As EHRI prepares to become a permanent research infrastructure, it is increasing its outreach towards user groups that have so far had less engagement with EHRI, but where the EHRI consortium sees potential value. As such, EHRI has organised two initiatives in 2023 to work more closely with Holocaust Educators.

In March, EHRI partner the “Elie Wiesel” National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania hosted an international outreach workshop in Bucharest to engage with university teachers of the Holocaust. The workshop built on the research that EHRI did in 2021 to explore where EHRI could have an impact on Holocaust education. Increased use of original sources, translation of research findings into teaching practice and transnational knowledge exchange were areas of particular interest. The workshop in Bucharest was the first initiative to gather input from professionals who teach aspects of the Holocaust at university level across Europe. The focus was on how EHRI could adapt or extend its current offers to support excellence in Holocaust teaching.

EHRI invited sixteen participants from the thirty teachers who had initially expressed interest. Eventually, fourteen participants from thirteen countries attended. Colleagues from EHRI presented relevant EHRI offers, both online and offline, which participants then tried out and discussed within small groups. In addition, Centropa presented their offers of high-quality teaching material. Feedback resulted in concrete ideas for immediate adaptions of existing EHRI services and possible future developments. Overall, participants found the informal networking opportunity particularly beneficial and indicated that the EHRI services are not only relevant to their teaching practice but could also enhance it.

In August 2023, EHRI partner the Jewish Museum in Prague, Czech Republic, will host EHRI’s first pedagogical Seminar that will offer an opportunity for educators to expand their skills when teaching about the Holocaust in different settings and familiarise themselves with EHRI’s digital services. The high number of applications EHRI received for this seminar underscored the demand for networking opportunities among educators of the Holocaust across Europe. As EHRI becomes a permanent organisation, we will carry out further engagement activities to increase EHRI’s user community and optimise EHRI’s services.