Czech Republic joins the European Consortium for Holocaust Studies EHRI-ERIC
The Czech Republic should become a member of the European Research Infrastructure Consortium EHRI-ERIC for Holocaust Studies. Thanks to this, researchers and the public will have better access to historical materials. After several years of preparation, the consortium should be established early next year.
“Documentation of the Holocaust is an important part of Europe’s heritage and its research and commemoration is essential for social and political reasons. The Czech Republic’s membership in the consortium will help Czech researchers and archivists to become more involved in international Holocaust research. By becoming a member of EHRI-ERIC, the Czech Republic is also declaring its acceptance of a shared responsibility for this chapter of Europe’s past,” said Radka Wildová, Deputy Minister for Higher Education, Science and Research of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.
Pic 1_EHRI – infrastructure for holocaust studies
The European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) is an international research community that provides virtual and physical access to resources and services related to Holocaust studies. It is addressed to researchers across the humanities and social sciences, cultural heritage professionals and archivists. The aim is to overcome the difficulties associated with the fragmentation of archival material on the Holocaust in Europe and around the world and to contribute to the historical interpretation of the Holocaust. By researching and educating about the Holocaust, EHRI also contributes to the fight against anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial and xenophobia.
Pic 2_EHRI portal provides online access to information about dispersed Holocaust related sources
The Czech research community has been significantly involved in the preparation of EHRI-ERIC from the beginning. Under the wings of LINDAT/CLARIAH-CZ, a large research infrastructure providing tools for the humanities, the Czech EHRI node including partners from the Masaryk Institute and Archives of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Terezín Memorial, the Terezín Initiative Institute and the National Archives of the Czech Republic has been operating since 2023. In addition to the Czech Republic, the countries that are expected to join the consortium include Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. The headquarters of EHRI-ERIC will be in Amsterdam.