On 14 January, an international conference was held in Paris on the theme “80 years after the Holocaust: what are the new challenges facing museums and sites of historical memory?
The international conference was organised by the Memorial de la Shoah, an institution in France founded in 1953 as an archive and documentation centre to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust.
The conference started with a speech by Holocaust witnesses Beate and Serge Klarsfeld, who reminded us why it is essential to pass on our experiences to other generations. Later, after the official opening speeches, the conference was divided into 4 parts where representatives from different institutions and countries shared their thoughts, experiences, and discussions.
The first part of the conference focused on the question, “What are the perspectives for Holocaust memorials and museums? It was discussed that over time, there are no more Holocaust survivors, and a young generation is growing up that has never seen, met, or heard a person who could tell the story of his or her survival during the Holocaust.
The second part of the discussion focused on “How do museums work, how do they organise their activities in the face of growing anti-Semitism in Europe? Simonas Strelcovas, Director of the Vilna Gaon Museum of Jewish History, also spoke in this part of the discussion.
The third part of the conference was dedicated to a discussion on the younger generation and the use of innovation on the subject of the Holocaust, and the fourth part was dedicated to a discussion on the ongoing competition on the topic of historical memory and the challenges it poses.
The International Conference in Paris was attended by Ronaldas Račinskas, Executive Director of the International Commission, and Ingrida Vilkienė, Deputy Director and Coordinator of Education Programmes. In addition to the participation of Lithuanian representatives in the international event, a cooperation agreement between the International Commission and Memorial de la Shoah was signed during the conference, consolidating a long-standing cooperation in organising international seminars for teachers and educators.
