From September 22–24, we participated in the 18th General Assembly of the International Auschwitz Committee in Auschwitz.
At the beginning of the meeting, we collectively paid tribute to the victims of Nazism at the former Auschwitz I and Birkenau camps. We remembered President Marian Turski, Eva Fahidi, and other survivors who actively contributed to educational and awareness efforts and who have sadly passed away in recent years. Representatives of member organizations shared updates on their work—focusing particularly on education and remembrance—as well as the rise of antisemitism across various countries.
President Eva Umlauf noted: “For me, as a camp survivor, this assembly—all of you—is a reason for hope in difficult times. No, we will not remain silent in these difficult times—especially not in this place, where German Nazis tortured and murdered so many of us. We will not forget them, not a single one of them, nor will we forget who the perpetrators were and where antisemitism, racial hatred, and their murderous ideology led them. And we know and observe that once again there are far too many people who are ready to follow this ideology and are filled with hatred toward us and toward democracy.”
During the assembly, Dr. Eva Umlauf was reconfirmed as President of the International Auschwitz Committee for the upcoming term, alongside Executive Vice President Christoph Heubner and members of the Executive Board.
The Czech Republic was represented by Alena Lehovcová, Board Member of the Czech Auschwitz Committee; Zuzana Pavlovská, Head of the Education and Culture Centre at the Jewish Museum in Prague; Dr. Jan Roubínek, Director of the Terezín Memorial; and Marta Malá, Executive Director of the Foundation for Holocaust Victims.
Photo: Martin Korčok
