We regularly comment on current events that overlap with the IHRA's mandate. Statements can come from the IHRA Chair, IHRA Secretary General, or, when consensus is reached among all Member Countries, by the IHRA in the form of an IHRA Statement.
A message from the IHRA Chair on the passing of Elie Wiesel, Nobel Prize for Peace Laureate and Holocaust survivor.
“On behalf of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance I express my deepest sadness at the passing of the Nobel Prize for Peace laureate, Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, and send my heartfelt condolences to his family.
Elie Wiesel will be remembered for the strong and vibrant messages which he sent to the next generations to make every possible effort to not forget the tragedy of the Holocaust and, above all, to act in solidarity so that such a tragedy will never be repeated again. He was a tireless and respected campaigner for freedom and human rights, a promoter of understanding and dialogue among people.
May his memory be blessed and always be remembered.”
Elie Wiesel was born in 1928 in Romania and survived the atrocities of the Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Following the dramatic years that influenced his youth, Elie Wiesel became one of the leading figures worldwide in the constant fight to keep the memory of the Holocaust and the consequences of these events for humanity alive. In 1986 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in recognition of his efforts in fighting against extremism and for promoting remembrance of the Holocaust. The International Nobel Committee named Elie Wiesel “the messenger of humanity”.
Elie Wiesel will always remain in the hearts and memory of Romanians as the personality who inspired the establishment of the Holocaust Remembrance national institutions and the creation of the national consensus for assuming the truth about Romania’s involvement in the Holocaust tragedy. In 2003, Elie Wiesel became Chair of the International Commission for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania that led to a report assumed by the Parliament and the entire society.
Elie Wiesel attended the first Stockholm Forum on the Holocaust in the year 2000 as then Honorary Chairman. At the ceremonial opening of the Forum, Wiesel addressed high-ranking political leaders and officials from more than forty-six countries, expressing his honour at opening the international Forum. Wiesel commended the enthusiastic responses of governments but made clear that the meeting in Stockholm was only the beginning: “Beginnings need to have their own future. In other words our beginning requires a worthy continuation. You have done so much already. It is only natural for us to expect more.”
It was with great concern and disappointment that I learned of an exposition of Holocaust denial cartoons in Tehran following a competition sponsored by two Iranian cultural organizations, as part of the Cartoon Biennale.
It must remain clear that any attempt to claim that the Holocaust did not take place or to minimize or blur responsibility for the genocide is an attack on the memory of the victims and memory of the Holocaust. On behalf of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, I denounce this disgraceful competition and express my strong criticism that the exposition is being allowed to take place.
Such an irrational response to one of the greatest tragedies in European and world history is provocative and must be condemned. In addition, such initiatives damage the perception of Iran in a global context, running against the high expectations held regarding Iran’s openness towards mutual respect and cooperation with the international community. I very much hope that the authorities in Teheran will take all necessary steps to prevent the exhibition of these offensive cartoons.
Mihnea Constantinescu
IHRA Chair
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) was deeply saddened and shocked by the terrorist attacks which took place in Brussels on 22 March.
The IHRA would like to express our deepest sympathy to the families of those killed and injured in these hate crimes. The IHRA community stands with the Belgian delegation to the IHRA as well as all other affected IHRA delegations and our partners in the EU institutions at this difficult time.
We remain, as ever, committed to the tenets of the Stockholm Declaration which reaffirm humanity’s common aspiration for mutual understanding and justice. More then ever we strongly believe we must continue to work together as an international community and stand up against extremism in all its forms.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) was deeply saddened and shocked by the terrorist attacks which took place in Brussels on 22 March.
The IHRA would like to express our deepest sympathy to the families of those killed and injured in these hate crimes. The IHRA community stands with the Belgian delegation to the IHRA as well as all other affected IHRA delegations and our partners in the EU institutions at this difficult time.
We remain, as ever, committed to the tenets of the Stockholm Declaration which reaffirm humanity’s common aspiration for mutual understanding and justice. More then ever we strongly believe we must continue to work together as an international community and stand up against extremism in all its forms.
IHRA Chair’s Statement regarding the planned Holocaust Denial Competition in Iran:
As in previous years, IHRA’s 31 member countries stand united in their condemnation of the planned 2016 Holocaust denial cartoon competition in Iran.
IHRA strongly believes that it is the responsibility of the international community to uphold the terrible truth of the Holocaust against those who deny it.
This principle is enshrined in IHRA’s founding document, the Stockholm Declaration, and in its Working Definition of Holocaust Distortion and Denial. It must remain clear that Holocaust denial is a form of antisemitism. Any attempt to claim that the Holocaust did not take place or to minimize or blur responsibility for the genocide is an attack on the memory of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust.
2015 was a year that has been blemished by violent antisemitic hate crimes. These events have shown the damaging effects of antisemitism in no uncertain terms and statements and actions which promote antisemitism and incite hatred are rejected by all IHRA member countries.
IHRA Honorary Chairman, Professor Yehuda Bauer, has issued the following statement: “The current refugee crisis, which has led to a tremendous number of refugees arriving in Europe, will undoubtedly affect the work of IHRA.
IHRA deals with preserving the memory of the Holocaust as well as with its academic and educational impact for the current situation.
As the IHRA Working Group and Committee Chairs said in their statement of 9 September, the present refugee crisis is notably different from the persecution of the Jews and other victims before, during, and after the Holocaust. Historical analogies should be avoided; they are never useful, although there are some parallels between the treatment of refugees then and now. The world has to realize that failing to adequately address mass migration has, in the past, created the conditions for untold disaster. From the Holocaust, the world can understand, what happens when these problems are not internationally addressed.
Therefore, I join the IHRA Working Group and Committee Chairs in their call to the governments of IHRA member countries to cooperate and remain committed to the principles of the Stockholm Declaration of 2000, which include the fight against xenophobia. I also call on the wider political world to do everything in its power to act to alleviate the suffering of the victims and at the same time to seek a sustainable and coordinated international solution to the crises which have led so many refugees to seek asylum in Europe.”
Professor Yehuda Bauer
IHRA Honorary Chairman
In response to the extraordinary nature of the current refugee crisis, we, the Chairs of the Working Groups and Committees of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), issue the following statement:
As expert delegates of the IHRA, we are profoundly concerned about the plight of the refugees fleeing war-torn countries. The circumstances surrounding the current refugee situation are notably different from the persecution of Jews and other victims before, during and after the Holocaust; nonetheless, there are parallels between the treatment of refugees then and now – particularly regarding the shameful closing of borders, the rise of xenophobia, and the use of dehumanising language.
In light of the gravity of the situation, we call upon the international community to show initiative and take action to uphold the basic standards of human rights, as formulated in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and succeeding declarations, so that people can be given dignified sanctuary. We call upon the international community to fulfill its obligations undertaken as signatories to these commitments.
Furthermore, we call upon leaders to draw appropriate lessons from the past so that we may affirm the principles of the Stockholm Declaration to “strengthen the moral commitment of our peoples, and the political commitment of our governments, to ensure that future generations can understand the causes of the Holocaust and reflect upon its consequences.”
IHRA experts also commit themselves to this critical issue by exploring in greater detail the situation of refugees in the past and present so that wider society can better understand the circumstances behind the refugees’ plight.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) is an intergovernmental body whose purpose is to place political and social leaders’ support behind the need for Holocaust education, remembrance and research both nationally and internationally. The IHRA is unique in bringing together policy-makers from governments and experts on the topic of the Holocaust – academics, educators and representatives of museums and memorials.
Brigitte Bailer – Academic Working Group
Yasmina Amire – Communication Working Group
Alex Maws – Education Working Group
Nina Krieger – Memorial and Museums Working Group
Mark Weitzman – Committee on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial
Karen Polak – Committee on the Genocide of the Roma
Annemiek Gringold – Committee on the Holocaust, Genocide, and Crimes against Humanity
IHRA Chair’s Statement regarding the planned Holocaust Denial Competition in Iran: IHRA’s 31 member countries stand united in their efforts to uphold the terrible truth of the Holocaust against those who deny it.
This principle is enshrined in IHRA’s founding document, the Stockholm Declaration, and in its Working Definition of Holocaust Distortion and Denial. It must remain clear that Holocaust denial is a form of antisemitism. Any attempt to claim that the Holocaust did not take place or to minimize or blur responsibility for the genocide is an attack on the memory of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust.
2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, but it is also a year that has been blemished by violent antisemitic hate crimes. These events have shown the damaging effects of antisemitism in no uncertain terms. Statements and actions which promote antisemitism and incite hatred are rejected by all IHRA member countries.
In light of this, we strongly condemn the planned Holocaust denial cartoon competition and ask that the Iranian government intervene to stop the competition.
