Dear colleagues and friends,

Last year I was deeply saddened by Conny Kristel’s death. She was a wonderful colleague, truly a model of conscientiousness and commitment. I am guessing that you all know a good project that was hampered (or worse) because egos stood in the way. Not so with EHRI under Conny. How befitting that the first Conny Kristel Fellowships will be dispensed this year.

Given this history, it was with a mixture of excitement and trepidation that I began my tenure as EHRI’s new Project Director on March 1. But there is no worry. Having been involved in several EHRI undertakings, my sense is this is a gathering of experts who are not only committed to a good cause, but who also treat each other well. And they know and feel that the work is all the more important today - a time with so much bad news about distortion and denial of the Holocaust.

Looking ahead, I would like to draw your attention to early July, when EHRI will be hosting two exciting conferences in Amsterdam: “Holocaust Studies in the Digital Age” (July 2) and “Holocaust Studies and its Social Setting: Challenges and Trends” (July 3).

Dr. Karel Berkhoff is a Senior Researcher at EHRI partner institution NIOD, Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies in Amsterdam.