Romanian news agency becomes partner of Elie Wiesel Institute, US Holocaust Memorial Museum

The National News Agency Agerpres concluded on Wednesday a partnership agreement with the Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in order to establish, implement and disseminate information and activities dedicated to history and understanding of the Holocaust.

The partnership was signed by Agerpres General Director Alexandru Giboi, Elie Wiesel Institute's General Manager Alexandru Florian and Director of International Archival Programs of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum Radu Ioanid, with each party committing itself to contributing toward the study of the Holocaust in Romania and public information on this historical, moral and spiritual subject.

"As regards the Elie Wiesel Institute, the starting point or the purpose of this partnership among the three institutions is, on the one hand, Agerpres's ability to provide from its picture and documents library a series of images, photographs that are relevant to the history of the Jewish community in Romania, since the Elie Wiesel Institute is the coordinator of the organisation and opening of the Jewish History Museum in Romania and the Holocaust museums, and, on the other hand, the institute has undertaken to provide a series of relevant and interesting documents for AGERPRES regarding the various fields of activity specifically related to this year, to what is called the celebration of the Centennial of Romania's Greater Union of December 1, 1918, insofar as the institute has a series of documents relevant to the way in which the Jewish community in Romania saw the December 1, 1918 action, and the way the Jewish community has lived in Romania during this century, since the establishment of Greater Romania to this day," said Alexandru Florian.

Agerpres Director General Alexandru Giboi said that the signing of this protocol represents a very important moment in the development of the national news agency, being an opportunity to capitalise on the huge photographic archive through projects with a real and major impact on society. "I want to thank the Washington Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania for opening up to a collaboration that I hope will raise the level of public awareness over a sensitive but also complex (...), "said Giboi.

In his turn, Director of International Archival Programs of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum Radu Ioanid, explained that the partnership with AGERPRES entails exchange of information and the implementation of educational programmes, as well as access to the museum's archives.

"First of all, I would like to emphasise that, especially since Romania adopted the conclusions of the Wiesel Commission, the relations between the Washington Holocaust Memorial Museum, a federal government agency of the American government, and various governmental bodies in Romania, were and continue to be on a rising trend. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about other European countries where, for one reason or another, we are facing quite serious issues about how their governments treat the history of the Holocaust in general and, in particular, the history of the Holocaust in these countries. Coming back to Romania, I can say that the agreement we signed today with AGERPRES, the Washington Holocaust Memorial Museum and our privileged partner in Romania, the Wiesel Institute, is exemplary. Before signing this agreement, the three institutions worked very well, doing research together, research that has borne fruit," Ioanid said.

AGERPRES has a large photographic and documentary library and can thus contribute relevant material to all activities that are designed for understanding the Holocaust. The research and educational activities of the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania will be brought to the attention of the public by writing news and providing pictures and by publishing documentary articles.

Under this partnership, AGERPRES continues its mission of public information and contributes, together with the two prestigious institutions, to a better knowledge of history.