Bavaria Seeks to Host Branch of Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial

The state of Bavaria is actively campaigning to host the first branch of the Israeli Holocaust Memorial, Yad Vashem, within Germany. An inter-party motion backed by all democratic factions was approved yesterday by the Bavarian State Parliament in Munich (Landtag in München). According to the CSU parliamentary group, the decision sends a strong signal for memorial work, political education, and the resolute fight against antisemitism. The establishment of a branch of the Yad Vashem Education Center in Jerusalem on German soil is already confirmed. Following an initial feasibility study, three federal states remain in contention to host the site: Saxony (Sachsen), North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen), and Bavaria. A final decision is expected in the first half of 2026, as reported by NT24, citing merkur.

CSU parliamentary leader Holetschek stated that such an international educational center would combine Bavaria’s rich Jewish history and memorial landscape with the unique expertise of Yad Vashem. He emphasized that this creates an opportunity to introduce innovative educational formats and highlight the victims’ perspective more strongly in schools and universities. He added that Bavaria, where Nazism gained an early foothold and which hosts two central sites of NS terror—the concentration camps of Dachau and Flossenbürg—bears a special responsibility. The initial plan to establish such an educational center in Germany originated with the "traffic light" coalition (Ampel-Regierung) led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).

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