The European Shoah Legacy Institute (ESLI) was created in 2010 to monitor progress on and advocate for the provisions of the Terezin Declaration. Cooperating with governments, non-governmental organizations, and independent experts, we seek international solutions to the problem of the restitution of immovable property, art, Judaica, and Jewish cultural assets stolen by the Nazis; the provision of adequate social welfare support for Holocaust survivors and other victims of Nazism; and the promotion of Holocaust education, research, and remembrance.
With a view to its wide, international mandate emanating from the Terezin Declaration, the European Shoah Legacy Institute is structured to have an international representation.
The Executive Director of the Institute is assisted by a Secretariat. Oversight is conducted by an Administrative Board and monitored by a Supervisory Board. Expert participation in the decision-making process occurs primarily through the Advisory Council, which serves as a consulting body to the Executive Director.
An Honorary Board helps to introduce and promote the Institute on the highest levels of world politics. Currently, its members include such major figures as Yehuda Bauer, Stuart Eizenstat, Simone Weil, and Elie Wiesel.
Our Vision
We envision a world in which governments fulfill their promises to Holocaust survivors and other victims of Nazi persecution so that justice is served and injustice is remembered. Towards this aim, we endeavor to foster conversations, and serve as a catalyst for parties already active in the field, helping to identify and develop best practices, guidelines, and plans going forward in the spirit of the Terezin Declaration.
Our Mission
As tasked by the Terezin Declaration, the European Shoah Legacy Institute monitors and advocates within a field of five crucial, unresolved issues in the post-Holocaust world:
- Welfare of Holocaust Survivors and Other Victims of Nazi Persecution
- Restitution and Compensation of Immovable Property
- Recovery of Looted Art
- Recovery and Study of Judaica Objects
- Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research
In advocating and monitoring these issues, ESLI operates on an international scale, in close affiliation with the European Union, with individual European Union member-countries, and those not part of the EU. The Institute also has a close working relationship with many non-European states, particularly the United States and Israel.
