On April 9, the National Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism (NCAB) organized the second Conference on Holocaust Education in The Hague. Policymakers, teachers, experts, students, and scholars came together to discuss strengthening Holocaust education in the Netherlands.
Eddo Verdoner (NCAB): We are obliged to the victims and future generations to continue telling the horrors of the Holocaust. At this conference, we come together to see where we stand, what methods we can use, and what we can learn from each other.
The Conference follows the National Plan Strengthening Holocaust Education, published last year. It expresses the ambition to strengthen knowledge of the Holocaust among the Dutch. The importance of this was also emphasized by Secretary of State for Education and Emancipation, Mariëlle Paul, during her opening speech.
“I have great admiration for teachers in the classroom, for guest speakers, for everyone who continues to have difficult conversations, even in times of tension and polarization. I am glad that the National Plan Strengthening Holocaust Education leads to action throughout the country. From the establishment of memorial centers to combating chants in football and strengthening Holocaust education in schools. There is no place for antisemitism in the Netherlands.”
Author Marcel Möring analyzed in his keynote speech the many manifestations of contemporary antisemitism in a literary way, and Moritz Wein from the Austrian Ministry of Education explained how his country deals with the specific historical context of Holocaust education. The program was also filled with interactive workshops by the Anne Frank Foundation and Yad Vashem.