Outreach in Europe

Holocaust history is increasingly being distorted by governments, politicians, and others in a rapidly changing Europe. Antisemitism is intensifying as well. The Museum works with European institutions on innovative approaches to confronting Holocaust distortion and antisemitism as well as strengthening Holocaust education. Learn more below.

Examining the Roles of Ordinary People

Some Were Neighbors: Choice, Human Behavior and the Holocaust

The Museum is working with institutions in Germany and Poland to present the traveling exhibition Some Were Neighbors. The exhibition examines the choices made by ordinary people during the Holocaust. We develop educational workshops with partners that offer students in these countries the opportunity to explore how the Holocaust unfolded in their communities and to reflect on their roles in society today. Some Were Neighbors opened at the German Parliament in January 2019 and is currently touring across Germany in partnership with Villa ten Hompel, a memorial site in Münster. Learn more about the Museum's educational work involving the exhibition in an English-language article published in the GedenkstättenRundbrief (the German Memorials and Museums newsletter).

Confronting Antisemitism

Through conferences, professional exchanges, and study visits, the Museum partners with civil society and government institutions across Europe to build the capacity and visibility of educators and leaders to combat antisemitism at the grassroots level. Key partners include:

German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs

Since 2014, the Museum has been working with the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth toward the shared goal of strengthening international networking in the fight against hatred and antisemitism. In 2017, the Family Ministry supported a week-long international exchange which brought over 25 German NGO leaders to the Museum (see this report for more details: Confronting Antisemitism and Intolerance) that resulted in a follow-up conference in Berlin in 2018.

European Network – Combating Antisemitism Through Education (ENCATE)

ENCATE connects organizations from over a dozen European countries to share best practices and increase awareness of the efforts underway to confront antisemitism and other forms of bias. The Museum supports ENCATE through sharing knowledge and resources on Holocaust education.

The Kreuzberg Initiative Against Antisemitism (KIgA)

One of the first German civil society initiatives to develop education-based methods for fighting antisemitism in a multicultural German society, KlgA develops programs for German youth from predominantly migrant backgrounds that seek to counteract antisemitic stereotypes and aggression.