United States of America

Learn about the United States of America’s efforts to advance education, remembrance, and research on the Holocaust and genocide of the Roma.

Joined the IHRA

1998

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

27 January

Yom HaShoah

11 April

See a list of the United States of America's delegation members

Ellen Germain – Head of Delegation

Stacy Bernard Davis (U.S. Department of State) – Deputy Head of Delegation

Mehnaz Afridi (Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center) – Academic Working Group

Ethel Brooks (Rutgers University) – Academic Working Group

Jennifer Ciardelli (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) – Education Working Group

Steven Katz (Elie Wiesel Centre for Judaic Studies, Boston University) – Academic Working Group

Klaus Mueller (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) – Academic Working Group

Stephen Smith (USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education) – Academic Working Group

Lesley Weiss (National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry) – Museums and Memorials Working Group

Mark Weitzman (Simon Wiesenthal Center) – Museums and Memorials Working Group

Rebecca Boehling (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) – Museums and Memorials Working Group

Jenna Levanthal (Education Working Group)

The IHRA gives Holocaust-related institutions in the United States an unprecedented forum for dialogue with communities and experts across the country and throughout the world. From the first IHRA Holocaust educational book, published under the direction of the Swedish government in 1998, to the expertise offered today by the Working Groups, the IHRA enables organizations worldwide to develop meaningful opportunities in key areas of education, research, and memorialization in schools, universities and communities.

The IHRA helps build the political will necessary for the institutionalization of these key areas, and advances the need for open and transparent access to Holocaust-era archives.

Statement by President Joe Biden on the Rise of Antisemitic Attacks

Statement released on 28 May 2021

“In the last weeks, our nation has seen a series of anti-Semitic attacks, targeting and terrorizing American Jews.

“We have seen a brick thrown through window of a Jewish-owned business in Manhattan, a swastika carved into the door of a synagogue in Salt Lake City, families threatened outside a restaurant in Los Angeles, and museums in Florida and Alaska, dedicated to celebrating Jewish life and culture and remembering the Holocaust, vandalized with anti-Jewish messages.

“These attacks are despicable, unconscionable, un-American, and they must stop.

“I will not allow our fellow Americans to be intimidated or attacked because of who they are or the faith they practice.

“We cannot allow the toxic combination of hatred, dangerous lies, and conspiracy theories to put our fellow Americans at risk.

“As Attorney General Garland announced yesterday, the Department of Justice will be deploying all of the tools at its disposal to combat hate crimes.

“In recent days, we have seen that no community is immune. We must all stand together to silence these terrible and terrifying echoes of the worst chapters in world history, and pledge to give hate no safe harbor.

“May is Jewish American Heritage Month, when we honor Jewish Americans who have inextricably woven their experience and their accomplishments into the fabric of our national identity; overcoming the pain of history, and helping lead our struggle for a more fair, just, and tolerant society.

“Let us all take up that work and create a nation that stands for, and stands up for, the dignity and safety of all of our people.”

Recent news

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Unlocking forgotten memories of the Holocaust

An artist’s journey to uncover her family history grew into a decades long mission to establish a memorial for the victims of the Jungfernhof concentration camp.

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23 Jun 2021 Time to read: 3 mins

United States Senate passes bipartisan resolution condemning the recent global surge of antisemitism

In response to the surge in antisemitic incidents in recent months, the United States Senate passed a bipartisan resolution last week condemning this pernicious form of hatred.

Resources in English

Declarations
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2020 IHRA Ministerial Declaration

These 14 measures underpin the ultimate objective of the IHRA: to ensure the world remembers the Holocaust and works toward a world without genocide.

Recommendations & Guidelines
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Recommendations for Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust

These recommendations were crafted to help curriculum developers and educators teach about the complex and nuanced history of the Holocaust.