The Greek Presidency Concept Paper

Aleph, coloured pencil and black ink on paper, for the son of Isaac Joseph Matsa.
Made by Haham Moses Solomon Revi’i. From Patras Synagogue

Greek Presidency’s main theme will be Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust, supplemented by the theme of Combating Holocaust Denial and Distortion on the Internet. Greece sees the Holocaust experience under a dynamic angle, as a warning and a lesson for the present and the future. Thus, we consider education to be the sine qua non precondition for remembrance and prolepsis, as well as the principal weapon in the topical fight against Holocaust denial and distortion.

Greece and the Greek Jewish communities in particular, were among the hardest hit by the Nazi onslaught in Europe during World War II. The Holocaust and the appalling loss of life and suffering it entailed still haunt the Greeks’ collective memory to this day; hence, our primary aim is to keep this memory alive as an alarming reminder of what was done and so that it should never be repeated.

The Greek Presidency of the IHRA 2021 will also ardently abide by IHRA’s ongoing projects like the enlargement procedure as well as the Global Task Force Against Holocaust Distortion project initiated by the previous German Presidency.

Main themes of the Presidency

  • Teaching and learning about the Holocaust: Education for a world with no more genocide.
  • Combating Holocaust denial and distortion on the internet.

Main Message

Greece and Greek Israelites, in particular, were among the hardest hit by the Nazi onslaught in Europe during World War II. The Holocaust and the appalling loss of life and suffering it entailed still haunt the Greeks’ collective memory to this day; to remember what was done and so that it should never be repeated, Greece has instituted special scholastic programmes, to teach the Holocaust to the younger generations. These have proved among the most successful in Europe, so that Greece is now drawing on this experience to prepare for her own Presidency of the IHRA for 2021-2022. Greece sees the Holocaust experience under a dynamic angle, as a warning and a lesson for the present and the future. Thus, she considers education to be a primary weapon in the fight against Holocaust denial and distortion, and even, as a means of self-defence for Democracies, against any resurgence of forces and self- professed “ideologies” seeking to undermine and attack our common human and moral values and, eventually, our freedom.

Ongoing projects that the Greek Presidency continues

  • The Greek Presidency supports the work of the Global Task Force Against Holocaust Distortion initiated by the previous German Presidency. More information
  • The Greek Presidency supports the enlargement of the IHRA.

Past Events organized by the IHRA or under the auspices of the Greek Presidency

8 April 2021: International Roma Conference 1971-2021. The Panhellenic Confederation of the Greek Roma ELLAN PASSE organized the International Roma Conference 1971-2021 in order to celebrate half a century since the First World Roma Congress, held in 1971 in London, and also the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821. The Conference, which has received the patronage of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic Ms. Katerina Sakellaropoulou, is taking place in three two-day sessions, the second one to be held in June 20-21, and the third one in September 14-15, 2021.

25 April 2021: Yad Vashem, United States Holocaust Memorial ...

Main themes of the Presidency

  • Teaching and learning about the Holocaust: Education for a world with no more genocide.
  • Combating Holocaust denial and distortion on the internet.

Main Message

Greece and Greek Israelites, in particular, were among the hardest hit by the Nazi onslaught in Europe during World War II. The Holocaust and the appalling loss of life and suffering it entailed still haunt the Greeks’ collective memory to this day; to remember what was done and so that it should never be repeated, Greece has instituted special scholastic programmes, to teach the Holocaust to the younger generations. These have proved among the most successful in Europe, so that Greece is now drawing on this experience to prepare for her own Presidency of the IHRA for 2021-2022. Greece sees the Holocaust experience under a dynamic angle, as a warning and a lesson for the present and the future. Thus, she considers education to be a primary weapon in the fight against Holocaust denial and distortion, and even, as a means of self-defence for Democracies, against any resurgence of forces and self- professed “ideologies” seeking to undermine and attack our common human and moral values and, eventually, our freedom.

Ongoing projects that the Greek Presidency continues

  • The Greek Presidency supports the work of the Global Task Force Against Holocaust Distortion initiated by the previous German Presidency. More information
  • The Greek Presidency supports the enlargement of the IHRA.

Upcoming Events

  1. 8 April 2021: International Roma Conference 1971-2021. The Panhellenic Confederation of the Greek Roma ELLAN PASSE organizes the International Roma Conference 1971-2021 in order to celebrate half a century since the First World Roma Congress, held in 1971 in London, and also the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821. The Conference, for which we have already received the patronage of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic Ms. Katerina Sakellaropoulou, will take place in three two-day sessions, to be held on April 8-9, June 20-21, and September 14-15, 2021.
  2. 12-13 and 19-20 April 2021: “The Holocaust as a starting point”. Dialogue between Greece, the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Bulgaria| ...