Yad Vashem to Open First Foreign Branch in Munich, Germany

Yad Vashem said the center will strengthen its worldwide commitment to Holocaust education and remembrance work. "This is happening at a time when distorted representations of the history of the Holocaust are increasing worldwide and antisemitism is spreading further," the memorial explained.

The center aims to bring a larger picture into the dialogue of remembrance culture in Germany, primarily including the voices of victims rather than perpetrators, according to Yael Richler-Friedman, pedagogical director of Yad Vashem's International Institute for Holocaust Education.

Dani Dayan, director of the memorial, said: "As we move further away from the era of eyewitness testimony, historically sound Holocaust education is more important than ever."

Leipzig Satellite and Regional Support

Federal Education Minister Karin Prien emphasized the importance of the initiative, stating: "Knowledge of what was is important to prevent evil in the future."

The Leipzig satellite location will establish interactive learning spaces and target its offerings primarily at educators and young people in the region and in neighboring countries. Saxon Minister President Michael Kretschmer called it a "great honor and at the same time an obligation."

Kretschmer added: "Indeed, education and encounter are crucial to keeping remembrance alive and making history tangible. Education and the new educational sites are necessary and important to resolutely and clearly counter antisemitism, prejudice, disinformation, and any form of Holocaust relativization."

Competing Bids from Other States

North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony had also expressed interest in hosting the center. In November, CDU, Greens, SPD, and FDP in the NRW state parliament jointly supported a bid for a Yad Vashem center in the state.

NRW State Chancellery chief Nathanael Liminski promoted the state by citing the largest Jewish community in Germany. NRW has cooperated with Yad Vashem for many years, with teachers, prosecutors, and police officers regularly completing training there.

State parliament president André Kuper traveled to Israel at the end of October and held talks with Yad Vashem director Dani Dayan. Essen, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, and Cologne had expressed interest as locations for the center.

After the location decision, the center could begin operations approximately two to three years later. The educational offerings are designed to address the fact that young people in Germany know too little about the Shoah and the systematic murder of millions of Jews under National Socialism, Richler-Friedman noted.