On the eve of the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI), of which the Wiener Holocaust Library is a proud founding member, will be inaugurated as a permanent European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) during a ceremony at the Polin Museum in Warsaw.
This follows the decision of the European Commission (EC) on 20 January 2025 to establish the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC). In doing so, the EC secures EHRI’s future and supports its vision to provide seamless access to all sources and expertise from across Europe and beyond that are relevant to the study of the Holocaust. The EU hereby clearly confirms the relevance of Holocaust research for free and open societies with shared democratic values.
EHRI’s inauguration ceremony will be opened by Hanna Wróblewska, Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, and Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Poland, on behalf of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Eppo Bruins, Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, will speak on behalf of the hosting country of EHRI-ERIC, the Netherlands.
Minister Bruins: ‘Examining your past is the best way to a better future. The EHRI collects public information about the Holocaust, making it more accessible to researchers and other interested parties. My heartfelt wish is that EHRI can give a face to the horrors of the Holocaust for ever-new generations. That knowledge and research into our past can be a powerful antidote to the antisemitism in our societies, and a reminder that Europe rose from the ashes of Auschwitz. It is an honor to welcome this important research institute to the Netherlands.
Distinguished representatives from all ten founding member countries will reiterate their support of Holocaust research and documentation by signing a symbolic declaration. The inauguration ceremony will also be attended by high-level representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the longstanding supporters and partner institutions of the EHRI-projects. EHRI-ERIC will be particularly honoured to welcome Krystyna Budnicka, Honorary Citizen of Warsaw who survived the Holocaust in the Warsaw Ghetto. In addition to formally launching EHRI-ERIC, the ceremony will offer a unique opportunity to reflect on the enduring significance of Holocaust research, documentation and commemoration in contemporary European societies.
Dr Reto Speck, Co-Director of EHRI: “EHRI has been successfully supporting transnational Holocaust research and documentation since 2010. Becoming a permanent ERIC is a significant milestone for us. Thanks to the support of our founding members and the European Commission, we can ensure the long-term sustainability of our work and expand our activities and services. But establishing EHRI as a permanent European organisation is not only important for scientific reason. It also signals that Holocaust archives and research matter and that Europe can only flourish if it understands its history and continues to consider the lessons and legacies of its darkest chapter. For me, that has been one of the key motivations to work towards becoming an ERIC, and I am very pleased to be able to celebrate this achievement today.”
Read the full press release here.
