Talking Memory: International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2025 The Legacy of Leadership

Judith Stelmach, Project Manager, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Israel

This Talking Memory on-line event will mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The program will take place on Sunday, January 26th, at 9 PM Israel time.

This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and we will be focusing on the topic “The Legacy of Leadership.”  What have we learned? What haven’t we learned?

How does antisemitism in the 21st century demand from world leaders and the global Jewish community to continue the fight for democracy and inclusion as fascism rises.  The three speakers will address these issues, bringing diverse perspectives on leadership – then and now.

The first speaker is Prof. Lori Weintrob, who will discuss the central role of the often-overlooked “Heroines of the Holocaust” in cultural, educational, spiritual and armed resistance and the leadership lessons we can learn from their actions. The second speaker is Petra Bayr, a member of the Austrian Parliament, who will present he findings of her report at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Preventing and Combating Antisemitism in Europe. Our last speaker is Lt. Col. (res.) Avital Leibovich, CEO of the AJC (American Jewish Committee) in Israel. The American Jewish Committee (AJC) has been monitoring antisemitic attacks, as well as the impact on the Jewish communities in the U.S. and in Europe. We will hear about the global efforts to combat antisemitism, using policy tools, advocacy and diplomacy.