The Yad Vashem memorial and museum is looking to open a Holocaust education center in Germany, its first outside Israel, the organization said in a statement.
The announcement was made following a meeting between Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Wednesday.
“Today I met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a leader who views the long-standing partnership with Yad Vashem as a national responsibility,” Dayan said. “I discussed with him the continuation of Holocaust remembrance in Germany during these complex times. The Chancellor made it clear that he is a partner in the fight against rising antisemitism we are witnessing in Europe and around the world.”
The statement said that during their meeting, the two men discussed “the long-standing cooperation between Yad Vashem and Germany in the fields of education, research, documentation and Holocaust commemoration.”
They also addressed “the disturbing rise in antisemitism throughout Europe and worldwide and explored ways to perpetuate Holocaust memory in these challenging times.”
Dayan’s week-long visit to Germany included meetings with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner, Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, Federal Education Minister Karin Prien, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul and Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of the Interior Daniela Ludwig.
“The meetings focus on strengthening existing cooperation and advancing new joint initiatives,” the Yad Vashem statement said, adding that Dayan also toured the Wannsee Conference House, where senior Nazi officials convened in 1942 to advance “the Final Solution.”
