At the crossroads of Holocaust remembrance

Held under Israel’s presidency of the IHRA and led jointly by the Foreign Ministry and Yad Vashem, the plenary week provided an opportunity for delegates to meet in person and advance cooperation on Holocaust remembrance, education, and research in a setting of profound historical and moral significance. The week opened with a preliminary conference hosted by the Foreign Ministry, which brought together delegates and experts to examine intergenerational transition, new technologies, and contemporary challenges related to Shoah remembrance and antisemitism.

The plenary also adopted updated recommendations for teaching about the Holocaust. Dr. Yael Richler-Friedman, who co-chaired the team that drafted the new recommendations, explains how Holocaust education needs to adapt to the changing world of the 21st century.

Across the world, graduates of Yad Vashem’s international teacher-training programs – along with educators who work closely with the institution – are approaching us with a new, pressing concern: How should we teach about the Holocaust today?

In some classrooms, the decision to address this subject no longer seems obvious.

What once seemed like a natural part of the curriculum can now provoke tension and even lead to accusations against Jews – or against non-Jewish teachers who are perceived as such merely because they intended to teach this history.

And beyond that, rising antisemitism prompts some to ask an even starker question: Should we continue teaching about the Shoah at all if the world appears not to have learned from it?

The answer, of course, is yes. Holocaust education is more relevant than ever. We see in recent events how antisemitism spreads, how easily it takes hold in societies, and the clear link to the denial or distortion of history.

Personal human stories will always matter. When approached thoughtfully and authentically, human dilemmas – explored through an empathetic lens – enable deep moral reflection. Such dilemmas touch on fundamental questions of identity, belonging, responsibility, and meaning, allowing learners to relate without resorting to simplistic comparisons, simulations, or shortcuts.

Crucially, personal stories are inseparable from historical context; their meaning emerges precisely from the complexity of the circumstances in which they unfold.

This anchoring in context enables value-based reflection grounded in historical understanding.

Digital tools shape the world today, and educators must be fluent in them to sustain meaningful dialogue. This does not mean adopting every new tool simply because it exists. The question must always be whether a given tool advances the foundations of Holocaust education: historically grounded learning, nuanced thinking, and the cultivation of authentic empathy.

Each tool must be evaluated in terms of our ethical responsibilities – toward victims (preserving human dignity and historical truth), toward learners (protecting their emotional integrity and avoiding manipulation), and toward content (resisting distortion or instrumentalization). Learners must develop the literacy required to distinguish fact from distortion, engage critically with evidence, and cultivate genuine human empathy rather than its digital simulations.

Educators need systems that allow them to adapt without abandoning key principles and core historical knowledge. Ongoing professional development strengthens teachers’ ability to respond to changing contexts while building confidence, resilience, and networks of mutual support – crucial capacities in times of crisis. Interdisciplinary approaches, the creative arts, and encounters with authentic sites of memory can all deepen engagement, provided they remain anchored in historical knowledge. Such learning enables individuals to transform information into meaningful understanding that resonates beyond the classroom.

This balance between continuity and adaptation is reflected both in educational practice and in the evolving frameworks that guide Holocaust education. Relevance, in this sense, is achieved by returning to them with renewed clarity and responsibility.