About EHRI-PL
The European Holocaust Research Infrastructure-European Research Infrastructure Consortium (EHRI-ERIC), established in 2025, is the first transnational organisation bringing together key institutions in the interdisciplinary field of Holocaust documentation and research. Its goals are to provide access to scattered archival sources, to promote innovative archival source research and education, and to preserve the common European heritage for future generations. Poland is one of the founding members of EHRI-ERIC. Within this infrastructure, the Polish National Node (EHRI-PL) was established as a consortium of three institutions conducting multifaceted archival and scientific research on the Holocaust: Jewish Historical Institute (EHRI-PL coordinator), Polish Center for Holocaust Research at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Philip Friedman Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Łódź (partners).
The EHRI Polish National Node (EHRI-PL) supports EHRI’s aims by carrying out scientific research, and also remembrance and educational activities that are relevant to Poland while also taking into account regional differences and promoting transnational research.
The EHRI-PL consortium will undertake activities that pursue the strategic objectives of the EHRI-ERIC international research infrastructure in five main areas:
- broad international access to Holocaust-related archival sources; integration with the EHRI portal of collections of institutions with thematically relevant resources, including work on their digitization and processing in accordance with the methodology of digital humanities;
- initiating and strengthening cooperation between researchers from national and international centers, including: delineating new research directions and methodological approaches, international exchanges (fellowships, webinars, conferences), support for researchers working on the topic of the Holocaust;
- developing and making available data and findings from research done by Polish scholars through EHRI online services (Geospatial Repository, Document Blog, Online Editions) in cooperation with other National Nodes;
- international cooperation in the EHRI-ERIC consortium through participation in the Committee of National Coordinators and the working groups;
- disseminating the activities of the EHRI-PL and EHRI-ERIC consortium (debates, seminars).
The proposed activities are aimed at realizing the mission of EHRI and increasing awareness of the EHRI network and its potential for use in scientific and educational work, which will increase recognition of the social, cultural and political importance of the EHRI-ERIC network.
EHRI’s impact is primarily scientific. However, the infrastructure also pursues a broader social and political agenda. The recent rise of antisemitism, xenophobia and aggressive nationalisms in Europe and beyond demonstrate that Holocaust research is never a purely academic concern but a prerequisite for open and non-discriminatory societies across Europe and the world.