themselves came out of Egypt. Yet, as we embark upon the eighth decade of Holocaust remembrance, new realities challenge us The Haggadah is not a dry history textbook; rather it is designed to be an encounter for every reader, to find innovative responses. Even the memory of an event as awful, and as unprecedented, as the in every new generation, to come to terms with the events of the past on a personal level. Each Holocaust is not immune to the erosive effect of time and the changes it brings in human consciousness. Many young people no Pesach, we meet the story anew and internalize the meanings and legacy of our history. The same longer connect automatically with the heritage of the Shoah. Furthermore, in addition to explicit Holocaust denial, as evidenced in is true for the Holocaust narrative: It is fundamental that we continue to remember and connect with the unprecedented tragedy that some extremist Islamic contexts, numerous circles in the Western world engage in distortion and abuse of Holocaust history, to serve befell our people over half a century ago. Today, more than ever, the world must heed the relevance of the Holocaust in our tumultuous their own purposes, including antisemitic and anti-Israel agendas. society. It is incumbent upon humanity to listen humbly to the voices of those whose lives were so cruelly cut down, as well as those who survived to tell their tales. Yad Vashem faces and fights these threats to our core mission. As this 2016 Annual Report illustrates, we are an integral part of the worldwide battle against Shoah denial, distortion and manipulation. Simultaneously, we continuously update the contexts and As we go forward to an era where Holocaust survivors will no longer be alive to relay their stories, we cannot allow the Holocaust formats in which we deliver our message, in order to ensure their relevance to our constituencies. The vast and varied data that we to recede as just another chapter in the annals of Jewish history. The students and young leaders of the new generations want to locate and make accessible; the innovative educational materials that we develop and teach; the frameworks of commemoration know how the Shoah is pertinent to their lives. Teaching the universally significant topic of the Holocaust and transmitting the stories, that we devise and sustain – all these constitute an arsenal of engagement, by which Yad Vashem seeks to counteract forces and responses and challenges that evolved from such a dark period in human history to an ever-growing global audience are of primary processes that threaten moral memory. importance to Yad Vashem. As the World Center for Holocaust Remembrance, we believe that education is the key to a better, more hopeful future. YA Among the array of activities detailed in this Report, you will note Yad Vashem's pioneering online course in Holocaust history, with D over 60,000 students worldwide; our "Video Toolbox" clips for US teachers in the "Echoes and Reflections" national curriculum; our V A 2016 SHEM T initiation and hosting of the first-ever Holocaust education conference for principals and leaders of Jewish day schools from all over the world; our scholarly discourse on the contemporary implications of the fate of Jewish refugees during the Shoah; and our POR E new research on local complicity in the Nazis' extermination of Jews in conquered Europe. These activities, and many more, were | A R L conceived and implemented by Yad Vashem's dedicated staff, to whom we devoted particular attention this past year, by negotiating NN UA and concluding a comprehensive, equitable reform of our labor relations and agreements. UA NN L Yad Vashem's accomplishments during 2016 underscore the empowering potential of accurate, ethical Holocaust remembrance. R | A In a world torn by bitter rivalries and conflicting narratives, our principled path is more crucial and relevant than ever. So, too, is your E POR involvement and partnership, which help ensure the vigor and success of our efforts. T SHEM 2016 A Rabbi Israel Meir Lau V Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council D YA Avner Shalev 4 Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate 5 HIGHLIGHTS OF YAD VAshem’s AcTIVITIES IN 2016 VISITS AND COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS • 800,000 visitors HOLOCAUST EDUCATION • 850 world leaders, dignitaries and official visitors • 300,000 Israeli students, soldiers and security force members attended educational programs • 270 memorial services • 30,000 worldwide participants in new Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) on the Holocaust; • 70 events 60,000 total since launched in the fall of 2015 • 7,000 US teachers received training in the “Echoes and Reflections" multimedia program INTERNET ACTIVITY • 230 participants at the International Conference for Jewish Educators, "The Shoah and Jewish • 18.6 million visits to the website in 7 languages Identity" • 12.8 million video views on YouTube channels in 7 languages since their launch • 884 seminars at Yad Vashem for 28,885 Israeli educators • 21,000 new Facebook members; 137,600 total • 101 training days for 4,935 educators throughout Israel • 8,200 new followers on Twitter; 23,800 total • 71 long-term seminars for 1,519 educators from abroad and 51 short seminars for 1,036 overseas • 7,000 new followers on Instagram; 11,200 total participants COLLECTIONS RESEARCH AND PUBLicATIONS • 11 million new pages of documentation added to the Archives; 201 million pages total • 36 international research workshops and symposia • 1 million pages of documentation digitized • 22 fellowships and awards granted to scholars YA D • 4.7 million names now in the Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names V A 2016 • 30 new publications SHEM T • 41,000 Holocaust-era items donated for safekeeping by 1,360 individuals • 6th annual International Holocaust Research Book Prize POR E • 12,000 photographs added to the Photo Archive; 477,000 images total | A R L AT R IFACTS & ARTWORK • 1,100 new Holocaust survivor testimonies filmed and 1,400 acquired; 129,000 video, audio and NN UA • 1,087 new artifacts; 30,870 total written testimonies total UA NN L R | A • 174 new works of art; 10,400 total • 28,000 public inquiries for archival information answered E POR • 161,000 publications in 60 languages now in the Library T SHEM RiGHTEOUS AMONG THE NATIONS 2016 A V • 800 Holocaust-related films acquired; 7,900 total D • 390 individuals recognized as Righteous YA Among the Nations; 26,500 total • 10,800 films now searchable in the online Film Catalogue 6 • 11th annual Award for Artistic Achievement in a Holocaust-Related Film 7 EDUCATION The International School for Holocaust Studies of Yad Vashem serves as a hub for Holocaust education, attracting students and educators from around the globe. Each year, the International School engages with some 300,000 students and Israeli soldiers, as well as thousands of educators from Israel and abroad. Guided by its unique pedagogical philosophy, the International School develops innovative educational materials, teaching tools and teacher-training activities in order to develop programs suitable for diverse age groups and cultures.