THE TASK FORCE FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON HOLOCAUST EDUCATION, REMEMBRANCE AND RESEARCH – TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY BOOK Ten year anniversary book www.holocausttaskforce.org Ten year anniversary book Produced by The Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research 2009 Editors: Bitte Wallin and Michael Newman Texts of the countries written by representatives from each member country Sub-committee members for the Ten year anniversary booklet: Bitte Wallin (Sweden), Michael Newman (UK), Evelina Merhaut (Austria), Karel Fracapane (France) Design and layout: Direktör Wigg reklambyrå, Stockholm www.dir.wigg.se Proofreading: Fiona Mocatta, The Mocatta Consultancy www.mocatta.org Printed by: Edita, Västerås Sweden, 2009 ISBN: 978-91-86261-02-3 Ten year anniversary book 3 Contents Chair’s Message by Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff 7 Congratulatory remarks by former Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson 8 Structure of The Holocaust Task Force 10 History, achievements and future challenges by the professors Yehuda Bauer and Dina Porat 12 The Academic Working Group 16 The Education Working Group 18 The Memorial and Museums Working Group 20 Timeline 1998–2008 by Richelle Budd Caplan, Yad Vashem 22 4 ED Member countries U UCA TI O N Argentina 26 Greece 44 Poland 62 Austria 28 Hungary 46 Romania 64 Belgium 30 Israel 48 Slovak Republic 66 Croatia 32 Italy 50 Sweden 68 Czech Republic 34 Latvia 52 Switzerland 70 Denmark 36 Lithuania 54 United Kingdom 72 R E Estonia 38 Luxembourg 56 The United States 74 MEM BER France 40 Netherlands 58 A ANC E Germany 42 Norway 60 The ITF – Project Policy by Karel Fracapane 76 RE S EA R C Declaration of the Stockholm H International Forum on the Holocaust 78 5 6 Chair’s Message The Task Force for International Cooperation on Holo- The main goals of the Austrian Chairmanship are to caust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF) looks improve ITF’s media outreach by renewing the ITF back on ten successful years. Meanwhile, 26 member website. This will also serve as an open and accessible states still share their commitment to the Stockholm resource for bringing Holocaust education, remembrance Declaration of 2000, including a solemn responsibility and research to the general public. We are, furthermore, to fi ght genocide, ethnic cleansing, racism, Antisemi- keen to deepen the links between the ITF and inter- tism and xenophobia – evils which still scar humanity national bodies with similar objectives, such as the to this day. United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Euro- More and more countries wish to join us in our com- pean Union. This will be achieved either by organising mon goal and become full members. Together, we will common events, such as to commemorate the 70th pursue the ITF’s main objectives to ensure political and anniversary of the November 1938 Pogrom in Vienna, or social leaders’ support for Holocaust education, remem- by concluding and implementing cooperation arrange- brance and research both nationally and internationally. ments, such as we will have with the Council of Europe. By uniting representatives of government, as well as governmental and non-governmental organisations, the The Austrian Chair welcomes the fact that the ITF ITF is well equipped to effectively pursue our objectives. continues to develop the qualities of an international organisation by signifi cantly extending its geographical Some of the world’s leading experts in the fi eld of edu- range and its workload. This calls for structural chan- cation, remembrance and research make up our working ges as well as institutional stabilisation. Some of these groups and function as a unique network of internatio- changes have already been implemented. The Permanent ED nal cooperation. Through our programmes, teachers, Offi ce in Berlin was established in March 2008 and is U UCA TI O students and people throughout our member countries on its way to become the focal point of the Task Force. N and beyond learn about the Holocaust. Our academics In autumn of 2007 in Amsterdam a new process was conduct research of the highest level. Our efforts to initiated for meeting the new structural challenges to mobilise support for Holocaust memorials have added the ITF. This work continues, and will be developed by to the culture of Holocaust remembrance. Our special future Chairs. This refl ects the ongoing substantial and working groups focus on the genocide against the Roma institutional development that ITF is about to undergo. as well as on the Holocaust and other genocides. Ambassador Thanks to the ITF, present and future generations will Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff, R learn about the lessons to be drawn from the Holocaust. Legal Counsel of the E Austrian Foreign Ministry. MEM BER The ITF, by its very nature, is particularly concerned Chairman of the Task Force A ANC E with the diminishing or denial of the Holocaust. Today for International Cooperation we feel that there is a need for further addressing issues on Holocaust Education, of present-day revisionism, Antisemitism, extremism Remembrance and Research (ITF) and crimes against humanity, including genocide. This will require more indepth research, but also a greater acceptance of increased vigilance and political responsi- bility against Holocaust denial and revisionist tenden- cies. Holocaust education should be more accessible. RE This calls for broader communication strategies with the S EA R aim of having Holocaust remembrance generally accep- C H ted as a human rights tool. 7 Congratulatory remarks by former Swedish Prime Min The process may well have started that April evening in However I soon realised that the fi ght against ignorance 1994. I was walking home, spring was in the air and the about the Holocaust, and the values that lay behind it, Stockholm waters glittered beneath the bridges. When I called for an international partnership. I wrote two let- arrived home I turned on the TV to watch the news. The ters on this issue, one to President Bill Clinton and the scenes I saw on the screen that night are forever etched other to former Prime Minister Tony Blair. In my own on my memory. From a mountain, the camera zoomed in country, many people, not least in the media, ridiculed on the river below. It might have been a beautiful shot the idea that a Prime Minister of such a tiny country as of an equally beautiful African landscape. But this time Sweden should have the temerity to suggest to leaders the camera lens was taking in something utterly horri- like Clinton and Blair what they should do with their fying. The river water, that at fi rst sight seemed muddy, time. And my alleged presumptuousness was also linked was fi lled with bodies, the bodies of children. We were to Sweden’s less than glorious history spanning the witnessing a horrendous slaughter, a genocide. period before the Second World War and the Holocaust. However the response I received from both these lead- At roughly the same time, the Balkan confl ict caught ers was more than positive. the world’s attention. Not a day went by without reports of rape and mass murder. On 7th May 1998 representatives of the governments of the USA, Great Britain and Sweden met in Stockholm. During that period, the emergence of right wing extre- The starting point was the slogan, “Tell Ye Your Child- mist groups in Europe was beginning to attract at- ren”. The working group that was formed became the tention. We received reports of young people marching starting point for an international Task Force to coor- through various European cities, Stockholm included, dinate the teaching and dissemination of knowledge dressed in brown and wearing boots. They chanted the about the Holocaust. kind of slogans we thought had long since disappeared forever. Professor Yehuda Bauer of the Yad Vashem Institute was appointed as an independent adviser to the group and Following a Swedish survey in 1997 that revealed that his support was invaluable. many school children were not convinced about the Holocaust, I, as Sweden’s Prime Minister, raised the Six months later, in association with a conference in subject in a parliamentary debate. I promised to ini- Washington on Jewish assets stolen at the time of the tiate an information campaign on the Holocaust – what Holocaust, the participating countries adopted a joint had really happened and the values and attitudes that declaration. This called on parents, teachers, political, had led to the Shoah. My aim was for facts about the religious and other leaders to support teachings on the Holocaust to form the platform for a discussion on Holocaust and help keep memories of it alive. democracy, tolerance and the fact that every human was of equal value. The Task Force circle rapidly expanded to include Ger- many, Israel, Poland, The Netherlands, France and Italy. To my great delight, all the parliamentary parties gave their unanimous support to the proposal. The campaign In Washington, in line with this commitment, I invited was named Living History (Levande Historia). As part of the Task Force group and other interested nations to this information campaign, a book was produced with participate in “The Stockholm International Forum, a the title “Tell Ye Your Children” (authors P. Levine and conference on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and S. Bruchfeldt) of which 1 300 000 copies have now been Research”. The time was ripe for an international gathe- distributed in Sweden alone. ring and an expression of our duty to learn from some of the darkest moments in our history. We were on the 8 nister Göran Persson verge of the new millennium and there was a genuine Please allow me therefore, as we prepare to embark on threat that we would forget about such events.