Holocaust Remembrance: European Commission and Polish Presidency host international conference and commemoration ceremony

Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January, which marks 80 years since the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, on 21 January the Commission will host the international conference ‘Remembering the Past. Shaping the Future.’ The conference is organised in partnership with the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and in cooperation with major civil society organisations dedicated to Holocaust remembrance, fighting antisemitism and fostering Jewish life.

The conference will be opened by Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, the European Commission’s Coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, Katharina von Schnurbein, and Executive Vice-President and CEO of the European Jewish Congress, Raya Kalenova. In his address, Commissioner Brunner will announce a flagship action of the EU Anti-Semitism Strategy, the launch of a secretariat to develop the Europe-wide “Network of places where the Holocaust happened” – an initiative that will transform Holocaust remembrance and cooperation between memorial sites across Europe.

Holocaust survivor Hon. Mala Tribich MBE will share her testimony. The conference will also provide a forum for insights by members of the Network of Young European Ambassadors to promote Holocaust Remembrance – Neshama – from four EU Member States (Croatia, France, Germany and Poland). A Commemoration Ceremony will be led by Rabbi Oliver Kaufmann, at which candles will be lit and a moment of silence observed.

The conference will be live streamed to registered participants on 21 January from 17:00. Registration and the programme of the conference are available here.