The Institute for Holocaust Research in Sweden (IHRS) has been established to conduct comprehensive and nuanced research on all aspects concerning the Holocaust, focused on material and topics relevant to Sweden. The institute will facilitate a hub where scholars from all over the world will conduct multidisciplinary research, complementing the Swedish Holocaust Museum, and a yet to be determined leading Swedish research university.

BACKGROUND

Following Prime Minister Stefan Lövfen’s pledge to establish a Holocaust Museum in Sweden, a commission, spearheaded by Professor Birgitta Svensson, was asked to investigate different aspects of such an initiative. It concluded that the future Holocaust museum should be an independent institution, based on research, led by researchers. In order for the Museum to be an academically credible institution, the commission determined that it is essential the research is conducted in accordance with the practices to those of peer institutions around the world. An independent research institute is therefore being created to support and complement the work of the Holocaust Museum.

Ulrika and Joel Citron, children of Holocaust survivors, born and raised in Sweden, have set up a foundation to support the IHRS. They were instrumental in facilitating the exhibit Speaking Memories – Förintelsens Sista Vittnen and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, the Swedish version of the interactive installation Dimensions in Testimony. These projects were produced and curated by Judisk Kultur i Sverige and Historiska Museet, in partnership with the USC Shoah Foundation and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.

The IHRS is under the leadership of Lecturer Lars M. Andersson as Chair and Karin Kvist Geverts, PhD as Executive Director.

IHRS International Advisory Board
Piotr Cywiński, PhD, Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, Poland
Jack Kliger, President & CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York
Emile Schrijver, PhD, General Director of the Jewish Historical Museum and the Jewish Cultural Quarter, Amsterdam
Stephen Smith, PhD, formerly Director of the USC Shoah Foundation, Los Angeles
Robert J. Williams, PhD, the Finci-Viterbi Executive Director of USC Shoah Foundation
Maria Zalewska, PhD, Executive Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation, New York