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.