Timeline of the ITF
Bauer's Order of Merit Click on one of the images to view the gallery (2 pictures).
1998
May 7, 1998
ITF is established in Stockholm through the initiative of former Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson. In conjunction with the Stockholm meeting on the Holocaust and "Tell Ye Your Children" of the Living History Project, Persson proposed to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair of the UK as well as former US President Bill Clinton that their counties join an effort to foster international cooperation on disseminating information about the Holocaust.
Government delegations from the USA, UK and Sweden held their first talks in the presence of Professor Yehuda Bauer. He was asked to become an independent academic advisor to this new international body.
At the conclusion of this meeting, it was agreed to "collaborate closely with NGOs and others active in disseminating knowledge about the Holocaust" as well as to "focus international cooperation on Holocaust educational activities, public activities, testimonies of survivors, to find proper ways to reach out to young people, to launch a global survey on Holocaust education to be presented in national reports and cooperation on how to use the Internet in connection with these activities."
It was decided that decisions taken by the ITF would be done in consensus.
September 25, 1998
Second working group meeting of the ITF held at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in Washington DC. In addition to Sweden, the UK and USA, two new delegations also participated in the meeting: Germany and Israel.
Chairmanship of the ITF, now five member states, was passed from Sweden to the USA.
The working group agreed that the focus of the Task Force should include remembrance and research in addition to education, so adopted the full formal title of Task Force on International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research.
There was agreement on a set of deliverables to be presented at the Washington Conference on Holocaust-era assets, including a directory of organisations involved in Holocaust education; an insert to the Swedish book "Tell Ye Your Children"; a guide to archival material; a set of suggested Holocaust education guidelines; a proposal for an International Day of Remembrance; a declaration on archival openness and a declaration on promoting Holocaust education.
Conference calls were organised among the five member countries every two weeks in an effort to coordinate efforts and review progress prior to the next meeting.
December 3, 1998
Third working group meeting of the ITF held at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in conjunction with the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets.
During this meeting, the following declaration was issued: "Holocaust education, remembrance and research strengthen humanity's ability to absorb and learn from the dark lessons of the past, so that we can ensure that similar horrors are never again repeated."
The declaration also noted that "we are committing our countries to encourage parents, teachers, and civic, political and religious leaders to undertake with renewed vigour and attention Holocaust education, remembrance and research, with a special focus on our own countries' histories." Other countries were called upon to strengthen their efforts in these fields and to undertaken new ones where necessary.
A declaration on archival openness and access was also issued, calling upon governments to join the ITF "in endorsing the importance of full archival openness, and in undertaking to work toward the goal of making all documentation bearing on the Holocaust and the fate of Nazi-confiscated assets available to researchers. The adoption of December 31, 1999, as a target date to meet this goal will reinforce the commitment of humanity to learn from the history of this century as we enter a new millennium."
The first product of cooperation under the ITF, an International Directory of Organisations in Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research was distributed at this meeting and subsequently made available on the ITF website. This was compiled under the leadership of the United States and Sweden with assistance from Israel and Germany.
Enlargement of the ITF was discussed in detail since countries such as the Netherlands, France, Poland, Italy as well as others had expressed interest, either officially or informally, in joining.
At this meeting, Sweden announced its intention to host a conference that would "figure prominently on the ITF agenda" in late 1999 or early 2000.
1999
March 8-9, 1999
Fourth meeting of the ITF held at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. Eight national delegations were present at this ITF meeting, including new member states: The Netherlands, Poland and France (observer status).
This two-day meeting included discussions about creating an endowment fund and a proposal for field missions (later to be commonly referred within ITF circles as "liaison projects"). The first proposed field mission pilot outreach project was to be done in cooperation with the Czech Republic.
June 25, 1999
Fifth meeting of the ITF held in London attended by eight delegations (France was an observer). The meeting agenda included a detailed discussion proposed by the delegation of the Netherlands on liaison projects.
The first invitation to the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust, January 26-28, 2000 was circulated among meeting participants.
July 1999
An editorial group for ITF information projects was established, chaired by Wesley Fisher of the USHMM. In effect, this was the first-ever working group established under the ITF umbrella.
October 6-8, 1999
"Phenomenon Holocaust", an international conference held in Prague and in Terezin, was attended by members of ITF delegations and the ITF academic advisor.
Former Czech President Václav Havel addressed the conference participants, and following these proceedings the Czech Republic became the first liaison project of the ITF (lead country, The Netherlands).
October 13-14, 1999
Sixth meeting of the ITF organised by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Yad Vashem, and held in Jerusalem in conjunction with the Second International Conference on Holocaust Education at the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem.
As agreed by consensus under the UK Chairmans, this conference for educators was held under the auspices of the ITF. Representatives from nine countries attended this two-day meeting, including a representative from the Italian Ministry of Education.
By this time, eight additional countries had expressed interest in liaison projects with ITF member states, including: Argentina (lead country, USA); Lithuania (lead country, UK); Latvia (lead country, Sweden); Romania (lead countries, Israel, France) and Slovakia (lead country, Germany).
During this meeting, it was also decided that the Chairmanship would be extended to one year rather than rotating every few months. Due to the upcoming Stockholm Forum proceedings, it was decided that Sweden would chair the ITF from December 1, 1999 - February 28, 2000. It was agreed that Germany would chair the ITF from March 1, 2000.
2000
January 26-28, 2000
The Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust was held, bringing together high-ranking political leaders and officials from more than forty countries to meet with civic and religious leaders, survivors, educators, historians and others who have dedicated their work to promote Holocaust education, commemoration and research.
Nobel Prize laureate Elie Wiesel served as the forum's honorary Chairman and Professor Yehuda Bauer was the senior academic advisor to the forum.
The Stockholm Declaration, drafted by ITF delegates, was signed by participating countries at the closing session of this conference. A copy of the declaration may be found on the ITF website at www.holocausttaskforce.org.
In addition, at the ITF delegates meeting within the framework of this international gathering in Stockholm, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested that it would oversee the newly established ITF endowment fund. From 2000-2005, the annual pledge of each member state was approximately US$25000.
April 10-11, 2000
Meeting of ITF delegates in Berlin under German Chairmanship. A visit to the former Nazi concentration camp Sachsenhausen was also organised for the meeting participants.
July 26, 2000
First meeting of the Academic Working Group in Berlin, chaired by Professor Yehuda Bauer.
September 25-26, 2000
Meeting of ITF delegates in Weimar in conjunction with a visit to the former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald. The suggestion to establish a memorials working group was proposed during these proceedings.
By the end of 2000, daily communication between ITF delegates was conducted via email via the ITF listserves (administrated by the USHMM).
2001
February 1, 2001
At this meeting of ITF delegates in Berlin, it was decided to admit Austria as the tenth member country of the ITF as well as establish an Education Working Group (EWG).
March 2001
Discussions were held concerning the first project proposal application (PPA) to the ITF Fund, concerning a teacher-training seminar for Lithuanian and Polish teachers in Krakow. This was the first program supported with funding from the ITF endowment fund.
May 2-5, 2001
Meeting of ITF delegates in Amsterdam in conjunction with the Amsterdam Conference on Remembrance coordinated with study trips to Westerbork, Anne Frank House and other authentic Holocaust-related sites in the Netherlands.
September 11-13, 2001
First-ever three-day meeting of the Education Working Group of the ITF in Jerusalem organised outside of ITF plenary sessions. Suggested ITF guidelines for educators were formulated for the first time at this meeting. Later other meetings of the EWG, outside of plenary, were conducted in Budapest (2003); Vilnius (2005); Zagreb (2007); and Paris (2008) and Bratislava (2009).
October 23-24, 2001
Meetings of ITF delegates in The Hague. A representative from the Council of Europe attended an ITF plenary session for the first time as an observer.
2002
June 24-26, 2002
Working group and plenary meetings take place in Paris.
The Czech Republic, Lithuania and Argentina became members during these proceedings.
October 15-18, 2002
ITF meetings in Strasbourg in conjunction with a conference, "Teaching about the Holocaust and Artistic Creation" coordinated in collaboration with the Council of Europe.
Hungary became a member of the ITF.
2003
Karel Fracapane, who worked under the French chair in 2002, was asked to become a fellow of the ITF and continue his work under the US Chair. In 2006, Fracapane's title was revised, and he became the Executive Secretary to the ITF Chair. Fracapane continued in this capacity, relocating on an annual basis, until June 2007 under the Czech Chairmanship.
May 11- 14, 2003
ITF working group and plenary meetings, including visit to USHMM.
The decision was taken to establish an SIWG (Strategic Implementation Working Group), including a former ITF Chairs, academic advisor and chairs of ITF working groups in an effort to better prepare plenary sessions and steer the ITF into the future.
Luxembourg became a member of the ITF.
September 11, 2003
First meeting of the SIWG (Strategic Implementation Working Group), including former ITF Chairs, academic advisor and chairs of ITF working groups.
December 1-3, 2003
ITF liaison working group meetings and plenary session take place in Washington DC.
Norway becomes a member of the ITF, and Professor Bauer announces that he would like to begin a process to find his successor as ITF academic advisor.
New ITF logo was created.
2004
June 6-9, 2004
ITF working group meetings and plenary session take place in Rome.
An international seminar in memory of the well-renowned author and Holocaust survivor, Primo Levi, was organised in conjunction with this meeting by the ITF chair.
Denmark and Latvia became members of the ITF.
December 12-16, 2004
ITF working group meetings and plenary session take place in Trieste. At this meeting, Switzerland and Romania joined the ITF. An observer from OSCE/ODIHR participated in ITF meetings for the first time.
2005
June 26-30, 2005
ITF working group meetings and plenary session take place in Warsaw. A discussion about the urgent opening of the ITS (International Tracing Service) archives was led by the ITF-subcommittee on the accessibility of the ITS - all Holocaust related holdings (ISAIAH) on Bad Arolsen.
Pressure by ITF member states on the ITS, including three ITF declarations over a period of a year (June 2004- June 2005) contributed to the opening of the Bad Arolsen archives.
At this meeting, Professor Dina Porat was appointed as the academic advisor to the ITF. In addition, discussions took place in plenary regarding changing member states' annual pledge from US dollars to Euro. By 2007, member states contribution to the ITF fund was Euro30000 per year.
November 1, 2005
UN Resolution 60/7, highlighting the work of the ITF, was passed.
November 13-16, 2005
ITF working group meetings and plenary session take place in Krakow, including a study tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Belgium, Croatia, Greece, and Slovakia become members of the ITF.
The ITF Chair issues a press release expressing concern about the situation of Darfur to Juan Mendez, special UN Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide.
This was the first ITF meeting that Professor Dina Porat attended in her capacity as academic advisor to the ITF. Professor Bauer became ITF Honorary Chairman.
2006
May 24-25, 2006
ITF working group meetings and plenary session take place in Budapest. This was the first time United Nations representatives attended ITF plenary meetings as observers. During these meetings, it was decided to change the name of the Information Working Group to the Communication Working Group.
December 3-6, 2006
ITF working group meetings and plenary sessions take place in Budapest. The decision to create a permanent secretariat was adopted by consensus.
During this meeting, a discussion regarding a press release concerning Iran President's statements on the Holocaust was held. The declaration, released through its chair, was issued on January 5, 2007.
General obligations of countries interested in becoming members to the ITF were adopted. Serbia became an observer to the ITF.
2007
June 10-13, 2007
ITF working group meetings and plenary session take place in Prague. It was decided by consensus that the permanent secretariat would be established in Berlin. The Fundamental Rights Agency of the European Union (FRA/EU) became an observer to the ITF. The Chair issued a declaration on the importance about teaching the genocide of the Roma and Sinti.
During this meeting, Spain officially became a liaison country to the ITF and Canada and Slovenia became observer countries. The Memorials Working Group (MWG) was renamed the Memorials and Museums Working Group (MMWG).
November 1-2, 2007
Special Working Group on New Challenges to the ITF met in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
December 2-7, 2007
ITF working group and plenary sessions in Prague, including study tour of Terezin.
Estonia became a member of the ITF and Ireland became an observer country. Dr. Kathrin Meyer was nominated as the executive secretary of the ITF.
2008
March 11, 2008
ITF Secretariat established with a ceremony in Berlin, presided by the German Foreign Minister, members of ITF delegations and other dignitaries.
Dr.Kathrin Meyer - Executive Secretary
Tereza Knapova - Desk officer
June 15-18, 2008
ITF working group and plenary sessions in Linz, including study tours of Mauthausen and Hartheim.
December 14-17, 2008
ITF working group and plenary sessions take place in Vienna. The decision is adopted to establish an ad-hoc intersessional mechanism to adress the questions of funding policy.
Spain became a member of the ITF.
As of 2008, application to the ITF Fund have been received from more than 25 countries across the globe. Overall, the countries that have benefited most from ITF funding are from Eastern Europe. Approximately 400 project proposals have been received by the various ITF working groups since 2001. More than half of all of the project proposals are reviewed by the Education Working Group.
Membership to ITF by year
Sweden - 1998
USA - 1998
UK - 1998
Germany - 1998
Israel - 1998
The Netherlands - 1999
Poland - 1999
France - 1999
Italy - 1999
Austria - 2001
Czech Republic - 2001
Hungary - 2002
Lithuania - 2003
Argentina - 2003
Luxembourg - 2003
Norway - 2003
Denmark - 2004
Latvia - 2004
Switzerland - 2004
Romania - 2004
Croatia - 2005
Greece - 2005
Slovak Republic - 2005
Belgium - 2005
Estonia - 2007
Spain - 2008
Canada - 2009
ITF Chairmanships by year
1998 May - September, Sweden; Chairman: Ulf Hjertonsson
September - December, USA; Chairman: Stuart E. Eizenstat
1999 January - June, UK; Chairman: Jeremy Cresswell
September - November, Israel; Chairman: Shmuel Ben Shmuel
2000 December 1999 - February 2000, Sweden; Chairman: Ulf Hjertonsson
2000 As of March 1, Germany; Chairman: Albert Spiegel
2001 Netherlands; Chairman: Rienko Wilton followed by Frederick Racke
2002 France; Chairman: Norbert Engel followed by Patrick Amiot
2003 USA; Chairman: Randolph Bell followed by Edward O'Donnell Jr.
2004 Italy; Chairman: Giorgio Franchetti Pardo
2005 Poland; Chairman: Daria Nalecz
2006 Hungary; Chairman: Balint Magyar
2007 Czech Republic; Chairman: Milos Pojar
2008 Austria; Chairman: Ferdinand Trauttsmansdorff
2009 Norway; Chairman: Tom Vraalsen
2010 Israel; Chairman: Dan Tichon
ITF Working Group Chairs
Education Working Group
2001 Shulamit Imber and Richelle Budd Caplan, Israel
2002 William Shulman, USA
2003 Paul Levine, Sweden
2004 Paul Salmons, United Kingdom
2005 Karen Polak, The Netherlands
2006 Claude Singer, France
2007 Wolf Kaiser, Germany
2008 Yvonne Schuchmann, Hungary
2009 Monique Eckmann, Switzerland
Academic Working Group
2000-2002 Yehuda Bauer, Israel
2003-2005 Juliane Wetzel, Germany
2006-2008 Paul Dostert, Luxembourg
2008-2010 Steven Katz, USA
Memorials and Museums Working Group
2002 Stephen Smith, United Kingdom
2003 Thomas Lutz, Germany
2004 Teresa Swiebocka, Poland
2005 Heidemarie Uhl, Austria
2006 Dirk Mulder, The Netherlands
2007 David Marwell, USA
2008 Magdalena Smidova, Sweden
2009 Jon Reitan, Norway
Communications Working Group
2000-2001 Wesley Fisher, USA
2001-2003 Julie Hock, USA
2003-2006 Michelle Gross, USA
2007-2008 Bitte Wallin, Sweden
2008-2009 Hugo Poliart, Belgium
Task Force Funds Committee
2003-2004 Jan Ahlberg, Sweden
2004-2006 Helen Lööw, Sweden
2006-2010 Katarina Kristensson, Sweden
