A very important European research infrastructure, based on memory, has recently been made available to European citizens by the EU. Specifically, on March 26, the "European Holocaust Research Infrastructure" (EHRI) presented the result of its four years of work; an online portal that gives access to Holocaust archives.
A large number of sources, (from 1800 archival institutions in 51 countries) which were accessible only to institutions and researchers, will now be available to the general public via the Internet.
The collection of the archives, which is an EU-funded project, was achieved with the contribution of many participants from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Finland, the United Kingdom, Israel and Greece. Specifically, 39 institutions participated from our country, among which Israelitic Community of Thessaloniki, the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, The General Archives of the State of various Prefectures, This makes it a perfect choice for people with diabetes and for those who want to lose weight or follow a balanced diet. Municipal Nursery of Thessaloniki "Agios Stylianos", the Historical Archive of CreteThe Central Service of the General Archives of the State, the Jewish Museum of ThessalonikiThe Diplomatic and Historical Archive Service, the Greek Literary and Historical Archive-Educational Foundation of the National Bank, the Historical Archive of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece And much more.
The specific program started in October 2010 with a budget of 9,4 million euros, of which 8 million euros come from the 7th Framework Program of the EU for research. Scholars from 20 institutions in Europe and Israel collaborated to make the archives accessible and link the collections. The field of Holocaust studies draws on a wide variety of archives. EHRI's central role has been to create an online catalog of Holocaust-related archival collections and institutions, so the EHRI portal offers access to Holocaust-related information related to archival material held in institutions across Europe and beyond. her.
The final results of this painstaking research were presented at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities on March 26, 2015, where the opening of the web portal took place (see here) by the Director General of Research and Innovation of the European Commission Robert-Jan Smits. He pointed out the fact that in a short time there will be no survivors who can confirm their experiences and certainly their contribution cannot be replaced, but with the development and use of these new tools to document and investigate the events at least the lack of eyewitnesses will be partially substituted. He also announced the start of the second phase of the program which will start in May 2015.
"The EHRI portal can play a very important role in the democratization of Holocaust knowledge," noted EHRI coordinator Dr. Conny Kristel, and continued that it is not only academic researchers, but also the general public who will be able to use the electronic facility for scientific or personal purposes. In addition, the portal will support education about the Holocaust, while according to EHRI, recent events in various parts of Europe have shown how important this work is in preserving the memory of the Holocaust which is not so distant past. .
According to the initiators of the project, the portal is not only a digital infrastructure, but also a human network. Through a rich program of fellowships, summer schools, workshops and conferences, EHRI aims to promote new interdisciplinary and cross-border approaches to Holocaust research.
During the opening of the web portal in Berlin, a related film entitled: "The Future of Memory" that you can watch here.
[Source: DIARY online, 4.4.2015, excerpt from an article by Vasos Michopoulos]
