“We are witnessing a real desire of the countries of the Abraham Accords to look into the subject of the Holocaust”
On the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, the NGO Israel-Is, in partnership with the Moroccan association Mimouna, is organizing this Thursday, for the first time, a event around the teaching of the Shoah in the signatory countries of the Abraham Accords and in the countries of North Africa, which will bring together on zoom government officials, Yad Vashem representatives as well as young leaders from around the world. A unique opportunity to discover how the subject is perceived in countries that have not had access to Holocaust education until recently, while paying tribute to the victims of Nazi barbarism.
“The Holocaust is an event unprecedented in pain, significance and unique significance for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. At the same time, it is also an event of universal significance that must continue to give humanity a lesson in the madness that hatred and prejudice can lead to,” said Eyal Biram, CEO of Israel-Is.
A debate with representatives of the countries of the Abraham Accords and North Africa, pioneers in the commemoration and teaching of the Holocaust for Arab countries, will open the evening, in the presence of four speakers from organizations that will share their experiences regarding the teaching of the Holocaust in their countries. In a second phase, breakout sessions will be set up to facilitate joint and in-depth discussions between young leaders from Israel, the Middle East and North Africa on the Holocaust. This exceptional ceremony is part of the flagship program called “Leaders of tomorrow”, founded two years ago by Israel-Is, which brought together nearly 2,000 young leaders from the countries of the Abraham Accords and which aims to restore Israel’s status in the region through various exchanges.
“Our goal is to tell a story that few people know in these countries, it is about educating and transmitting the atrocities of the Holocaust to future generations and also to call for action. For two years, we meet a lot of people and organizations that act in this way and for us, it is an opportunity to focus on these organizations that have enormous power of influence, particularly through culture, the arts or even museums in these Arab countries”, explains Yishai Ben Zion, manager of the “leaders of tomorrow” project and organizer of the event, to i24NEWS. Il rcalls that in 2021, the first Holocaust commemorative exhibition in the region had notably opened its doors in Dubai.
“Thursday, during this exceptional event, about forty representatives from Israel, Sudan, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Congo and other countries will be present to encourage and build tolerance and real coexistence between the countries. This is an unprecedented moment because very personal stories will be delivered and such a meeting, of such different countries, had never been organized before. We are witnessing a real desire from the countries of the Abraham Accords to look into the subject of the Holocaust, we saw it especially last year with the great participation of Arabs in the march of the living to Auschwitz, but also with the first commemoration of the Holocaust in the Emirates. connection with the Jews and the Holocaust, it is both fascinating and moving to realize that this subject touches them. We are proud to work with them and it is a great chance to be able to have a real impact on the preservation and transmission of m remembrance of the victims of Nazism,” he added.
Founded in 2017, Israel-Is brings together Israelis and young people from around the world, to restore the image of the Jewish state through meaningful conversations focused on shared values and diversity, far from political considerations, through dialogue at through the peoples. “Our four programs all aim to create real connections between young leaders in the Middle East and North Africa while breaking down social barriers, but also to share and hear authentic stories and above all to engage a new and positive conversation about Israeli society in the world,” Matan Dansker, director of strategy at Israel-Is, told i24NEWS.
“We strongly believe in promoting education about the Holocaust and genocide at the national level, but especially at the regional level, in order to stimulate critical thinking, and social awareness of the history of the Jewish people and the peoples of the world in general”, in turn assures Al Mahdi Boudra, president of the Mimona association, created by young Muslims to promote and preserve the Judeo-Moroccan heritage.
Israel-Is and Mimouna have together set up a program in which 25 young people from Morocco and 25 young people from Israel are already working together to develop common initiatives, for the good of both peoples through weekly zoom meetings and delegation trips to the two countries.
Following the establishment of the first and only Holocaust museum in the Arab world in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates Embassy in the United States announced this month that the Holocaust will now be taught in primary and secondary school curricula. secondary. Content will be developed in collaboration with Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Memorial. A very encouraging step which should strengthen the link, now unbreakable between the signatory countries of the Abraham Accords and Israel, via the populations and no longer only their leaders.
Caroline Haïat is a journalist for the French site of i24NEWS