Germany to assume chair of IHRA for 1 year; will fight Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is a criminal offense in Germany and is punishable with a sentence of up to five years in prison, and similar laws exist in other European countries.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Germany is set to assume a one-year chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) on Tuesday, with the aim of fighting Holocaust denial, Deutsche Welle reported.Michaela Küchler, the German Foreign Office's special commissioner for relations with Jewish organizations, is set to head the German IHRA team, and has stated that the aim was to "do more" to fight Holocaust denial and antisemitism.Holocaust denial is a criminal offense in Germany and is punishable with a sentence of up to five years in prison, and similar laws exist in other European countries.According to the Central Council of Jews in Germany, the federal republic has a "special responsibility" in the fight against Holocaust denial.Two IHRA assemblies in Germany are already in the works for 2020, and are set to focus on creating a worldwide task force to fight Holocaust denial and falsification.Writing in an opinion piece in The Jerusalem Post, German Ambassador to Israel Susanne Wasum-Rainer added that another key focus of the German chairmanship will be education."Education is key to fostering remembrance and countering antisemitism," she wrote. "Therefore, during our IHRA chairmanship, we plan to promote the IHRA recommendations on teaching and learning about the Holocaust. The recommendations were adopted by the IHRA last year and are currently being translated into the languages of all IHRA member countries."