Arizona Tribune - Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Hosts 26 U.N. Diplomats on Holocaust Education Visit to Poland

OŚWIĘCIM, POLAND / ACCESS Newswire / February 23, 2026 / The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation hosted representatives from 26 U.N. missions for a multi-day educational visit to Poland focused on Holocaust remembrance and confronting bigotry, hate and antisemitism.

The delegation, led by Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon included 21 ambassadors and five deputy permanent representatives to the United Nations from Albania, Australia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Haiti, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Micronesia, Moldova, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Romania, Rwanda, Samoa, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu and Zambia.

The program began in Kraków with a reception at the Galicia Jewish Museum. During the event, Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Director General Jack Simony commended Ambassador Danon, noting his tireless advocacy for the Jewish people and his moral clarity and conviction in ensuring their voice is heard in the international arena. Simony then shared the Foundation's mission to transform Holocaust memory into action and to confront rising antisemitism and extremism through education and leadership engagement.

Ambassador Danon then addressed the diplomats about the destruction of European Jewry and the moral responsibility of world leaders in the face of escalating hatred, and the Rwandan Ambassador reflected on the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, drawing connections between Rwanda's experience and the Holocaust and underscoring the responsibility of the international community to act with moral clarity in the face of incitement and mass violence.

During their trip, the group traveled to Auschwitz, the former Nazi concentration and extermination camp where more than 1.1 million people, most of them Jews, were murdered. The ambassadors toured the grounds, barracks and memorials, engaging in discussions about historical memory, the consequences of unchecked hatred and the role of international institutions in preventing future atrocities.

They also visited the Auschwitz Jewish Center campus in Oświęcim which includes the only surviving synagogue in the town that was once home to a thriving Jewish community and now serves as a museum and education center dedicated to translating Holocaust memory into action. There, participants learned about the city's vibrant prewar Jewish life and the near-total destruction of the community during the Holocaust, as well as the Center's ongoing educational initiatives.

"Auschwitz stands as the site of the systematic destruction of European Jewry, but it also stands as a warning to the world. When diplomats walk these grounds together, memory is no longer abstract and responsibility becomes personal. Our mission is to ensure that the lessons of Jewish history strengthen the resolve of leaders to confront antisemitism and defend the dignity of every human being," said Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Director General Jack Simony.

"At a time of rising division around the world, building meaningful bridges with U.N. ambassadors is not just important, it is essential," said Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Chairman Simon Bergson. "When senior diplomats walk through Auschwitz together, they do more than observe history; they build relationships rooted in truth and shared responsibility, strengthening the resolve of global leaders to turn remembrance into meaningful action."

The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the lessons learned from the Holocaust to combat hatred and bigotry through educational programs and by providing direct humanitarian aid to victims of mass atrocities. It supports survivors of genocides and other tragedies, including Ukrainian refugees and those impacted by Hamas's October 7 attacks. The Foundation maintains the Auschwitz Jewish Center, the last remaining synagogue in Oświęcim (Auschwitz) and serves as the primary institution dedicated to preserving the memory of the town's Jewish community while addressing hate. To date, over a million people have visited the center, more than 300,000 students participated in its educational programs and tens of thousands of diplomats, military and law enforcement personnel and educators, have taken part in its educational initiatives on tolerance and the Holocaust. For more information, visit: https://ajcfus.org/.

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Contact: Joshua Steinreich
Steinreich Communications
Tel: 212-491-1600
[email protected]

SOURCE: Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

N.Mitchell--AT