EHRI-ERIC is the first supranational organisation associating key European institutions involved in the documentation and research of the Holocaust. The Polish coordinator of this structure is the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute, which together with the Polish Center for Holocaust Research (IFiS PAN) and the Philip Friedman Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Lodz created a national structure within EHRI-ERIC. The Polish node of EHRI (EHRI-PL) will be supervised by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
EHRI-ERIC Programme Assumptions
The goals of the newly established consortium include, among other things, ensuring broad international access to archival sources concerning the Holocaust, establishing and strengthening cooperation between researchers of this subject from Poland and abroad, setting new research directions and methodological approaches, as well as supporting people involved in Holocaust research.
Research on the Holocaust has been conducted all over the world. The exchange of views and opinions between researchers from different centres is crucial for the development of this subdiscipline of Jewish studies. This is also important due to the dispersion of sources. Materials concerning the Holocaust – whether original documents or elicited sources (such as recordings of survivors' accounts) have been collected in Europe, both Americas and Australia. Only an attempt to reach all important archival collections allows for the description of wartime stories
– says the Head of the Jewish Historical Institute and an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Lodz, Dr Michał Trębacz.
EHRI-PL Founding Ceremony
The inauguration of the EHRI-PL Polish node began at the Jewish Historical Institute, where several dozen representatives of scientific institutions, museums, ministries and diplomats from European countries, Israel and the United States, as well as representatives of the European Commission and the European Parliament met.
The main ceremony inaugurating activities of EHRI-ERIC was held at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. The significance of the event was emphasised by the presence of Hanna Wróblewska, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Netherlands – the host of EHRI-ERIC – was represented by Eppo Bruin, Minister of Education, Culture and Science. The gathered guests also had the opportunity to listen to the extremely moving words of Krystyna Budnicka, a Holocaust survivor and Honorary Citizen of Warsaw.
During the ceremony, representatives of the founding states of EHRI–ERIC: Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Germany, Israel, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the United Kingdom signed an agreement on mutual support for research on the Holocaust.
EHRI-ERIC and Poland
The fact that the decision to establish an international consortium on the Holocaust in Warsaw, Poland has symbolic significance for at least two reasons. First, Poland is the place where the Holocaust took place. The former German Nazi extermination camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Treblinka are located on its territory. Second, it was in Poland that the process of documenting and researching the Holocaust began in 1944. The work initiated here is of fundamental importance for our understanding of the tragic fate of Jews during the Second World War. We are looking forward to successful cooperation that will result in new discoveries and perspectives in Holocaust research.
Polish Presidency of the EU Council and EHRI-ERIC
The Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2025 was an opportunity to underline the importance of the memory of the Holocaust for contemporary Europe. The inauguration of EHRI-ERIC was in line with the priorities of the Polish Presidency, related to strengthening European identity and values. This event was a signal that Poland is actively participating in building a common European memory of the past.
Learn more about EHRI
- The EHRI project website
- European Research Infrastructure Consortium
- Basic information on the EHRI project
Source: Philip Friedman Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Lodz
Photos: Maciek Jazwiecki (EHRI and POLIN Museum)