(Communicated by the MFA Spokesman)
Israel assumed chairmanship of the International Task Force on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF) at a handover ceremony, which was held at the Norwegian Embassy in Berlin on March 4th 2010. At the ceremony, the chairmanship was transferred from Norway to Israel. The new chairman of the ITF for this year is former Knesset Speaker Dan Tichon, who has taken over from his Norwegian predecessor, Ambassador Tom Vraalsen. The Israeli delegation is comprised of members from the Foreign Ministry and Yad Vashem.
The International Task Force currently consists of 27 member states, including many European states, the US, Canada, Argentina and Israel. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Stockholm Declaration in which the ITF was established. The ITF Secretariat is situated in Berlin. In addition to the organization's work in Holocaust education, commemoration and research, the ITF has now established a committee which will deal with combating modern anti-Semitism.
During the Israeli Chairmanship, four conferences will be held by the ITF in Israel to integrate new initiatives such as distance learning, working with decision makers and expanding the circle of member states. For the first time since its inception, the ITF will grant scholarships in the field of Holocaust research.