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	Participants Countries and organizations Conference documentation Conference programme				Written Message by the Albanian Delegation Written Message by the Republic of Belarus Written Message by the Belgian Delegation Written Message by the Brazilian Delegation Written Message by the Canadian Delegation Written Message by the Republic of Chile Written Message by the Croatian Delegation Written Message by the European Commission Written Message by the Foreign Minister of Greece, George Papandreou Written Message by the Delegation of the Holy See Written Message by the Delegation of the State of Israel Written Message by the Republic of Poland Written Message by the Turkish Delegation Written Message by the Republic of Romania Written Message by UNESCO Written Message by the United Nations Written Message by the Uruguayan Delegation Written Message by the Republic of Romania Marga, Andrei Remembrance of Tragedy The modern state has given up the concept of legitimacy based on transcendence in favor of the legitimacy based on the democratically expressed will of its citizens. This change has brought with it an emancipation, yet it has set the state off towards a continuous instability that, directly or by mediation, has turned into a problem. Instability is, most certainly, THE concern of modern thought. Hegel was right to see it as the most profound theme of philosophy, to which various solutions were found in time. The history of philosophy, from Hegel to Fukuyama, from Fichte to Habermas, from Schelling to Foucault, and from Feuerbach to Rorty, stands proof to that. The modern state has proven to be more than just unstable; it also turned out to be vulnerable before the attacks launched by forces, which, although released by the very democratic framework, are hostile to the free exchange of values. In the 1920s and 1930s, a series of European states gave in to this attack and were taken over under the control of forces opposed to democracy, committed to liquidate the modern emancipation of the citizen. This liquidation turned into a physical one, of people, and a wave of barbarity engulfed the respective European democracies. The Jewish Holocaust was unmistakably the epitome of barbarity in modern Europe. Civilized humanity is constantly denouncing the Holocaust as a culminating tragedy of history. It is the duty of citizen reflection, museums, culture, in the largest sense, and education, to keep alive the memory of all the tragedies the Holocaust stands for, so that they may never happen again. To quote Jaspers, what happened should be a warning, and to forget would mean to become guilty, therefore we must constantly remember. In various European countries, Holocaust education has become the focus of special programmes developed by various education institutions. Various European states have concluded agreements on this issue. Holocaust education was also recently discussed by the representatives of different countries at the Holocaust ERA Assets Conference of Washington, D.C. in 1998. Holocaust education includes components related to cognition (information on history proper), institutions (establishment of the institutional framework for this type of education), pedagogy, and others. Yet this type of education, which depends on history (accumulated judgements and prejudices, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe), is somehow close to the actual events (many of the persons living in the twentieth century were contemporaries of the most tragic events in the history of Europe), which give it certain particularities. It is with the awareness of the complexity of the issue that we, in Romania, have approached Holocaust education. Allow me to present, herewith, some examples of what has been done until now and future steps that are under consideration. Romania’s current legislation prohibits any sort of ethnic discrimination and penalizes anti-Semitic manifestations. The democratic option expressed under the country's Constitution and subsequent laws includes and defends the equality of all citizens. Consequently, concrete steps have been taken in the field of Holocaust education during the recent years. Thus, history researchers and research institutes have published data on the condition and tragedy of the Jews during World War II in various European countries. Information on the history of Jews in Romania at the time has also started being published and publicly debated. Though opinions vary, there is a visible trend towards considering the true historical data and drawing a veridical picture of it. Order 3000/1 January 1999 issued by the Minister of National Education explicitly introduced the study of Holocaust-related issues in schools and high schools. The Order stipulates that "in gymnasiums and high schools, distinct classes (2-4 hours) shall be allocated, within the lessons on World War II, to Holocaust education" and "Holocaust education shall be included in the history syllabi". As a result, Holocaust education has been included in Romania’s new syllabi for gymnasiums and high schools and consequently in the new history textbooks, for grades 7 to 12. The lessons, the recommended individual readings, and the debates stipulated in these syllabi, provide the students with information on the Holocaust tragedies, history and causes. In 1990, the Institute for Hebrew Studies and Jewish History "Moshe Carmilly" was set up by the "Babes-Bolyai“ University, based on international cooperation. The Institute provides courses and seminars in the Hebrew language and research in Jewish history. The Institute publishes a yearly magazine, "Studia Iudaica", and provides the opportunity for a new generation of Romanian experts in the Hebrew language and Jewish history and culture to be trained in Israeli universities. Against a background of excellence in point of expert training and conducting important scientific research, the Institute produces an additional highly significant result: it reveals to the younger generations the unusual expansion and impressive value of a culture that provided the basis for the modern civilized world. Two new academic centers were established recently, the Study and Research Center of the History, Culture and Civilization of the Jews in South-Eastern Europe by the University of Craiova (1997) and the Center for Hebrew Studies by the University of Bucharest (1999). Both centers provide courses and seminars in the Hebrew language and Jewish history, and carry out history research. Romania has advertised its availability to cooperate with international experienced bodies in the writing of the new textbooks. Order 3593/22 April 1998 of the Minister of National Education stipulates that "school and university textbooks may be elaborated and printed in co-operation with Romania’s neighbor countries and other European states, and textbook writers in schools and universities are authorized to co-operate with their counterparts in the respective countries". The Order also provides for co-operation with Israeli education authorities in this respect. This is part of a new policy on school textbooks, focused on such principles as plurality, open competition for drafts, adjustment to the education reform in Romania and international competitiveness, initiated by Order 3276/17 February 1998 of the Minister of National Education. Various future steps are now being considered, starting from what has already been achieved. Thus, apart from the implementation of the legislation on human rights and fight against anti-Semitism, the development of research in the history of Europe and of the Holocaust, the extension of the debates on the moral, political, and historical issues involved therein, the inclusion of Holocaust education in school curricula, the consolidation of the institutes and centers of Hebrew studies and the development of international co-operation in the writing of textbooks, we envisage the initiation of new activities regarding Holocaust education. Thus, we shall organize, with the assistance of Israeli authorities, programmes for the training of gymnasium and high school teachers at Yad Vashem and exchanges of high school students during holidays in school tourism programmes. Also, Israel shall provide lecturers and documentation in view of supporting the institutes and centers for Hebrew studies in Romania. In its turn, the University of Iassy intends to open its own center for Hebrew studies in the near future. Starting from my personal experience, I would like to emphasize that one of the crucial pre-requisites for understanding the outstanding history of the Jewish people, for consolidating the democratic awareness of the younger generation and for developing better understanding between people, consists in getting acquainted with the state of Israel, in both its Biblical and contemporary aspects, a dynamic, free, and highly developed society. In this sense, a whole continent is open and awaiting exploration by education institutions and young people from all over the world. >> Back to top				Introduction Opening Session: Messages and speeches Plenary Sessions: Messages and speeches Plenary Session 1 Plenary Session 2 Reception at the Stockholm City Hall Written Messages Workshops, Panels and Seminars Closing Session and Declaration Other Activities
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