Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan and POLIN Museum Director Zygmunt Stępiński signing a new agreement in Warsaw
29 October 2024
Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, and the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews proudly announce a new, groundbreaking partnership. On Monday, 28 October 2024, Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan and POLIN Museum Director Zygmunt Stępiński signed an agreement in Warsaw to enhance joint efforts in Holocaust education, documentation, remembrance, and research.
While Yad Vashem and POLIN have previously worked together through mutual involvement in the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI), as well as other bilateral Holocaust remembrance initiatives, this partnership seeks to solidify and expand their cooperation across a wide array of critical initiatives. The shared goal is to deepen the understanding of the Holocaust and its enduring impact on humanity, while ensuring that the memory of the Holocaust is preserved and imparted to future generations.
Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan hailed the partnership as a crucial advancement in global Holocaust remembrance efforts.
“As the generation of Holocaust survivors grow smaller, it becomes our collective responsibility to safeguard their voice and memory through education and research. This partnership with POLIN will enhance our ability to share invaluable knowledge, strengthen Holocaust scholarship, and ensure that future generations fully grasp the magnitude of these atrocities.”
The scope of the agreement includes the development of accredited educational programs for teachers in Poland and Israel, coordination of workshops, lectures, and seminars, as well as joint research projects. This agreement also paves the way for the loan of artifacts and primary archival resources, enhancing exhibitions and displays both at Yad Vashem's flagship Holocaust History Museum on the Mount of Remembrance and at the POLIN Museum in Warsaw.
POLIN Museum Director Zygmunt Stępiński highlighted the significance of this historic agreement and its relevance in today’s climate.
"We are signing this document at a specific time. The world is being flooded with another wave of antisemitism, which is being dressed up in new clothes. The boundaries of acceptable assessments and criticism are often crossed, and they are used in the form of a veiled attack on Jews, motivated by xenophobia, racism or directly - antisemitic prejudices and stereotypes. This is a symbolic moment for us, as we mark the 10th anniversary of the opening of the POLIN Museum's permanent exhibition, the agreement with Yad Vashem is an honor and privilege for us.”
About Yad Vashem:
Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, was established by the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) in 1953. As the world's largest and preeminent Holocaust institution, Yad Vashem maintains the most extensive archive and collections of Holocaust-era artifacts, documentation and artworks worldwide, which serve as the foundation for its activities both on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem and online. Yad Vashem's educational method integrates a multigenerational and interdisciplinary approach to telling the story of the Holocaust as the unique and unprecedented event perpetrated against the Jewish people, as well as its universal significance. For more information, click here.
About POLIN Museum:
The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews is located in Warsaw, Poland, on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto. The museum presents the thousand-year history of Polish Jews and promotes education and dialogue on Jewish culture and history in Poland.
