GENEVA – On 26 January, ahead of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory
of the Victims of the Holocaust, the World Jewish Congress (WJC) convened more
than 50 diplomats and representatives of Permanent Delegations to UNESCO for a
high-level briefing session at the Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris. The seminar
focused on countering antisemitism and preserving Holocaust memory amid rising
denial and distortion,
The briefing was
jointly organized by UNESCO, the World Jewish Congress, the Mémorial de la
Shoah, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), and
the Permanent Delegations of France and Germany to UNESCO. It was held in the
framework of the International Day of Commemoration on 27 January, established
by the United Nations General Assembly to mark the liberation of
Auschwitz-Birkenau and to reaffirm the international community’s responsibility
to uphold Holocaust remembrance, education, and historical truth.
Held at one of
Europe’s leading institutions for Holocaust documentation and education, the
session addressed contemporary challenges faced by UNESCO Member States,
including the persistence of antisemitism, the spread of Holocaust denial and
distortion, and the need to sustain effective remembrance policies, protect
historical sites, and strengthen education and research worldwide.
A second seminar
was held on 4 February at the Maison d’Izieu, organized by the Permanent
Missions of France, Germany, the EU, and Israel to the United Nations in
Geneva, in cooperation with the World Jewish Congress. The meeting brought
together some 40 ambassadors and diplomats from over 30 countries.
The Maison d’Izieu became infamous during World War II when,
on April 6, 1944, the Gestapo, under the command of SS officer Klaus Barbie,
raided the home, which served as a refuge for Jewish children. Forty-four
children and their seven caretakers were arrested and deported to Nazi
concentration camps, where all but one caretaker was murdered. Today, the site
stands as a memorial and educational center dedicated to remembering Jewish
children persecuted in the Holocaust, and to the promotion of human rights.
The delegation
was welcomed by Céline Jurgensen, Ambassador of France; Antje Leendertse,
Ambassador of Germany; Deike Potzel, Ambassador of the European Union to the
United Nations in Geneva; Leon Saltiel, WJC Representative to the UN in Geneva;
and Thierry Philip and Alexandre Nugues-Bourchat, President and Director of the
Maison d’Izieu.
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