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.
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.
IHRA Chair’s Statement Regarding the Shootings in Denmark:
As the Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and on behalf of all its members, I am deeply saddened by the fatal shootings which took place in Copenhagen on 14-15 February.
It is with a heavy heart that I express my utter condemnation of these violent acts so soon after the horrific events which shook Paris last month. IHRA would like to express our deepest sympathy to the families of those killed in these hate crimes and to extend its full support to the Danish delegation to IHRA 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 and these horrific events underline yet again the solemn responsibility that the international community shares to fight antisemitism and intolerance in all its forms.
31 member countries, eight observer countries and seven Permanent International Partners reaffirm their commitment to the Stockholm Declaration to mark its 15th anniversary.
On the anniversary of this momentous occasion, the participating countries come together to reaffirm their commitment to the Stockholm Declaration through the following statement, in the knowledge that much great work has been done but that antisemitism, xenophobia and genocide are not confined to the past but continue to be real threats:
Today, 70 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the 31 member and eight observer countries of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), together with our seven Permanent International Partners, have collectively reaffirmed our strong and unqualified support for the founding document of our organisation, the Stockholm Declaration of the year 2000, and the solemn commitments which our governments then undertook.
The unprecedented character of the Holocaust will always hold universal meaning for us. We are committed to remembering and honouring its victims, to upholding the terrible truth of the Holocaust, to standing up against those who distort or deny it and to combatting antisemitism, racism and prejudice against the Roma and Sinti.
We are determined to continue to develop our international cooperation on Holocaust education, remembrance and research and the prevention of future genocides.
15 years ago, the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust was held, bringing together high-ranking political leaders and officials from more than forty countries to meet with civic and religious leaders, Holocaust survivors, educators, historians and others who have dedicated their work to promoting Holocaust education, commemoration and research.
Nobel Prize laureate Elie Wiesel served as the Forum’s Honorary Chairman and Professor Yehuda Bauer was the senior Academic Advisor to the Forum.
The Stockholm Declaration was signed by participating countries at the closing session of this conference and became the founding document of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). In this Declaration the participating states pledged their commitment to promoting Holocaust education, remembrance and research. Over the years IHRA has grown to include 31 member countries, eight observers countries and seven Permanent International Partners. It remains a unique organisation; bringing together politicians as well as experts from the fields of academia, education, communications, and memorials and museum.
