A vision for Holocaust remembrance: Yad Vashem chairman Dani Dayan on his first official visit to Australia
As Dani Dayan was preparing for his inaugural visit to Australia after assuming the role of Chairman of Yad Vashem in August 2021, he reflected on the weight of his responsibility in ensuring the Holocaust’s lessons are never forgotten.
Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan in Kiev. Courtesy of Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Centre
On the eve of this historic visit, Dayan speaks to us to share his vision for Yad Vashem as we approach a critical juncture in Holocaust remembrance: a future without the living testimony of survivors, amid a rising tide of antisemitism in today’s world.
J-Wire: Chairman Dayan, your journey at Yad Vashem began with a powerful personal experience on your first day that has stuck with you over the past three years. Could you tell us about that?
Dani Dayan: Absolutely. My first day at Yad Vashem, I toured the Mount of Remembrance and visited the various exhibitions and sites. One of the places I visited was the Museum of Holocaust Art. What struck me, as it does every time I walk through those halls, is the resilience of the human spirit. That even in the depths of the Holocaust, when all hope seemed lost, Jews created art. These were works born in the most unimaginable circumstances – ghettos, labor camps, places of unspeakable suffering – yet they not only depicted these horrors, but also held a deep-seated determination to document their reality, to ensure that their experiences would not be erased from history.
I often think about the last will and testament of Gela Seksztajn, a Jewish artist from the Warsaw Ghetto. Her words haunt me: ‘As I stand on the border between life and death, certain that I will not remain alive, I wish to take leave from my friends and my works…. My works I bequeath to the Jewish museum to be built after the war. Farewell, my friends. Farewell, the Jewish people. Never again allow such a catastrophe.’ She wrote this message on 1 August 1942, knowing that she would not survive. Shortly after, she, and her daughter, Margalit, was deported to Treblinka, never to be seen or heard from again. All that remain are her works of art and her dream not to be forgotten.
Unknowingly, Gela’s words resonate even today—they spoke directly to me. Her vision of a museum dedicated to preserving Jewish memory lives on through Yad Vashem, and it is my solemn duty to honor her legacy and those like her. For me, this means placing the preservation of our collections at the very top of my priorities. These artifacts are more than historical remnants; they are the “crown jewels” of the Jewish people, embodying the stories, struggles, and spirits of those who were murdered.
J-Wire: Gela’s vision seems to have had a profound impact on you. How does this shape your goals for Yad Vashem as we approach a new era of Holocaust remembrance, one without survivors?
Dani Dayan: Yes, indeed they have. In fact, beyond placing her words on my office wall for me to see as I begin and end my day, her words area constant reminder of our mission, to remember and give a voice to both the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. We must not forget that six million Jewish men, women and children never had the opportunity to give testimony about their suffering at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust. With this in mind, I am deeply aware of the new era we are about to enter. We now find ourselves at a painful precipitous, one that I fear will be the happy hour for every Holocaust denier. Inevitably, due to the passage of time, there will be no more survivors in our midst. There was an innate connection made by just being in the presence of a Holocaust survivor. Now that the survivor population is aging and dwindling, we must develop alternative ways to make these connections and keep those stories and voices alive in perpetuity.
Another project we are working on in order to ensure the continuation of Holocaust remembrance is by tirelessly working to restore as many names of the victims as we can possibly gather. Yad Vashem is now engaged in a project to use AI to cull through Holocaust testimonies and documentation to extract names and try to uncover their fate. One of the first initiatives I championed as Chairman was the creation of the Book of Names, which is now on permanent display at Yad Vashem. It’s a monumental work – a physical, tangible tribute to the 4,800,000 names so far uncovered of Jewish men, women, and children murdered in the Holocaust. Each name listed represents a life, a world, an entire people extinguished. We hope that over the next few years we will be able to reach over 5,000,000 names of Shoah Victims.
Holocaust remembrance is ever evolving and therefore Yad Vashem must constantly explore new and innovative ways to share these precious memories with the public. We’re about to launch a new and powerful theatrical performance that will breathe life into the deeply personal stories of Holocaust victims, weaving together their written words, cherished possessions, and surviving artifacts. Additionally, thanks to the generous support of the European Union, in the Spring of 2025, Yad Vashem will open a new audio-visual experience in the Valley of the Communities, telling the 2,000-year history of the Jewish communal life in Europe and North Africa from the destruction of the Second Temple up until the rise of the Nazi Party to power. Using cutting-edge technology to illuminate the walls of the Valley of the Communities, the rich tapestry of Jewish life and values will come vividly to life.
These immersive experiences allow visitors to forge deep, personal connections with individual stories, and transform abstract figures and statistics into real people with hopes, dreams, and lives cut tragically short. These are some of the ways we are ensuring that remembrance becomes something deeply felt, not just intellectually understood.
J-Wire: You mention the use of artifacts and other documentation to tell the stories from the Holocaust. What are you doing to preserve these irreplaceable objects? How do these developments fit into your broader vision for Yad Vashem’s future?
Dani Dayan: This past July, Yad Vashem inaugurated the new Moshal Shoah Legacy Campus and the David and Fela Shapell Family Collections Center. These facilities are essential not only to the future of Yad Vashem, but to preserving the ability to safeguard and study personal artifacts, documents, and testimonies from the Holocaust for generations to come. The Collections Center, in particular, provides a state-of-the-art facility specially designed to protect, preserve, and house these invaluable items under optimal conditions, ensuring they withstand the test of time.
To me, these projects represent far more than their physical structures—they stand as symbols of our unwavering commitment to the Jewish people and to all humanity. They are spaces where history will not only be preserved but actively studied, places where future generations can directly confront the reality of the Holocaust. These projects ensure that, even as we move further in time from these events, the authenticity and urgency of this history will remain alive.
J-Wire: Yad Vashem is clearly dedicated to all aspects of Holocaust commemoration. How, under your leadership, is Yad Vashem addressing the pressing contemporary issues affecting Jews today?
Dani Dayan: Yad Vashem’s role goes beyond historical remembrance. We are an institution that must confront the realities of today. The Holocaust was not just a Jewish tragedy; it was a human catastrophe, and therefore its lessons are both Jewish and universal. We have a responsibility to use our platform to combat antisemitism, racism, and all forms of hatred.
I make sure to tell visiting dignitaries on what lessons I have taken from the Holocaust. One of which is to stop antisemitism in the first and early stages before it has a chance to metastasize into monstrous proportions. We must address the rise of contemporary antisemitism, which has extremely alarming magnitude also in Australia, thinly veiled as anti-Zionism. While the State of Israel wasn’t established because of the Holocaust, it was established in spite of it. We must understand Israel through the lens of the Holocaust and the need for a strong independent State of Israel is essential to ensure that there are no more Saint Louis ships (reference to a refugee ship that departed Germany in 1938 only to be denied port in Central and North America before being forced back to Germany) afloat on the seven seas.
J-Wire: With that in mind, the recent war in Israel has triggered a worrying rise in antisemitism globally. How has this affected Yad Vashem’s mission?
Dani Dayan: The rise of antisemitism in the wake of the current war in Israel is deeply concerning. We are witnessing a dangerous increase in hostility toward Jews worldwide, including countries that have historically stood firm against such hatred. This poses a significant challenge, as it reinforces the very ideologies that led to the Holocaust. The surge in antisemitism underscores the critical importance of Holocaust remembrance and education in fighting this tide of hatred.
As this marks my first visit to Australia in my role as Chairman of Yad Vashem, I am eager to engage with leaders in government and academia, including Premier John Minns of New South Wales, Premier Jacinta Allan of Victoria, and Jillian Segal, Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism. I also look forward to meeting with Chancellor Thodey of the University of Sydney, Australian Jewish leaders, and prominent figures from the Jewish community. These interactions are vital to our shared commitment to “Never Again” and to strengthening ties with influential voices across Australia and beyond.
Partnerships with Australian organizations, such as the Gandel Foundation, are also essential in our mission. The Gandel Foundation has been a steadfast partner, supporting Holocaust education programs across Australia and ensuring that future generations grasp the devastating impact of unchecked hatred. Together, we are working to raise awareness and strengthen educational initiatives that not only teach about the Holocaust but equip young people with the tools needed to stand against antisemitism in all its forms. Our collective efforts, working and collaborating across all facets of Australian society, are essential to ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust continue to resonate powerfully in today’s world.
J-Wire: Yad Vashem has long been a leader on the global stage in Holocaust education, research, and remembrance. How do you see your role in continuing this legacy internationally, and what are your thoughts on the importance of working with Australian institutions?
Dani Dayan: We have always recognized that Holocaust remembrance, education, and research are responsibilities that must be upheld on a global scale. To foster this shared commitment, we actively collaborate with partners worldwide, including those in Australia.
After Israel and the United States of America, Australia welcomed thousands upon thousands of Holocaust survivors to its shores. Many Australian families were directly impacted by the Holocaust, and there is a strong commitment to keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive within the broader Australian society. This is why Australia is a crucial partner in this mission.
Working with Australian institutions allows us to foster a greater understanding of the Holocaust’s lessons, not just for the Jewish community but for all of humanity. In today’s world, where antisemitism and xenophobia are on the rise, Holocaust education is more critical than ever. Yad Vashem plays a vital role in that global conversation, and I look forward to strengthening our ties with Australia in the areas of education, research, and commemoration.
J-Wire: Finally, Chairman Dayan, what message do you wish to convey to Australians and the world about the importance of Holocaust education and remembrance?
Dani Dayan: My message is simple: Remembering the Holocaust is not just about the past; we see how students exposed to the history of the Holocaust develop greater sensitivities to the plight of others. Therefore, Holocaust education indeed shapes a better future. Yad Vashem stands as a beacon of memory, but also as a warning. The atrocities of the Holocaust did not happen in a vacuum – they were the result of hatred and indifference. Today, as we witness disturbing trends around the world, our mission at Yad Vashem is more urgent than ever.
To Australians, I say this: You are our partners in this mission. Together, we can ensure that the memory of the Holocaust continues to inspire future generations to build a world free from hatred, intolerance, and oppression. Yad Vashem will continue to be at the forefront of Holocaust remembrance, education, and research, and I am deeply honored to work with the people of Australia in fulfilling this vital mission.
