The European Shoah Legacy Institute (ESLI) was founded in 2009 for the purpose of monitoring adherence to the Terezin Declaration. Drawing important lessons from our past experiences, we know that international treaties endorsed by national governments require regular and systematic oversight and advocacy if they are to be successfully implemented. We know that for this goal to be achieved, intentions must be backed by a clear plan of action. With that in mind, the ESLI Action Plan 2015 sets out both the direction in which we believe our organizational future lies and also the means by which we can ensure that the principles espoused by the Terezin Declaration are realized by all countries that endorsed it.

ESLI chose a transparent, inclusive, and evidence-based approach to preparing the Action Plan, which included consultation with a wide range of international stakeholders – from members of our Advisory Council through to representatives of Jewish communities, academic institutions, and profile ministries. The Action Plan also draws on research conducted by both ESLI and other leading, independent organizations specializing in Holocaust issues, and is indicative of continued development and growth in areas as diverse as project management, human resources, financing, and eminence.

The ESLI Action Plan 2015 is centred around the following themes:

Focus – making difficult decisions to best utilize ESLI’s comparative advantage over similar organisations in order to achieve clear and measurable results;

Reform – improving ESLI’s organisational structure to improve efficacy and efficiency;

Resources – broadening ESLI’s donor pool to expand the accessibility of funding and secure financial sustainability.

ESLI’S ACTIVITIES IN 2015
TOTAL EXPECTED BUDGET USD 974.233
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  • Overall objective

  • Monitor and promote the Terezin Declaration principles.

  • Specific objectives

  • Bringing the Terezin Declaration principles to the EU agenda.
  • Strengthening the international capacity of ESLI as one of the key promoters of the Terezin Declaration principles.
  • Strengthening relationships with the 47 Terezin Declaration signatory countries.
  • Strengthening relationships with partner organizations and key stakeholders.
  • Building strong partnership with Czech state institutions
  • Strengthening financial sustainability of ESLI.

  • Activities

  • Periodic meetings of Special Envoys for Holocaust Issues.
  • Internationalization of ESLI’s Administrative and Supervisory Boards, re-structuring of the Advisory Council, and broadening the Honorary Board.
  • Obtaining Permanent International Partner status at IHRA and participating at IHRA’s work.
  • Direct cooperation with the European Commission and the European Parliament.
  • Organizing international conference on social welfare for Holocaust Survivors and other victims of Nazi persecution.
  • Presentation of ESLI at Jewish organizations in the Czech Republic, at the Czech government and at the Czech Parliament.

  • Outcomes

  • ESLI website as a unique source of information on Shoah related issues in 47 countries.
  • European Parliament resolutions on Terezin Declaration related issues.
  • Cooperation agreement and direct funding from the European Commission.
  • Increasing the pool of countries that financially support ESLI to six.
  • Inclusion of ESLI’s events into the annual activity plans of partners and intergovernmental organizations.

  • Budget

  • USD 387.164

Recovery of Nazi-Confiscated and Looted Art

“recognizing that restitution cannot be accomplished without knowledge of potentially looted art and cultural property, we stress the importance for all stakeholders to continue and support intensified systematic provenance research”

  • General objective

  • Cooperate with governments, European Union bodies, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and independent experts to current standards and promote best practices as they relate to Nazi-looted art and other cultural objects.

  • Specific objectives

  • Enhanced understanding and awareness of current issues affecting the repatriation, recovery, restitution, and replacement of looted art.
  • Collection, collation, publication and monitoring of data relating to comparative international standards for the recovery, restitution, and provenance of looted art across the 47Terezin Declaration countries in a publicly accessible database.
  • Promote research as an independent profession with an established and accepted set of professional standards and code of ethics.
  • Achieve mandatory status of provenance research of art objects in all EU countries.
  • Promote the guidelines and best practice standards for provenance research and training to signatory governments and other relevant stakeholders.
  • Increased cooperation with governments, European Union bodies, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and independent experts in analyzing, assessing, and addressing issues impacting upon the discovery and recovery of looted art.
  • Ongoing international cooperation in the collection and coordination of experience, knowledge, and skills that contribute to the advancement of provenance research and training.

  • Activities

  • Creation and launching of a publicly searchable database on legislation relating to the recovery of looted art and provenance research across the 47 Terezin Declaration countries.
  • Conducting four training workshops through the Provenance Research Training Program bringing together professionals working in fields relating to art provenance.
  • Hosting of regular, interactive online video lectureson issues relevant to provenance research.
  • Cooperative conferences with representatives of the Terezin Declaration signatory nations to review progress made towards cultivating provenance as an independent profession on a domestic level.
  • Cooperation with the Google Cultural Cooperation Institute to conduct provenance research on all artifacts in the Institute’s galleries.
  • Seminars on provenance at the European Parliament.
  • Draft relevant legislation on provenance in cooperation with the European Parliament.

  • Outcomes

  • Regular, interactive online podcasts on issues relevant to provenance research.
  • Cooperation with the Google Cultural Cooperation Institute to conduct provenance research on all artifacts in the Institute’s galleries.
  • Workshop on provenance at the European Parliament.
  • Draft relevant legislation on provenance in cooperation with the European Parliament.
  • Database on comparative international standards for the recovery and provenance of looted art in Terezin Declaration countries launched by June 2014 and publicly available.
  • Successful hosting of four provenance training workshops providing advanced education and skills to over 120 professionals working in fields relating to art provenance.
  • Increased inter-organizational cooperation with the European Parliament and related agencies as a result of ESLI’s permanent lobbying presence in Brussels.
  • Establishment of industry-accepted best practice guidelines and code of ethics for provenance research.
  • Establishment and maintenance of an online forum for industry professionals renown for significant contributions to the development and advancement of provenance research as an independent profession.

  • Budget

  • USD 268.441

Welfare of Holocaust Survivors and Other Victims of Nazi Persecution

“It is unacceptable that those who suffered so greatly during the earlier part of their lives should live under impoverished circumstances at the end”

  • General objective

  • Encourage governments, and governmental and non-governmental organizations where possible,, to provide adequate assistance to Holocaust survivors and other victims of Nazi persecution,living in or out of the countries of their origin – such as hunger relief, medicine and homecare as required, as well as measures that will encourage intergenerational contact and allow them to overcome their social isolation.

  • Specific objectives

  • Advocate the increase of funding for Holocaust survivors and other victims of Nazi persecution from the national budgets of the 47 Terezin Declaration signatory countries.
  • Provide a comparative analysis on the welfare of Holocaust survivors survivors in the 47 Terezin Declaration signatory countries.
  • Share best practices in providing care for Holocaust survivors and other victims of Nazi persecution.
  • Raise governments’ awareness on their obligations stemming from the Terezin Declaration.
  • Reach bilateral governmental agreements to provide support to Holocaust survivors and other victims of Nazi persecution.
  • Introduce the issue of the social welfare needs of Holocaust survivors and other victims of Nazi persecution into the agenda of the Council of Europe and the OSCE.

  • Activities

  • Database detailing social welfare available to Holocaust survivors and other victims of Nazi persecution.
  • International Conference on Social Welfare of Holocaust Survivors and Other Victims of Nazi persecution;publication and dissemination of conference proceedings.
  • Workshops in individual countries.
  • Campaigns in individual countries to raise awareness on available welfare support.
  • Advocacy at the intergovernmental level: the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

  • Outcomes

  • Increased funding for Holocaust survivors and other victims of Nazi persecution in all 47 countries to a level that ensures lives in dignity.
  • Database launched by March 2015, widely used by governmental and non-governmental organizations by the end of 2015.
  • International conference.
  • Conference proceedings.
  • Handbook of Best Practices published (resulting from the data in the launched database and the international conference).

  • Budget

  • USD 109.098

Restitution and Compensation for Immovable and Movable Property

“the protection of property rights is an essential component of a democratic society and the rule of law”

  • General objective

  • To Encourage governments to address the private property claims of Holocaust (Shoah) victims concerning immovable (real) property of former owners, heirs or successors, by either in rem restitution or compensation, as may be appropriate, in a fair, comprehensive and nondiscriminatory manner consistent with relevant national law and regulations, as well as international agreements.

  • Specific objectives

  • Raise awareness about the importance of adherence to the Terezin Declaration.
  • Create an advocacy tool for restitution and compensation for immovable and movable property wrongfully seized during the Holocaust.
  • Achieve amendments to existing legislation on restitution and/or introduce new legislation on restitution of property wrongfully seized during the Holocaust.
  • Facilitate implementation of already existing legislations.

  • Activities

  • Database of Legislation on Restitution and Compensation for Immovable and Movable Property.
  • Advocacy campaign

  • Outcomes

  • Database launched by May 2015, widely used by governmental and non-governmental organizations by the end of 2015.
  • Countries will revise and update their legislation on restitution.
  • Easier process of restitution and compensation for individual claimants in all 47 Terezin Declaration signatory countries, where applicable.

  • Budget

  • USD 159.530

Holocaust Education, Research, and Remembrance

  • General objective

  • To encourage States and the international community to establish and support research and education programs about the Holocaust (Shoah) and other Nazi crimes, ceremonies of remembrance and commemoration, and the preservation of memorials in former concentration camps, cemeteries and mass graves, as well as of other sites of memory.

  • Specific objectives

  • Honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and other victims of Nazi persecution.
  • Encourage the development of educational programs on the history of the Holocaust.
  • Help prevent future acts of Shoah and genocide.

  • Activities

  • Celebration of the Holocaust Remembrance Day on the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII.
  • Advocacy campaign

  • Outcomes

  • Preserving the memory of the Holocaust and ensuring high-level political support to the idea of prevention of Holocaust in Europe in the future.

  • Budget

  • USD 50.000

Independent archive of the former European Shoah Legacy Institute (ESLI, 2010–2017). This website is not operated by or affiliated with ESLI, its former boards or the Czech government, and it does not accept donations. About ESLI