New Educational Cooperation Between International Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem and Austria Launched
An educational collaboration between Yad Vashem and the Austrian Parliament was formally established during the visit of the Director of the Holocaust Memorial, Dani Dayan. An agreement to work together against anti-Semitism was signed by Dani Dayan and Wolfgang Sobotka, the President of the National Council. Yad Vashem's partnership with a national parliament is the first of its kind in the world.
The signing of the joint declarations of intent puts the focus on the future of educational work against anti-Semitism and racism. / Picture: © Parlamentsdirektion / Johannes Zinner
In the course of the visit of the Director of the Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem, Dani Dayan, the foundation stone was laid for an educational cooperation between Yad Vashem and the Austrian Parliament.
Dani Dayan and the President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, signed a Letter of Intent, a commitment to joint educational work against anti-Semitism. Such a cooperation between Yad Vashem and a national parliament is so far unique internationally.
Through the cooperation with Yad Vashem, the world's most important memorial and internationally renowned educational institution with regard to Holocaust studies, a completely new level in democracy education of the Austrian Parliament is possible, said the President of the National Council.
Accordingly, staff members of the Israeli memorial and the parliamentary directorate are working on first joint initiatives.
Further development of parliamentary democracy education
With the signing of the joint declarations of intent, the focus will be on the future of educational work against anti-Semitism and racism.
Among the education policy initiatives suggested in the Letter of Intent are further training courses for educators and staff of the Parliamentary Administration within the framework of the Democracy Workshop, not least in order to convey the threat to democracy and its values posed by anti-Semitism.
Also planned are an exchange of expertise on approaches to mediation for various target groups, cooperation in the field of adult education as well as seminars for MPs and Holocaust commemoration programmes in the House.
The Parliament is also seeking to exhibit collections with direct links to Austria from Yad Vashem.
"We are convinced that these unprecedented agreements will provide Yad Vashem and the Austrian Parliament with a viable basis for cooperation. Our common goals in doing so are to support the preservation of contemporary historical accounts and education about the dangers of racism and anti-Semitism," Yad Vashem Chairman Dayan emphasised.
Another letter of intent signed by Dayan and Sobotka is intended to expand the cooperation between Yad Vashem and the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism. The fund was established in 1995 at the National Council to express Austria's special responsibility towards the victims of National Socialism, among other things with restitution payments.
The present agreement emphasises the importance of scientific documentation in connection with the National Socialist era. In order to preserve archival material on Holocaust documentation and to expand research projects - especially with regard to the aftermath of National Socialist crimes up to the present day - cooperation between Yad Vashem and the National Fund is to be intensified.
In addition, civil society engagement in the fight against anti-Semitism and the dissemination of knowledge about the Holocaust will be supported, for example through the Simon Wiesenthal Prize, which is awarded annually by Parliament.