Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies
Encyclopedia
The Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies (VWI) is a research center dedicated to the research and documentation of and education on all aspects of antisemitism, racism
and the Holocaust, including its emergence and aftermath. The institute is located in Vienna
, Austria
.
research institute in Vienna in 2002. Simon Wiesenthal
was still personally involved in designing the concept for the institute before his death in 2005.
In December 2002, the City of Vienna confirmed that it would financially support the project with a sum to match that to be provided by the Republic of Austria. In March 2008, support by the Republic of Austria for the VWI was also finally confirmed in a speech in the council of ministers. There followed the establishment of the office, taking up work in the spring of 2009.
The preliminary phase in 2010 and 2011 is to see the groundwork being laid for a specialized scholarly library and an institute-affiliated archive (based on the Holocaust-relevant documents of the IKG archive) as well as the design and trial of various forms of public events – such as lectures, book presentations, conferences and workshops as well as public media interventions in remembrance of the Shoah – and finally the preparation of a scholarly research program. Full operation of the institute is to be taken up in 2012.
The financial support for the full operation of the institute appears to be largely secured on the basis of the coalition agreement of the Viennese red-green city government established in 2010, according to its section „Responsibility in Dealing with the Past“, which includes the declaration to support the establishment of the VWI „according to the existing concept as a center for Holocaust studies including research and aspects of mediation“.
(Dokumentationszentrum des Bundes Jüdischer Verfolgter des Naziregimes), the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance (Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstandes DÖW), the Institute of Contemporary History at the University of Vienna
, the Institute of Conflict Research (Institut für Konfliktforschung), the Jewish Museum Vienna
and the International Research Center for Cultural Studies (Internationales Forschungszentrum Kulturwissenschaften, IFK). Following a dispute on the permission for use of the archive of the Jewish Community Vienna, the Institute of Conflict Research and the IFK left the supporting body in November 2009, their representatives also resigning from their posts in the VWI board of directors.
After the settlement of this dispute, a lending agreement on the use of the Holocaust-relevant materials in the IKG archive – as envisaged by the original board of directors – was signed by the new board of directors in November 2009. Subsequently, the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research
and the Center for Jewish Cultural History at the University of Salzburg
(Zentrum für jüdische Kulturgeschichte, Universität Salzburg) joined the supporting body of the VWI in the beginning of 2010. The development of the institute and preparation for full operation is continuing on the basis of the step-by-step plan as agreed on in the founding phase.
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Anton Pelinka was elected Chairman of the board in June 2005 and again in June 2008. His deputies were Univ.-Doz. Dr. Bertrand Perz und HR Dr. Avshalom Hodik. Univ.-Prof. Georg Graf was elected new Chairman of the board at the VWI general assembly on November 5, 2009, his deputies being Univ.-Doz. Dr. Brigitte Bailer-Galanda and Dr. Ariel Muzicant. Dr. Ingo Zechner
, who had been appointed managing director on January 1, 2009, resigned in the course of the dispute on the use of the IKG archive. The Viennese contemporary historian Dr. Béla Rásky took over the position in January 2010. The establishment of an academic board is planned for 2011/2012.
The International Academic Advisory Committee is a key actor in all academic issues. The committee consists of at least 12 internationally renowned experts, of whom at least 9 have to be active abroad and no more than three are allowed to be from within Austrian academic institutions. Particular care is taken that the board remains interdisciplinary. Members and employees of members of the supporting body of the VWI cannot join the academic advisory committee. The International Academic Advisory Committee is elected for a period of three years at the general assembly, like the board. As of April 2011, the members of the committee are as follows (in alphabetical order):
Research is to be international and interdisciplinary at the VWI. It will take one of two forms: on the one hand, a fellowship program with particular focus on the support of young scholars will be established, while on the other hand research projects of varying length will be conducted. A project on the European history of the Holocaust as initiated by the International Academic Advisory Committee is currently being planned. The VWI joined 20 other academic institutions from 13 countries in the consortium for the EU project „European Holocaust Research Infrastructure – EHRI“ in November 2010.
The aim of the documentation project of the VWI is to unite thematically relevant but hitherto separated archival materials, ensure their safekeeping and make them accessible to search tools. A first step in this direction has been taken in the form of cooperation in producing the online platform "ns-quellen.at" which had been commissioned to the “Research Office. Association for Academic and Cultural Services” (Forschungsbüro. Verein für wissenschaftliche und kulturelle Dienstleistungen) and was completed in March 2011. Digitalization of the Holocaust-relevant parts of the IKG archive began in September 2010 with work on the so-called Jerusalem materials of the archive. This work is conducted using the archival software „scopeArchiv“, which is in widespread use in Austria.The scholarly library of the VWI is also currently being established, its collection numbering approx. 4000 volumes so far. The institute library is a public reference library. The library catalogue can be searched via the Austrian joint library system (OBVSG)
.
The „Simon Wiesenthal Lectures“ which have by now grown into a VWI trademark event, aim to bring current Holocaust research to a wider public with the help of renowned international researchers. They take place approx. every two months in the roof-top foyer of the Austrian State Archives at the Minoritenplatz
in Vienna.
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and the Holocaust, including its emergence and aftermath. The institute is located in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
History
The Jewish Community Vienna (Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien, IKG) and several other renowned institutions initiated the idea to establish an international ShoahShoah
Shoah may refer to:*The Holocaust*Shoah , documentary directed by Claude Lanzmann * A Shoah Foundation...
research institute in Vienna in 2002. Simon Wiesenthal
Simon Wiesenthal
Simon Wiesenthal KBE was an Austrian Holocaust survivor who became famous after World War II for his work as a Nazi hunter....
was still personally involved in designing the concept for the institute before his death in 2005.
In December 2002, the City of Vienna confirmed that it would financially support the project with a sum to match that to be provided by the Republic of Austria. In March 2008, support by the Republic of Austria for the VWI was also finally confirmed in a speech in the council of ministers. There followed the establishment of the office, taking up work in the spring of 2009.
The preliminary phase in 2010 and 2011 is to see the groundwork being laid for a specialized scholarly library and an institute-affiliated archive (based on the Holocaust-relevant documents of the IKG archive) as well as the design and trial of various forms of public events – such as lectures, book presentations, conferences and workshops as well as public media interventions in remembrance of the Shoah – and finally the preparation of a scholarly research program. Full operation of the institute is to be taken up in 2012.
The financial support for the full operation of the institute appears to be largely secured on the basis of the coalition agreement of the Viennese red-green city government established in 2010, according to its section „Responsibility in Dealing with the Past“, which includes the declaration to support the establishment of the VWI „according to the existing concept as a center for Holocaust studies including research and aspects of mediation“.
Supporting body
The supporting body of the VWI is an association that had been formed in the founding phase of the VWI by the Jewish Community Vienna, the Jewish Documentation CenterJewish Documentation Center
The Jewish Documentation Centre was an office headed by Simon Wiesenthal in Vienna, it still operates today. The Centre collected and promulgated information with regards to war crimes, specific mainly to crimes against the Jewish people as perpetrated by the Nazi Regime in Europe during the...
(Dokumentationszentrum des Bundes Jüdischer Verfolgter des Naziregimes), the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance (Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstandes DÖW), the Institute of Contemporary History at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, the Institute of Conflict Research (Institut für Konfliktforschung), the Jewish Museum Vienna
Jewish Museum Vienna
The Jüdisches Museum Wien, or the Jewish Museum Vienna, is a museum of Jewish history, life and religion in Austria. The present museum was founded in 1988 in the Palais Eskeles in the Dorotheergasse, Vienna, and has distinguished itself by a very active programme of exhibitions.- History :The...
and the International Research Center for Cultural Studies (Internationales Forschungszentrum Kulturwissenschaften, IFK). Following a dispute on the permission for use of the archive of the Jewish Community Vienna, the Institute of Conflict Research and the IFK left the supporting body in November 2009, their representatives also resigning from their posts in the VWI board of directors.
After the settlement of this dispute, a lending agreement on the use of the Holocaust-relevant materials in the IKG archive – as envisaged by the original board of directors – was signed by the new board of directors in November 2009. Subsequently, the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research
Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research
The Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research is an inter-governmental organization established in 1998. The organisation's mandate is founded upon the principles laid out by the Declaration of the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust...
and the Center for Jewish Cultural History at the University of Salzburg
University of Salzburg
The University of Salzburg, or Paris Lodron University after its founder, the Prince Archbishop Paris Lodron, is located in the Austrian city of Salzburg, Salzburgerland, home of Mozart. It is divided into 4 faculties: catholic theology, law, humanities and natural science.Founded in 1622, it...
(Zentrum für jüdische Kulturgeschichte, Universität Salzburg) joined the supporting body of the VWI in the beginning of 2010. The development of the institute and preparation for full operation is continuing on the basis of the step-by-step plan as agreed on in the founding phase.
Boards
The board of directors of the VWI is appointed by the members of the supporting body. The board of directors holds the highest decision-making power in all organisational aspects of the VWI.Univ.-Prof. Dr. Anton Pelinka was elected Chairman of the board in June 2005 and again in June 2008. His deputies were Univ.-Doz. Dr. Bertrand Perz und HR Dr. Avshalom Hodik. Univ.-Prof. Georg Graf was elected new Chairman of the board at the VWI general assembly on November 5, 2009, his deputies being Univ.-Doz. Dr. Brigitte Bailer-Galanda and Dr. Ariel Muzicant. Dr. Ingo Zechner
Ingo Zechner
Ingo Zechner is a philosopher and historian, until 2009 Business Manager of the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies .- Life :...
, who had been appointed managing director on January 1, 2009, resigned in the course of the dispute on the use of the IKG archive. The Viennese contemporary historian Dr. Béla Rásky took over the position in January 2010. The establishment of an academic board is planned for 2011/2012.
The International Academic Advisory Committee is a key actor in all academic issues. The committee consists of at least 12 internationally renowned experts, of whom at least 9 have to be active abroad and no more than three are allowed to be from within Austrian academic institutions. Particular care is taken that the board remains interdisciplinary. Members and employees of members of the supporting body of the VWI cannot join the academic advisory committee. The International Academic Advisory Committee is elected for a period of three years at the general assembly, like the board. As of April 2011, the members of the committee are as follows (in alphabetical order):
- Peter Black (United States Holocaust Memorial MuseumUnited States Holocaust Memorial MuseumThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history...
) - Gustavo Corni (Università degli Studi di TrentoUniversity of TrentoThe University of Trento is an Italian university located in the cities of Trento and Rovereto. It has been able to achieve considerable results in didactics, research and international relations, as shown by Censis University Guide and by the Italian Ministry of...
) - Susanne Heim (Institute of Contemporary HistoryInstitute of Contemporary HistoryThe name "Institute of Contemporary History" is used by the following institutions:* The Wiener Library and Institute of Contemporary History, London, England* Institut für Zeitgeschichte, Munich, Germany* Inštitut za novejšo zgodovino, Ljubljana, Slovenia...
, Munich-Berlin) - Robert Graham Knight (Loughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
, Leicestershire) - Éva Kovács (Institute of Sociology, Hungarian Academy of SciencesHungarian Academy of SciencesThe Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
, Budapest) - Peter Longerich (Holocaust Research Centre, Royal Holloway, University of LondonRoyal Holloway, University of LondonRoyal Holloway, University of London is a constituent college of the University of London. The college has three faculties, 18 academic departments, and about 8,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students from over 130 different countries...
) - Dan Michman (International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad VashemYad VashemYad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
, Jerusalem) - Anthony Dirk Moses (European University InstituteEuropean University InstituteThe European University Institute ' in Florence is an international postgraduate and post-doctoral teaching and research institute established by European Union member states to contribute to cultural and scientific development in the social sciences, in a European perspective...
, Florence) - Robert Jan van PeltRobert Jan van PeltRobert Jan van Pelt is an author, architectural historian, professor at the University of Waterloo and University of Toronto in Ontario and a Holocaust scholar. One of the world's leading experts on Auschwitz, he regularly speaks on Holocaust related topics, through which he has come to address...
(School of Architecture, University of WaterlooUniversity of WaterlooThe University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
, Ontario) - Dieter Pohl (University of KlagenfurtUniversity of KlagenfurtThe University of Klagenfurt was founded in 1960 in Klagenfurt, Austria. It began as a College of Educational Studies . Since October 2004 the official German name is Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt in order to stress the intercultural connections between the Alpine regions and the Adriatic Sea...
) - Michael Rothberg (Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies Initiative, University of Illinois)
- Sybille Steinbacher (University of ViennaUniversity of ViennaThe University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
)
Activities
The activities of the VWI fall into the three categories research, documentation and education. Within these categories, the institute addresses all issues related to antisemitism, racism and the Holocaust, including its emergence and aftermath.Research is to be international and interdisciplinary at the VWI. It will take one of two forms: on the one hand, a fellowship program with particular focus on the support of young scholars will be established, while on the other hand research projects of varying length will be conducted. A project on the European history of the Holocaust as initiated by the International Academic Advisory Committee is currently being planned. The VWI joined 20 other academic institutions from 13 countries in the consortium for the EU project „European Holocaust Research Infrastructure – EHRI“ in November 2010.
The aim of the documentation project of the VWI is to unite thematically relevant but hitherto separated archival materials, ensure their safekeeping and make them accessible to search tools. A first step in this direction has been taken in the form of cooperation in producing the online platform "ns-quellen.at" which had been commissioned to the “Research Office. Association for Academic and Cultural Services” (Forschungsbüro. Verein für wissenschaftliche und kulturelle Dienstleistungen) and was completed in March 2011. Digitalization of the Holocaust-relevant parts of the IKG archive began in September 2010 with work on the so-called Jerusalem materials of the archive. This work is conducted using the archival software „scopeArchiv“, which is in widespread use in Austria.The scholarly library of the VWI is also currently being established, its collection numbering approx. 4000 volumes so far. The institute library is a public reference library. The library catalogue can be searched via the Austrian joint library system (OBVSG)
Österreichischer Bibliothekenverbund Gesamtkatalog
The Österreichischer Bibliothekenverbund is a catalogue and service collaboration for Austrian scientific and administrative libraries centered around the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek and university libraries, among them the University of Vienna, the Technical University of Vienna, Graz...
.
Events
To achieve its aims of education, the VWI organises events such as book presentations, media and/or arts interventions in the public space in remembrance of the Shoah. An exhibition center and an online platform are planned for when the institute has taken up full operation.The „Simon Wiesenthal Lectures“ which have by now grown into a VWI trademark event, aim to bring current Holocaust research to a wider public with the help of renowned international researchers. They take place approx. every two months in the roof-top foyer of the Austrian State Archives at the Minoritenplatz
Minoritenplatz
The Minoritenplatz is one of the oldest public squares in Vienna. It is located in the first district Innere Stadt, and is dominated by the Minoritenkirche church, after which the square is named. The church itself was constructed by the Greyfriars , after the Austrian Duke Leopold VI of Austria...
in Vienna.
External links
- Wiener Wiesenthal Institut für Holocaust-Studien
- Forschungsbüro. Verein für wissenschaftliche und kulturelle Dienstleistungen
- Dieter Pohl: Vergessenes Wissen zum Holocaust – Interview zur achten Simon Wiesenthal Lecture, 16. Dezember 2010 – in German
- Kaschlgasse 4: Eine österreichische Geschichte – in German
- "You Tube"-Channel of the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute