Yad Vashem to Open First International Holocaust Education Centers in Munich and Leipzig

"Working together with our German partners, this center will help ensure that the truth of the Holocaust is preserved and passed on to future generations," Dayan added.

A Historic Building for a New Mission

The Leipzig branch will be housed in the Ariowitsch-Haus, a building with a complex history. Constructed from 1928 based on plans by architect Emil Franz Hänsel and donated by the Ariowitsch entrepreneurial family, it served as a Jewish retirement home from 1931.

In 1942, more than 100 residents and staff were deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. The building was later used by the National Socialists as an office, and after World War II by both American and Soviet occupying forces. The Jewish community regained ownership in 1946, and it operated again as a retirement home until 1997.

Since renovation work completed in 2006, the Ariowitsch-Haus has served as a center for Jewish culture and a place of education and encounter. The new Yad Vashem branch will build on this legacy.

A Shift in Remembrance Culture

Yael Richler-Friedman, Pedagogical Director of the International Institute for Holocaust Education at Yad Vashem, explained the center's educational approach. "Wir möchten mit dem Bildungszentrum ein größeres Bild als bisher in den Dialog der Erinnerungskultur in Deutschland einbringen. Das wird vor allem Stimmen der Opfer beinhalten und weniger der Täter," she said, emphasizing a shift toward victims' voices rather than perpetrators'.

Karin Prien underscored the urgency of the project. "Das Wissen über das, was war, ist wichtig, um das Übel in der Zukunft zu verhindern. Dabei wissen gerade junge Menschen in Deutschland zu wenig über die Shoah und die systematische Ermordung von Millionen Juden im Nationalsozialismus," Prien stated.

The centers aim to address what studies describe as declining Holocaust awareness among young Germans and a rise in antisemitic attitudes. Yad Vashem noted that distorted representations of Holocaust history are increasing worldwide and antisemitism is spreading further.

Bridging East and West

Michael Kretschmer welcomed the Leipzig branch. "Teil des neuen Holocaust-Bildungszentrums in Deutschland zu sein, ist für Sachsen eine große Ehre und zugleich Verpflichtung," he said, adding that Leipzig could serve as a "Brücke nach Osteuropa" — a bridge to Eastern Europe.

Kretschmer stressed that education and encounter are crucial to keep remembrance alive and make history comprehensible, and that new educational sites are necessary to counter antisemitism, prejudice, disinformation, and any form of Holocaust relativization.

The Leipzig branch aims to establish interactive learning spaces and target educators and young people in the region and neighboring countries. Next steps include clarifying financial and personnel questions, construction measures, and content coordination with the Munich location, according to the Ministry of Culture.

The center could begin operations in two to three years. Dayan noted that historically grounded Holocaust education is more important than ever as the world moves further away from the era of eyewitness testimonies.