Holocaust Recent Belgian Initiatives Education | Remembrance | Research Material and Moral Reparations 2012 2.....AFTER.THE.HOLOCAUST..|..Introduction
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AFTER THE HOLOCAUST Recent Belgian initiatives Education | Remembrance | Research Material and moral reparations 2012 2.....AFTER.THE.HOLOCAUST..|..Introduction CREDITS.|.This.booklet.is.being.published.at.the.initiative.of.the.FPS.Chancellery.of.the.Prime.Minister,.in.cooperation.with. the.FPS.for.Foreign.Affairs,.the.Institut.des.Vétérans.-.INIG,.the.Flemish.Community,.the.Wallonia-Brussels.Federation.and. the.German-speaking.Community.of.Belgium. Editorial supervisor.|.Françoise.Audag-Dechamps,.acting.President.of.the.Management.Committee. Illustrations.|.Cover.and.pages.7-8-10-13-17-25-29.:.©.IV-INIG.-.Pages.18-20.:.©.GrenzGeschichteDG.an.der.AHS Pages.24.:.©.Kazerne.Dossin.-.Pages.23-26-34-37.:.©.Jewish.Museum.of.Belgium.–.Brussels. Graphic design.|.Kaat.Flamey,.KA.AD.-.Printing.|.Lowyck Legal deposit.|.D/2012/9737/4 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUction.................................................................................... 5 II. OVERVieW of THE initiatiVes.......................................................6 A. Initiatives in the areas of education, remembrance and research 6 1.. In.general. 6 2. Teaching, Remembrance education 10 i. In Flanders. 11 ii. The French Community. 14 iii. The German-speaking Community. 18 3.. Remembrance. 21 4.. Research. 26 B. Initiatives in the area of material reparations 28 1.. The.Study.Commission.into.the.fate.of.the.Belgian.Jewish.. Community’s.assets.which.were.plundered.or.surrendered.or.. abandoned.during.the.1940-1945.war. 28 2.. The.Indemnification.Commission.for.the.Belgian.Jewish.. Community’s.assets.that.were.plundered,.surrendered.or.. abandoned.during.the.1940-1945.war.. 30 3.. Cultural.goods,.works.of.art.and.judaica:.a.continuous.study. 31 i. Cultural goods and works of art in general. 31 ii. Judaica. 32 4.. The.Belgian.Judaism.Foundation. 34 C. Initiatives in the area of moral compensation – Welfare programmes 35 1.. Welfare.Programmes.-.Federal.Public.Service.Social.Security.. Directorate-General.War.Victims. 35 2.. The.Belgian.Judaism.Foundation. 36 III. PRactical infoRMation............................................................ 38 RECENT BELGIAN INITIATIVES: EDUCATION | REMEMBRANCE RESEARCH | MATERIAL AND MORAL REPARATIONS 1 2012 1.This.brochure.was.updated.to.December.2011. AFTER.THE.HOLOCAUST..|..Introduction.....5. I. INTRODUCTION The.Holocaust.was.for.all.humankind,.and. In.the.part.concerning.the.initiatives.under- for.Europe.in.particular,.an.extreme.historic. taken.in.the.area.of.material.and.fi.nancial. experience,.which.stretches.the.human. compensation,.a.special.section.is.devoted. mind.to.the.limits.of.understanding. to.looted.cultural.goods.and.judaica.as.the. restitution.and.investigations.in.this.area.is. Belgium.was.and.still.remains.deeply.mar- not.yet.fi.nished. ked.by.the.Holocaust..Our.country.intends. to.keep.the.memory.of.that.painful.period. Lastly,.let.us.emphasise.that.many.Belgian. of.its.past.alive.and.assume.the.conse- political.and.parliamentarian.leaders.sho- quences.of.it..That.is.expressed.in.a.strong. wed.interest.and.concern.for.the.subject.. commitment.by.all.the.public.authorities,. In.the.past,.public.apologies.were.made.on. at.federal,.federated.and.local.level..Beyond. various.occasions.on.behalf.of.the.Govern- that.commitment,.the.issue.involved.is.for. ment,.Belgium.and.the.local.authorities.for. Holocaust.remembrance.to.become.deeply. the.suffering.endured.by.the.Jewish.com- rooted.throughout.society,.through.educa- munity..Emphasis.was.placed.on.the.duty. tion.in.particular. of.the.Government.and.of.every.citizen.to. never.forget.the.tragic.events.of.the.Holo- This.brochure.therefore.aims.to.give.an. caust. overview.of.the.most.important.actions. and.relevant.initiatives.undertaken.by.the. For.further.information.and.as.a.guide.for. Belgian.authorities.and.institutions.con- the.interested.and.concerned.reader,.at.the. cerning.the.Holocaust..These.initiatives.are. end.of.this.brochure.an.overview.of.all.rele- described.in.three.subdivisions,.namely.the. vant.addresses.of.Belgian.administrations,. initiatives.concerning.education,.remem- institutions.and.services.is.included.. brance.and.research,.initiatives.in.the.fi.eld. of.material.and.fi.nancial.compensation.and,. lastly,.those.in.the.area.of.moral.compen- sation.(social.welfare.programs).. 6.....AFTER.THE.HOLOCAUST..|..Overview.of.the.initiatives II. OVERVieW of THE initiatiVes A. Initiatives in the areas of education, War.(IV-INIG)..IV-INIG.has.developed.activities. remembrance and research which.preserve.and.remember.the.Holocaust,. other.Nazi.crimes.and.acts.of.Resistance..For. example,.the.Institute.organised.a.meeting.with. 1. In general 2,000.young.people.and.Veterans.from.all.over. Europe.at.the.Buchenwald.Concentration.Camp. Belgium.is.an.active.member.of.the.Task.Force. in.April.2008..450.participating.young.people. for.International.Cooperation.on.Holocaust. from.Belgium.went.to.this.meeting.by.a.special. Education,.Remembrance,.and.Research.2. train.travelling.from.Brussels.to.Weimar. This.network.represents.a.prime.international. platform.for.the.exchange.of.educational. The.following.projects.are.further.worth. projects,.experiences.and.material.on.the. mentioning: Holocaust..Belgium’s.participation.is.based.on. a.joint.effort.between.the.Federal.government. • The exhibition ”Deportation and Genocide, a and.the.Communities.that.together.decided. European Tragedy” to.submit.this.country’s.candidacy.for.the. presidency.of.the.Task.Force..At.the.request. Since.2010,.the.Institute.has.been.making. of.the.Belgian.authorities,.Belgium.will.hold. the.travelling.exhibition.“Deportation.and. the.presidency.in.2012..The.presidency.(inter. Genocide,.a.European.Tragedy”.available. alia).will.coincide.with.the.opening.of.the. to.schools.free.of.charge..This.exhibition. new.Museum.in.Mechelen.(see.below)..That. presents.and.analyses.the.different.functions. presidency.will.make.it.possible.for.Belgium. assigned.to.the.concentration.system.in.the. to.share.the.Belgian.experience.in.the.areas.of. Nazis’.ideological.project..The.exhibition. education,.remembrance.and.research,.but.also,. follows.that.system.chronologically.from.the. more.importantly,.to.emphasise.its.significance. first.improvised.camps,.passing.through.the. for.the.future..A.deeply.rooted.commitment. rapid.establishment.of.the.Dachau.model. to.the.duty.of.Holocaust.remembrance.will.be. followed.by.an.internationalisation.of.the. further.enhanced.by.that.presidency. system.and.its.spectacular.growth.after.the. outbreak.of.the.Second.World.War,.to.end.in. Belgium.is.firmly.committed.to.the.principles.of. the.murderous.chaos.of.the.death.marches. the.Stockholm.Declaration..At.the.federal.level,. two.main.government.bodies.are.working.in. • Map of Nazi Concentration Camps and Other cooperation.with.NGOs.on.projects.implemented. Detention Centres within.this.scope:. Let.us.firstly.mention.the.National.Institute. On.1.April.2011,.the.Institute.presented.the. for.Invalids.of.War,.Veterans.and.Victims.of. second.edition.of.this.map.to.the.Humboldt. 2Website: www.holocausttaskforce.org AFTER.THE.HOLOCAUST..|..Overview.of.the.initiatives......7. University.of.Berlin..This.historical.map.of. Germany.and.Central.Europe.is.the.most. comprehensive.ever.produced.up.to.now.on. this.subject..It.mentions.over.2,200.places. spreading.from.northern.France.to.Ukraine.. Those.places.include.21.concentration.camps,. 6.extermination.camps,.838.Kommandos,.509. prisons,.498.camps.(non.KZ),.95.stalags,.46. ofl.ags,.103.work/re-education.camps.and.70. transit.or.labour.camps.for.racial.deportation,. 6.euthanasia.centres.and.24.camps.for. Gypsies..All.the.places.have.been.meticulously. listed,.categorised.and.indexed..This.project. is.the.outcome.of.two.years’.research.and. the.result.of.fruitful.cooperation.between.the. Belgian.National.Institute.for.Veterans.–INIG. and.the.National.Geographical.Institute3... • Train of 1000 . From.5.to.10.May.2012,.the.Institute,.the. Auschwitz.Foundation.and.the.International. Federation.of.Resistance.Fighters.will. organise.the.gathering.and.the.journey. of.1,000.young.people.from.Brussels.to. Auschwitz,.in.a.train.specially.chartered.for. the.occasion:.the.Train.of.1,000. Leaving.from.Brussels,.this.train.will.also. take.a.number.of.young.people.on.board.in. the.different.stations.where.it.will.stop..It. will.therefore.carry.about.a.thousand.young. Belgians.and.other.Europeans.who,.in.the. presence.of.the.Camps’.last.survivors,.will. commemorate.the.victory.of.democratic.forces. over.Nazi.Germany. 3Website: www.ign.be AFTER.THE.HOLOCAUST..|..Overview.of.the.initiatives.....9. In.addition.to.the.commemoration,.the.journey. in.a.broad.series.of.situations:.expression.in. has.several.objectives: public.places.or.in.places.open.to.the.public,.or. in.written.documents,.whether.printed.or.not,. >.Educational:.to.make.it.possible.for.those. distributed.on.a.large.scale.or.merely.addressed. 1,000.young.people.to.visit.the.Auschwitz. to.several.persons.or.exposed.to.the.public. Museum.and.the.Birkenau.extermination. eye..The.penalty.is.severe.but.proportionate:. camp.and.to.have.firsthand.awareness.of. a.prison.sentence.of.8.days.to.one.year,.a. the.Nazi.concentration.camp.and.genocide. fine.of.26.to.5,000.euro4,.but.also,.and.it.is.a. system,. particularity.of.the.Act,.it.may.be.ordered.that. >.Memory:.to.visit.the.camp.in.the.company.of. the.full.judgement.or.an.extract.of.it.be.inserted. survivors.and.witnesses, in.one.or.more.newspapers.and.be.displayed,. >.Social.awareness:.to.raise.self-awareness.