Strengthening the remembrance of the Holocaust against Jewish people.

Objective:

2. CERV-2026-CITIZENS-REM-HOLOCAUSTJEW - Strengthening the remembrance of the Holocaust against Jewish people.

The Shoah is a defining legacy for the EU. Six million Jewish children, women and men were murdered, and all others were persecuted. While other groups were persecuted, the Nazis have set up across Europe and beyond a state policy with the sole aim to kill every single Jews they could find.

First-hand accounts of the Shoah continue to have the most powerful impact on following generations. As there are less and less survivors to share the story of their survival, the importance of memorial sites and education increases, as well as the work done by second and third generations of survivors and associations.

Current events show the instrumentalization of the Holocaust by Kremlin propaganda claiming to denazify Ukraine. In parallel, there is also an increasing politicization of the Holocaust in several EU Member States, and a tendency to minimize the atrocities of the Shoah. In addition, since the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas and the wars that ensued, we have seen a growing conflation of the Shoah with the conflicts in the Middle East. Citizens should be empowered to counter this conflation.

Holocaust distortion fuels antisemitism. In addition, hate speech relating to the condoning, denial or gross trivialisation of the Holocaust is criminalised under the Council Framework Decision on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law4.

Trimmed here, the full scope, expected outcomes and award criteria are on the official topic page ↗.