© Wojciech Wojtkielewicz
In September 2022, a new joint project was launched by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (JCC), the EVZ Foundation and the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF): the Holocaust Education funding program. As part of the "Follow-up Responsibilities for Reparations to Victims of Nationalist Socialist Persecution", financial resources are allocated to the project by the German Bundestag and made available to the EVZ Foundation or the JCC via the BMF.
Antisemitic attacks have risen in recent years in Germany and worldwide. With the coronavirus pandemic, new conspiracy narratives emerged, in which antisemitic myths experienced an additional boost. At the same time, knowledge about the Holocaust is declining dramatically, as studies from various countries show. The end of the historical eyewitness testimony in the coming years will exacerbate this situation.
In view of these challenges, the "Holocaust Education" funding program was launched. It includes both single-year and multi-year projects, which are conducted by international organizations worldwide. They are dedicated to Holocaust education, i.e. teaching and learning about the Holocaust, from victim-centered perspectives in a variety of ways and include, among other things, the digitization and publication of documents such as historical eyewitness testimonies from Holocaust survivors, research and exhibition projects, continuing education programs for teachers, and educational projects for students and other target groups.
Project applications can only be submitted via the JCC website. Deadlines for submitting applications are April 1 (funding begins at the earliest in the following January) and October 1 (funding begins at the earliest in the following July).
The international advisory board decides on project proposals submitted by the Jewish Claims Conference.
Eva-Maria Meyer, Head of Section, Federal Ministry of Finance (Chairwoman of the Advisory Board)
Prof. Michael Berenbaum, Director of the Sigi Ziering Institute and Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at American Jewish University
Zvi Inbar, former Senior Consultant on Allocations at Jewish Claims Conference Jerusalem
Prof. Dr. Martin Lücke, University Professor Didactics of History at Freie Universität Berlin
Steve Schwager, former CEO and Executive Vice President of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
Patrick Siegele, Head of Sector Holocaust Education at the OeAD - Austria’s Agency for Education and Internationalisation
Do you have any questions or suggestions about the Holocaust Education funding program? Please contact holocaust-education@stiftung-evz.de.