OŚWIĘCIM, Poland — Representatives from 26 United Nations missions participated in a multi-day Holocaust education program in Poland organized by the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation, bringing senior diplomats to historic sites of Jewish life and destruction to confront rising antisemitism and global extremism through direct historical engagement.
The delegation was led by Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, and included 21 ambassadors and five deputy permanent representatives from countries across Europe, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. Participating nations included Albania, Australia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Haiti, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Micronesia, Moldova, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Romania, Rwanda, Samoa, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Zambia.
The program aimed to strengthen diplomatic understanding of Holocaust history while encouraging international cooperation in confronting contemporary antisemitism and hate-driven violence.
Educational Program Begins in Kraków
The visit opened in Kraków with a reception at the Galicia Jewish Museum, where Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Director General Jack Simony addressed the delegation and outlined the organization’s mission.
Simony commended Ambassador Danon for what he described as “tireless advocacy for the Jewish people” and emphasized the importance of transforming Holocaust remembrance into practical action.
“Our mission is to ensure that Holocaust memory is not confined to commemoration,” Simony said. “It must shape leadership decisions and strengthen the resolve to confront antisemitism and extremism wherever they appear.”
Ambassador Danon spoke to the diplomats about the destruction of European Jewry and the responsibility of global leaders to respond decisively to rising hatred and incitement.
During the event, Rwanda’s ambassador reflected on the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, drawing parallels between Rwanda’s experience and the Holocaust. The remarks underscored the shared responsibility of the international community to recognize warning signs of mass violence and act before atrocities occur.
Visit to Auschwitz Memorial Site
The delegation later traveled to Auschwitz, the former Nazi concentration and extermination camp where more than 1.1 million people were murdered, the vast majority of them Jews.
Diplomats toured the barracks, memorial grounds, and exhibition spaces while participating in guided discussions focused on historical memory, the consequences of unchecked hatred, and the role international institutions must play in preventing future genocides.
According to organizers, the goal was to move Holocaust education beyond theory by confronting participants directly with the physical reality of the site.
“Auschwitz stands as the site of the systematic destruction of European Jewry, but it also stands as a warning to the world,” Simony said during the visit. “When diplomats walk these grounds together, memory is no longer abstract and responsibility becomes personal.”
Preserving Jewish Life and Memory
The group also visited the Auschwitz Jewish Center campus in Oświęcim, home to the town’s only surviving synagogue. Before the Holocaust, Oświęcim supported a vibrant Jewish community that was nearly entirely destroyed during Nazi occupation.
Participants learned about prewar Jewish life in the region and the Center’s ongoing educational initiatives, which bring students, diplomats, military personnel, and educators together to study tolerance, history, and leadership responsibility.
Foundation Chairman Simon Bergson emphasized the diplomatic significance of the program.
“At a time of rising division around the world, building meaningful bridges with U.N. ambassadors is not just important, it is essential,” Bergson said. “When senior diplomats walk through Auschwitz together, they do more than observe history. They build relationships rooted in truth and shared responsibility.”
Expanding Holocaust Education Globally
The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation operates educational and humanitarian programs aimed at combating hatred and bigotry worldwide. The organization supports survivors of genocides and mass atrocities, including Ukrainian refugees and individuals impacted by the Hamas attacks of October 7.
The Foundation maintains the Auschwitz Jewish Center, which serves as the primary institution preserving the memory of Oświęcim’s Jewish community while advancing educational programming focused on confronting antisemitism.
To date, more than one million visitors have passed through the Center. Over 300,000 students and tens of thousands of diplomats, educators, military personnel, and law enforcement officials have participated in its programs.
Organizers said initiatives such as the U.N. diplomats’ visit demonstrate how historical education can inform contemporary policymaking and strengthen international cooperation against hatred and extremism.
As global antisemitism continues to rise, Foundation leaders said sustained engagement with history remains essential to ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust guide future leadership decisions.
For more information about the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation, visit ajcfus.org.
