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

A second, smaller facility is planned for the Ariowitsch-Haus in Leipzig's Waldstraßenviertel district. The building, located at Hinrichsenstraße 14, has a layered history: it was built from 1928 according to plans by Emil Franz Hänsel, donated by the Ariowitsch entrepreneurial family, and served as a Jewish retirement home from 1931 onward.

Leipzig's Historic Ariowitsch-Haus

During the Nazi era, the Ariowitsch-Haus was used as a Nazi office. In 1942, more than 100 residents and staff were deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. After World War II, the building was used by American and Soviet occupying forces before the Jewish community regained ownership in 1946. A retirement home operated there again until 1997, and renovation work began in 2006.

The Leipzig facility will establish interactive learning spaces and target educators and young people in the region and neighboring countries. Saxony's Minister-President Michael Kretschmer described the project as a great honor and an obligation, adding that Leipzig could serve as a "Brücke nach Osteuropa" — a bridge to Eastern Europe.

Yad Vashem aims to strengthen the Jewish perspective in German remembrance culture through this expansion. Yael Richler-Friedman, Pedagogical Director of the International Institute for Holocaust Education at Yad Vashem, said the center will bring a larger picture into the dialogue of remembrance culture in Germany, including voices of victims rather than perpetrators.

Countering Antisemitism and Distortion

German Education Minister Karin Prien emphasized the urgency of the initiative. She stated that young people in Germany know too little about the Shoah and the systematic murder of millions of Jews under National Socialism. "Das Wissen über das, was war, ist wichtig, um das Übel in der Zukunft zu verhindern," Prien said — knowledge of what happened is important to prevent evil in the future.

Dayan echoed that concern, noting that historically grounded Holocaust education is more important than ever as the era of eyewitness accounts recedes. "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," he said.

Yad Vashem stated that the expansion comes at a critical time. "Dies geschieht in einer Zeit, in der weltweit verzerrte Darstellungen der Geschichte des Holocaust zunehmen und der Antisemitismus sich weiter ausbreitet" — this is happening at a time when distorted representations of Holocaust history are increasing worldwide and antisemitism is spreading further.

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

Next Steps and Timeline

The project was first signaled in September 2025, when the head of Yad Vashem and the German Federal Minister of Education announced that a branch would be established in Germany. Possible locations mentioned at that time included Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, or Saxony.

According to Saxony's Ministry of Culture, next steps include clarifying financial and personnel questions, construction measures, and content coordination with the Munich site. The center could begin operations in two to three years.