Israel officially handed over to Argentina the rotating chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) on Wednesday, amid the worst burst of global antisemitism since the Holocaust.
The symbolic ceremony held at the United Nations in Geneva took place two months after Argentina, on March 18, became the first South American country to assume leadership of the organization, which seeks to promote Holocaust education and awareness worldwide.
IHRA Chair Marcelo Mindlin, president of the Holocaust Museum of Argentina since 2016, will hold the post for one year.
Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva noted that the hatred which spurred the Holocaust is not gone, but is lurking underneath the surface, including in ways where it is trivialized or distorted to apply to today’s conflicts.
“These actions, hiding under the guise of pretend righteousness, just repeat the same old tropes that have always existed,” Ambassador Daniel Meron said. “We have seen it all before.”
Ambassador Fabiana Loguzzo, Argentina’s special representative for the fight against antisemitism and co-chair of the country’s presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, spoke about her nation’s motto for its leadership role in the organization—"Expanding the frontiers of memory"—highlighting the commitment to shedding light on archival documents and stories of the Holocaust.
Argentina has undergone a 180-degree shift from serving as a safe haven for Nazis after the Holocaust to becoming, under President Javier Milei, one of the staunchest supporters of Israel in the world.
An intergovernmental organization made up of more than 40 countries, the IHRA is most commonly known for its working definition of antisemitism, adopted a decade ago, which has become the gold standard for the oldest hate and has since been adopted by more than 1,200 entities worldwide, including the U.S. State Department.
“At a time of rising and normalization of antisemitism, including Holocaust distortion, inversion and denial, the IHRA’s leadership is vital,” Michal Cotler-Wunsh, CEO of the International Legal Forum and Israel’s former special envoy for combating antisemitism, told JNS on Thursday. “For ‘Never Again’ to mean anything, it is imperative to identify and combat all strains of antisemitism as defined by the IHRA in a long, democratic process.”
France is scheduled to assume the presidency of the organization next year.
