Task Force For International Cooperation On Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research

Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research in Spain

Click here for an Overview of Holocaust-related acitivites in Spain

International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2011:

Many events took place in Spain to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day, among them an institutional ceremony presided over by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and an international seminar organized by Casa Sefarad-Israel.

As it is every year, the event was organized at the highest institutional level. The central voice at this event was that of Jewish victims but it also featured the voices of the Roma people and of the Spanish victims murdered in the concentration camps.

Every year, the memorial ceremony focuses on a different central theme. On 27 January 2011, the official ceremony focused on music, particularly the violins of the ghettos and camps. When faced with destruction, these violins symbolized "Hope and Resistance".

This event, which was held at the Auditorio Nacional de Música, featured the first visit to Spain of the master luthier Amnon Weinstein, a descendent of a family of luthiers originally from Vilnius, who has dedicated his life to recovering violins from the Holocaust. He brought four of these violins to Spain, one of which the magnificent Shlomo Mintz played.  He was accompanied by a Chamber Quintet, giving "a soul back to these exhausted violins" in Amnon Weinstein's words.

Casa-Sefarad-Israel also held the previous day an international seminar, which reflected the central theme of the institutional event organized by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

A series of conferences examined the intensive musical creativity of Judaism "Between tradition and modernity", and addressed the meaning of the music performed by orchestras of men and women in ghettos and camps. This review of the "music of the Holocaust" culminated in a presentation by the master luthier Amnon Weinstein of some of the rescued violins he brought to Spain to be played at the institutional event.  More information can be found here.

The "Visas for Freedom. Spanish Diplomats and the Holocaust" exhibition will open in Seville. Following the inauguration, a candle lighting ceremony will be held. The exhibition has travelled around the world, and is currently on display in Israel.

27 January 2011 - Spain

Click on one of the images to view the gallery (6 pictures).

The Holocaust by Bullets

Madrid, 15-17 December at Garrigues Foundation

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Casa Sefarad, working with the Yahad in Unum Foundation, held an international seminar to raise awareness about the so-called "Holocaust by Bullets": this phrase describes the mass murders carried out by the Einsatzgruppen between 1941 and 1944, mainly in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. The Yahad-in-Unum Foundation was created in Paris in 2004 by Catholic priests and Jewish Communities (the founders were Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger and the then president of the World Jewish Congress Israël Singer) to find evidence of the massacres which took place on the Eastern Front and the resulting mass graves.

To download the seminar program, click here.

Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Casa Sefarad-Israel Organize Seminar for High-Ranking Spanish Jurists

From 22 to 25 November, the seminar "Shoah, Genocides and Crimes Against Humanity" brings together 25 outstanding Spanish jurists with the objective of illustrating the legal dimensions of the Holocaust.

The seminar was organized with the cooperation of the Mémorial de la Shoah (Paris), the Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz (Berlin), the Nuremberg Trials Museum (Nuremberg), and the Spanish General Council of Advocates.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain had previously co-organized two seminars about the legal dimensions of the Holocaust and their implications in the present in order to create a framework to promote a more complete and systemic approach to these issues among Spanish jurists. This new initiative reinforces the Spanish approach towards the Holocaust, including the education dimension and other important aspects.

High-ranking members of the Spanish Council of State, the General Council of the Judicial Power, the Supreme Court, and the General Council of Advocates and Law Professors will participate in the current seminar. The program includes conferences and meetings with German and French experts and public officials, as well as Spanish diplomats.

The seminar begins in France at the Mémorial de la Shoah, and will continue in Germany with visits to the Nuremberg Trials Museum and the Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz. There will also be a guided visit to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial.

Seminar for High-Ranking Spanish Jurists

Click on one of the images to view the gallery (3 pictures).

Lessons to be learned from the Holocaust for modern-day medicine

September 1, 2010

The Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) hosted a summer course on the Holocaust, entitled "Lessons to be learned from the Holocaust for Modern-Day Medicine", jointly organised by the Faculty of Medicine of the UAM and Casa Sefarad-Israel.

Between 1933 and 1945, millions of people were systematically exterminated in non-war actions by Nazi Germany and its allies. Many exterminations were actively participated in by doctors, researchers, neuroscientists and other healthcare professionals. Many of the ethical aspects resulting from the misuse of medicine during the Nazi period remain valid in current issues involving daily assistance to patients.

Experts on the fields of medicine, bioethical, psychology and pharmacology, and historians specialized on the Holocaust transmission, have participated on this course that was followed by a tribute to the Holocaust survivors and survivors of the Nazi experiments, as well as other victims: political deportees, handicapped and Roma people.

This tribute took place in Madrid at the Medical Association and was sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. An important number of doctors and officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs participated actively on this course.

New seminars for Spanish teachers at Yad Vashem

July 13^th, 2010

The fruitful cooperation between Yad Vashem and Casa Sefarad-Israel has produced two new seminars to be held in Jerusalem under the title "Memory of the Shoah and the dilemmas of its transmission". Two new groups of Spanish teachers selected by Casa Sefarad-Israel and with scholarships from both institutions will have the opportunity to receive thorough training in Yad Vashem. The purpose is to continue weaving a close-knit network of Spanish teachers from different regions and education levels that share a strong commitment to continual training.

Most of the activities are carried out in Yad Vashem, although a day is reserved at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and another at the Lohamei Hagetaot Museum, located in a kibbutz erected by the Warsaw ghetto fighters.

The seminars reserve some places for other members of the Spanish network, who are not teachers but can play a significant an important role in its building: two representatives of the Jewish communities of Madrid and Valencia, the daughter of the Auschwitz survivor Violeta Friedman and president of its Foundation, the president of the Amical Mauthausen (association of the Spanish ex-deportees from the Nazi concentration camps) and two members of the Spanish Roma community.

International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust and for the Prevention of Crimes against Humanity

January 2010

On 21 January, in the assembly hall of the Complutense University of Madrid, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Casa Sefarad Israel celebrated the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust and for the Prevention of Crimes against Humanity.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, the Minister of Education, Ángel Gabilondo, and the Minister of Culture, Ángeles González-Sinde, as well as the Secretary of State for Justice, Juan Carlos Campo, attended along with a large diplomatic representation from various countries committed to the task of remembering, to make sure the atrocious crimes committed by the Nazi regime are not forgotten, so that they are never again repeated.

"On 27 January, throughout the country, the liberation day of the concentration and extermination camp in Auschwitz (Poland) was commemorated. On this same day the President of the Spanish Government, Mr. José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, stated the following:

The International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust and for the Prevention of Crimes against Humanity is commemorated throughout Europe on 27 January. This year it also marks the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, a place which will always stand as a symbol of one of the worst atrocities ever committed.

Now, as we relive that dark period when the sun went down on Europe, as the walls of the Yad Vashem memorial in Jerusalem so powerfully express it, we will never cease to honour - not for a single moment - the victims of the Holocaust; and we shall continue to proclaim our admiration for everybody who refused to extinguish their conscience when faced with crimes which robbed people of their most basic rights: human dignity.

As Primo Levi stated, 'it is impossible to understand, but essential that we know'. For this reason, we 21st century Europeans must never forget the moral and universal lesson of the Holocaust, which continues to shine on men and women committed to defending human rights every day in so many places around the world."

For more information and to view a video of the commemoration event, click here.

Statement from the President of the Government on the 65th anniversary of liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Camp, 27 January 2010

On 27th January, all of Europe will commemorate the official day in Remembrance of the Holocaust and for the prevention of Crimes against Humanity. Furthermore, this year will also be the 65th anniversary of liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Camp; a place that will forever be an expression of one of the greatest injustices we have ever known. As we relive that sombre period in which the sun darkened over Europe's sky, as expressed metaphorically on the walls of the Yad Vashem memorial in Jerusalem, we do not cease to honour for one moment the Shoah victims or to proclaim our admiration for all those who maintain the light of consciousness shining over the crimes that take away the very condition of humanity: dignity. Understanding is impossible but knowledge is necessary, said Primo Levi. For that reason, the Europeans of the 21st century must always remember the moral and universal courage of the Shoah, whose light continues to illuminate the men and women committed to the everyday defence of human rights in so many places around the world.

Yad Vashem, the Casa Sefarad-Israel and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain organise in Jerusalem a seminar for Spanish journalists

From 16 to 20 November. "Memory of the Shoah and dilemmas on its transmission" is the title of the seminar, whose objective is to illustrate its participants, representatives of the main Spanish media in fields such as: "Nazi propaganda and stereotypes", "Universal and particular aspects of the Holocaust", "Spain and the Holocaust" and other related topics.

This seminar will also cover educational aspects such as the educational philosophy of the International School for Holocaust Studies and will include lectures by major experts in this field, such as Professor Yehuda Bauer, ITF Honorary Chairman.

The programme includes meetings with outstanding figures of the Jewish world, such as a round table with the Yad Vashem Chairman, Avner Shalev; a recount of his own experiences by Jack Stroumsa, a Sephardic survivor of Salonica -and known as the "violin player of Auschwitz"-, and, lastly, a meeting with Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, who was saved, when he was 8 years old, from the Buchenwald Concentration Camp.

A guided visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum and a meeting with the Spanish Ambassador to Israel complete this pioneering seminar, which is part of the activities carried out within the framework of Spain's participation in the ITF.

Ana Sálomon
Ambassador-at-Large for Relations with the Jewish Community and Organisations

Education

For the first time, the teaching of the Holocaust has been expressly introduced into the Spanish educational system, using a multi-disciplinary approach: at the earliest stage, in Primary Education, the Holocaust is taught using a mostly cross-curricular and "emotional" approach. Later, in Compulsory Secondary Education, the approach is more rational and fact-based. Finally, at Baccalaureate level, the Holocaust is taught as an essential feature of pupils' responsibility and civic engagement.

In essence, the new educational law allows Holocaust teaching in the sense of its universal meaning. The Holocaust is understood as a paradigm for the education on all topics related to human rights and responsible citizenship, and against all forms of discrimination, such as racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, etc. An increasing number of Spanish teachers are receiving training for the specifics on the transmission of the Holocaust. Every year, several seminars are offered either in Spain or abroad.

Comments by the Minister of Education Mercedes Cabrera, December 2008

Remembrance

In Spain the Holocaust is defined as the systematic destruction of European Jewry by the Nazis, stressing, in accordance with the Declaration of the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust, its magnitude, its universal meaning and unprecedented character, the terrible suffering of the Jewish people and many millions of other victims and the indelible scar it left across Europe. This is reflected in the decision of the Cabinet meeting of 10 December, 2004, which established January 27 as the official Holocaust Remembrance Day. The definition according to the Stockholm Declaration is systematically reaffirmed and reflected in the speeches given by different Government authorities on the occasion of the yearly Holocaust remembrance day events.

Since January 2006, Presidential and Ministerial speeches have been made every year on the occasion of the Remembrance Day. Holocaust survivors from different countries, invited to the commemoration acts, play a major role in all remembrance events, always with full audiences and excellent responses. Although the most important commemoration room is always given to Jewish victims, other groups of victims are also honoured, such as Roma people, or Spanish deported people to Nazi concentration camps. Spanish Righteous Among the Nations always play a major role, usually represented by their descendants. The programme of the activities is always determined by a central idea which changes every year.

Research

As for the educational, academic and public examination of Spain's historical past related to the Holocaust period, a specific approach has been designed and a working plan outlined to meet this ITF requirement. It is our intention to visit ITF member countries with experience in Historical Commissions, to reflect and discuss on different aspects of Spain's history during World War II. This will allow us to establish a working plan according to specific aspects related to our own history.

A take-off meeting took place in Madrid in January 2009 to discuss the way forward and to define several areas to be treated, such as "lessons learned", access to archives, looted art and memorial sites. We decided to start by establishing a small group of historians to identify all archives with documents related to the Holocaust as a working basis. The outcome of all these activities will provide guidance to the Spanish Government on the most appropriate way to move forward in academic, educational and public examination of Spain's historical past as related to the Holocaust period, including the possible setting up of a historical commission.

At the initiative of the Jewish Community of Madrid, a Holocaust Memorial was unveiled in April 2007 in Madrid, in the presence of the Mayor of Madrid and local representatives from different institutions. It is dedicated to all victims of Nazi persecution. Since its inauguration, many people and students have visited this memorial on the occasion of January 27, but it is the will of the Jewish community and the Government to promote regular visits of a greater number of students during the whole year.

Quote Mercedes Cabrera:

"It is every educator's duty to preserve and to teach the memory of the Holocaust and as a result the Spanish Government introduced in our educational system a specific subject devoted to the topic using a multidisciplinary approach."

There is an increasing awareness of Holocaust issues due to several developments, amongst them all the activities implemented by the Spanish delegation to the ITF (remembrance ceremonies, exhibitions, seminars, books, concerts...). As a significant example, Yad Vashem was honored with the Prince of Asturias Award for Concorde in October 2007, which is a very famous and probably the most prestigious award in Spain. This event received high media attention and was followed with great interest not only by Spanish society but also abroad. Additionally, every year there are more and more books in Spanish on Holocaust topics published and movies and documentaries related with its history screened on television and in cinemas.