Museums Combatting Hatred: New Holocaust Exhibits Open in Muslim Countries

(Jan. 27, 2025 / Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry)

Despite ongoing antisemitic rhetoric and recent violence in the region, new museums remembering the Holocaust and celebrating heroism are opening in Muslim-majority countries.

This encouraging trend is highlighted in the fourth annual “For a Righteous Cause” report published by the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University (TAU). The report, coinciding with International Holocaust Remembrance Day, recognizes initiatives across the globe combating antisemitism and promoting education about the Holocaust.

Notable Museums and Initiatives

Among these important developments are:

• The Indonesian Holocaust Museum on Sulawesi Island – In the world’s largest Muslim nation, this museum features visual documentation of Nazi crimes, a replica concentration camp bunk bed, and information about neo-antisemitism and Holocaust denial. Opened by Rabbi Ya’akov Baruch, it faced immediate criticism from Islamic leaders but continues to operate through dialogue and emphasizing its non-aligned stance.
• “We Remember” at the Museum of the Crossroads of Civilizations in Dubai – This permanent exhibition, established by businessman Ahmed Al Mansuri, displays the history of Nazism and its crimes against Jews alongside information about Muslims who saved Jews during the Holocaust. It features an Arabic, English, and Hebrew inscription of the Mishnah’s teaching about saving a life.
• The Besa Museum and the Museum of the History of Albanian Jews – Both currently under construction in Tirana and Vlora, Albania, respectively, these museums celebrate Albania’s unique cultural norm of hospitality (“Besa”) that played a critical role in their Holocaust rescue efforts.

The Importance of Dialogue and Education

Professor Uriya Shavit, head of the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry, emphasizes the importance of these museums: “Holocaust denial and the flourishing of antisemitic propaganda in the Muslim world are not just distortions of history but also encouragements to violence. The museums established and being established in the Muslim world are ‘a small amount of light,’ but this small amount is very important.”

According to Dr. Carl Yonker, senior researcher and project manager at the center, international support for these projects is crucial: “Direct or indirect support from Israel for these museums would harm them, but it is appropriate for international institutions to offer such support and insist on eradicating Holocaust denial from educational institutions in Muslim countries, as everywhere else.”

A Call for Replicated Efforts Worldwide

This report also features a special interview with renowned historian Sir Max Hastings, who calls for a radical shift in Holocaust education in Western countries. Hastings highlights the alarming lacunas in historical understanding and warns against ignoring security threats to democratic institutions.

Learn More:

The full report can be read here.