Debate: "Holocaust Research after October 7, 2023: Changes, Continuities, Challenges"
On October 9, 2025, the first debate in the new series Ethics in Holocaust Research was held at the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute. The debate was entitled Holocaust Research after October 7, 2023: Changes, Continuities, Challenges.
The discussion, moderated by the Director of the Jewish Historical Institute, Dr. Michał Trębacz, featured the following participants:
- Prof. Barbara Engelking
- Prof. Magdalena Saryusz-Wolska
- Prof. Michał Bilewicz
- Dr. Kamil Kijek
Leading Holocaust researchers from major academic institutions discussed how the Hamas attack of October 2023 and the ensuing war in Gaza have affected, and continue to affect, scholarly research on the Holocaust.
The conflict in the Middle East has arguably never before had such a profound impact on academic and museum communities. University protests, calls to boycott Israeli scholars, and declining interest in Jewish studies are just some of the consequences of the ongoing war.
In the face of accusations waged against Israel of war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and even genocide, Holocaust researchers find themselves under moral pressure to take a public stance. The participants of the debate reflected on how academic circles respond to these pressures. They also discussed the changing role of research and cultural institutions, as well as the future of Holocaust studies in the context of global tensions and conflicts. The event inaugurated the activities of the Polish National Node of EHRI-PL.
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