The Foundation Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe expressly welcomes the historic Memorandum of Understanding signed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Heiko Maas, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, on an intergovernmental dialogue on Holocaust-related issues. A regular bilateral dialogue is intended to help the United States and Germany coordinate more closely in addressing the growing number of challenges that threaten the long-term memory of the Holocaust. (Letter of Intent to Launch Dialogue on Holocaust Issues between the United States Department of State and the Federal Foreign Office, June 24, 2021)
As a federal foundation that is responsible for the Holocaust Memorial as a place of remembrance, enlightenment and encounter, looks after three other national monuments for Nazi victims and, according to the law, contributes to “ensuring the memory of all victims of National Socialism and their appreciation in an appropriate manner,” it is a special recognition to be part of this future transatlantic exchange. We are looking forward to this planned intensive cooperation with the respective foreign ministries and our partners from the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington,” emphasizes Uwe Neumärker, Director of the Memorial Foundation. In view of today’s challenges, it is of particular importance to continuously educate future generations, to keep the memory of the victims alive and to call for responsible action without hatred and exclusion,” neumärker continued. A more intensive exchange on common strategies to combat holocaust denial and relativisation and the future shaping of memory is essential. Dealing with the historical sites of German crimes – especially the mass graves of Jews and Roma in Ukraine and Belarus – must also be the subject of consultations.”
The first formal consultations are planned for the end of 2021.
