In the lead-up to the International Holocaust Memorial Day event in Parliament, the Second President of the National Council, Peter Haubner, and the National Fund’s Managing Director, Judith Pfeffer, met with Yad Vashem’s Chairman, Dani Dayan, and representatives from Yad Vashem and the diplomatic corps. The focus of the discussion was on deepening cooperation between the two institutions. A letter of intent was signed to confirm the successful cooperation and signal its continuation, particularly with regard to cataloguing and digitising Holocaust-related archives. These materials will be made more accessible to researchers while also forming the basis for contemporary digital communication formats.
Newsletter February 2026
Dear friends and supporters,
Welcome to our newsletter, bringing you the latest updates from the National Fund.
📜Remembrance through Dialogue: Call for applications for three-month research trips to Israel and the UK
The Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs and the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism are calling for applications for two three-month research trips/residencies (starting from May 2026) as part of the project “Remembrance through Dialogue – Voices of the ‘Wiederösterreicherinnen und Wiederösterreicher’”.
The 2019 amendment to Section 58c of the Citizenship Act, which enables a wider group of descendants of victims of National Socialism to acquire Austrian citizenship, once again underlines the Republic of Austria’s willingness to face up to its historical responsibility. Around 40,000 people have obtained Austrian citizenship since this amendment.
The aim of the project is to research, document and preserve the personal and family histories of the so-called “Wiederösterreicherinnen und Wiederösterreicher” (people who have “become Austrian again”), who have acquired Austrian citizenship in accordance with Section 58c of the Citizenship Act, and to actively integrate these stories into a lively and cross-generational culture of remembrance in Austria.
The costs of flights, visa fees, accommodation and a reasonable local expense allowance will be covered for each research trip. Guideline values for the monthly expense allowance are approximately 1,500 euros for London/the United Kingdom and 2,000 euros for Tel Aviv/Israel. The final amount will be determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on project specifications, accommodation and institutional affiliation.
Further details can be found in the call for applications. 👉 Applications can be submitted here electronically until 27 February 2026.
📖Letter of Intent signed by the National Fund and Yad Vashem
The signing of the letter of intent between the National Fund and Yad Vashem took place in Parliament on 27 January 2026. Photo: Parliamentary Administration/Johannes Zinner
🥇Entry period for the Simon Wiesenthal Prize extended til the end of March 2026
The entry period for the 2025 Simon Wiesenthal Prize has been extended to 31 March 2026. The award, which is endowed with a total of 30,000 euros, is presented to up to three individuals or groups in recognition of their civic engagement to combat antisemitism and educate the public about the Holocaust. The work of the candidates should aim to impart knowledge about the Holocaust, thereby strengthening societal understanding of its mechanisms and consequences, and raising awareness of the dangers of antisemitism.
Submissions and nominations can be made in German or English via the online application form on the Simon Wiesenthal Prize website. The Prize is awarded in two categories:
Civic Engagement to Combat Antisemitism (7,500 euros)
Civic Engagement to Educate the Public About the Holocaust (7,500 euros)
A Main Prize of 15,000 is awarded for Civic Engagement to Combat Antisemitism and Educate the Public About the Holocaust.
👉 Submit an entry for the Simon Wiesenthal Prize
🗣️“Lives Remembered Out Loud”: Collaborative project for Holocaust Memorial Day 2026 at the Jewish Museum Vienna
Actors read from the book series “Lives Remembered” at the Jewish Museum Vienna. Photo: Jewish Museum Vienna
The “Lives Remembered Out Loud” project was launched last week to mark International Holocaust Memorial Day. In partnership with the National Fund, the Jewish Museum Vienna has been transformed into a place for active reflection and listening. At the heart of the event will be the life stories featured in the Funds’s “Erinnerungen/Lives Remembered” book series. We have provided our book series containing reports from Holocaust survivors for this purpose. Their testimonies serve as both a warning and a valuable legacy.
Actors from the Burgtheater, the Schauspielhaus Wien, the Theater in der Josefstadt and the Volkstheater have lent their voices to these contemporary witnesses.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to Sabine Haupt, Markus Hering, Dörte Lyssewski, Markus Meyer, Tobias Reinthaller, Stefan Suske, Grischka Voss, and all the others involved, for taking part in the project!
You are warmly invited to visit the Jewish Museum to learn more about the life stories and fates of National Socialist victims in the “Lived Remembered” book series.
📍 Jewish Museum Vienna, Dorotheergasse 11, 1010 Vienna 📅 Until 22 February 2026
👉All information and dates for “Lives Remembered Out Loud”
✨National Fund travelling exhibition on display in Buenos Aires, Tel Aviv and London
Panel discussion on the occasion of the exhibition opening at the Austrian Cultural Forum in London on 21 January 2026. Photo: Austrian Cultural Forum London
Our travelling exhibition From Repression to Remembrance is currently on display in Buenos Aires, Tel Aviv and, most recently, London!
The exhibition opened in London last week. Following welcoming remarks by Katharina Kastner, Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum in London, and Bernhard Wrabetz, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the United Kingdom, Hedi Argent MBE (Holocaust survivor), Katherine Klinger (educator, initiator and chair of the Arc of History lecture series), Helen Emily Davy (artist and researcher) and Hannah Lessing discussed memory, responsibility and the work of the National Fund under the title “Generations - 30 Years of the National Fund of the Republic of Austria”. It was a special evening for everyone with an interest in Austrian history and responsibility for the future – especially for those who have recently obtained Austrian citizenship.
👉Picture gallery of the opening at the Austrian Cultural Forum in London.
📍 Austrian Cultural Forum, 28 Rutland Gate, London SW7 1PQ📅 Until 13 February 2026
The exhibition is currently also on display at the Austrian Club in Tel Aviv and at the Museo del Holocausto in Buenos Aires.
👉 Picture gallery of the exhibition opening in Buenos Aires.
📸Educational project and photo exhibition “Living (with) Memory”
The photo exhibition ‘Living (with) Memory’ designed by pupils at the SZE Eybnerstraße St. Pölten. Photo: Georg Netter
Following the National Fund’s workshops for teachers at the old and new Jewish cemeteries in St. Pölten, several exciting projects were developed with the classes of the school teachers who took part.
One of these projects resulted in the remarkable photo exhibition "Living (with) Memory", implemented by pupils from classes 3A, 3B and 3DS at the Eybnerstraße School Centre (SZE St. Pölten) and supervised by teachers Mag. Martin Weber and Mag. Georg Netter. The exhibition features twelve selected photographs of the former synagogue and the two Jewish cemeteries in St. Pölten, accompanied by quotations from the Jewish philosopher and Auschwitz survivor Elie Wiesel, as well as from the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible).
The photos were taken during a field trip under the motto “Learning on site: Focus on Jewish History”.
📍Bildungshaus St. Hippolyt, St. Pölten 📅Until 9 February 2026
👉More information here: https://www.hlwstpoelten.ac.at/mit-erinnerung-leben
💬Contemporary Witness Seminar 2026 in Vienna
Photo: OeAD/APA-Fotoservice/Rastegar
The Contemporary Witness Seminar, Austria’s largest training event for teachers on contemporary witness work, will take place on 8 and 9 March 2026 in Vienna. To coincide with ERINNERN:AT’s 2026 annual focus on “50th Anniversary of the Ethnic Minorities Act”, the seminar will explore national minorities, paying particular attention to the Carinthian Slovenes/Koroški Slovenci and Slovenke and their persecution during the Nazi era. Teachers will also have the opportunity to meet Holocaust survivors and learn how to organise and facilitate eyewitness discussions. Registration is open until 10 February.
For more information on the programme and to register:👉https://www.erinnern.at/zeitzeuginnen-seminar-2026
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Best regards,
Your team at the National Fund