EHRI – European Holocaust Research Infrastructure
EHRI Czech National Node
Top-quality research on the Holocaust is a prerequisite for informed discussion about Czech, European and world modern history and for understanding the risks and mechanisms of racism and genocide in their various forms. The European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) connects collections and sources divided by borders and languages, promotes digital methods and supports researchers. The Czech EHRI national node is a gateway to EHRI services and community and a signpost for Holocaust research in the Czech Republic.
Example of a document from the Terezín Research Guide
Research infrastructure
The EHRI Czech national node has been part of the research infrastructure LINDAT/CLARIAH-CZ supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports since 2023.
EHRI is funded by the European Commission under FP7, Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.
Since 2018, EHRI has been on the roadmap of European research infrastructures and is currently transforming into a permanent organisation - European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC). The Czech Republic supports this process through the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and is represented in the EHRI Interim General Assembly.
Main goals and services
EHRI-CZ provides the following types of services:
- Makes EHRI data and services available, including EHRI Portal, EHRI Document Blog, EHRI Editions, EHRI Geospatial Repository, Conny Kristel Scholarship, and others.
- Creates data on sources on the history of the Holocaust in the Czech lands and uploads them to the EHRI Portal.
- Links and enhances the victim databases and methodologically supports their further development.
- Applies digital methods to the digitised sources, including automatic text and speech recognition, identification of places, historical actors, keywords, etc.
- Supports research using spatial methods and interactive maps, including the MemoMAP application.
An overview of all 27 EHRI partners can be found on this page.
TEREZÍN INITIATIVE INSTITUTE
In 2023, the ITI identified documents contained in the Holocaust Victims Database for research on automated reading of archival materials. At the end of 2023, the database contained 185,166 documents relating to 176,239 persons.
The content development of the Holocaust Victims Database involves research at the State District Archive in Mladá Boleslav. Around 2,000 documents were scanned. The digitized documents are gradually being processed and prepared for import into the database and for subsequent publication on the Holocaust.cz portal. Since some of the documents relate to people who survived 1945, the ITI can only proceed with this step after the clarification of the data protection issues (GDPR).
You can also visit
On the occasion of the German publication of F. R. Kraus' book Gas, Gas, Then Fire, one of the very first reports on the Holocaust, a there will be a meeting with the author's son and ITI Director Tomas Kraus. The event is held, among others, in cooperation with our long-time partner Brückner Most Stiftung.
It is with deep sadness that we have received the news of the death of Professor Yehuda Bauer, one of the world's foremost historians of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. His research and teaching contributed greatly to our understanding of the tragic events of the 20th century and their implications for contemporary society. His determination to lead us to a deeper understanding of human nature and the need to combat hatred and intolerance will always remain an inspiration.
The Terezín Initiative Institute expresses its deepest condolences to his family and all those who were affected by his life and work.
In Professor Bauer we are losing not only an expert, whose opinion has always been extremely valuable to us, but also a compatriot and close friend.
This week, Thomas and Laurenz visited the School of International and Public Relations in Prague-Nusle and held a workshop there with pupils from the Matura classes. The activity ‘Just an ordinary day’ was used to illustrate the effects of anti-Jewish laws and regulations during the Nazi era. In group work, the participants were able to compile and analyse information about the actual circumstances using original documents.
We would like to thank you for the invitation and the lively discussions with the pupils.
As an institute, our work is based on three main pillars:
- The Institute researches the history of Nazi persecution in the Czech lands and Europe.
- It commemorates and documents its victims.
- It educates against manifestations of racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia.
Education is a key tool for preventing anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia, and other forms of hatred that led to tragedies such as the Holocaust. Essential elements in education include:
Last Saturday, a networking workshop was held in Ústí nad Labem on the topic of Nazi forced labour in the border region of Saxony-Bohemia. Participants were representatives of various organisations and institutions that deal with this topic from different perspectives.
The Anne Frank Youth Network kindly invites you to the workshop ‘Discover the Art of Zines: Creativity with a Cause’.
On Saturday, 14 September 2024, the Terezín Initiative Institute hosted a workshop "Art Against Death" aimed at teachers and educators. Despite the flood situation, the participants arrived. The workshop was led by Roman Ferstl, Barbora Tocháčková and Dana Gabalová. The program focused on the role of art in Terezín and its importance in strengthening the will to survive the ghetto and concentration camps.