VHEC Executive Director Appointed to International Steering Board of New International Digital Holocaust Memory Award
Hannah Marazzi, Executive Director of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre.
VANCOUVER, B.C. — June 3, 2026 — The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC) is pleased to announce that Executive Director Hannah Marazzi has been appointed to the International Steering Board of the newly established Hilda Dajč International Digital Holocaust Memory Award, the world’s first international award dedicated to recognizing excellence in digital Holocaust remembrance.
Launched through a partnership between Terraforming, a leading Serbian organization dedicated to Holocaust education and remembrance, and the Landecker Digital Memory Lab at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, the award recognizes excellence, ethical integrity and innovation in the digital memorialization of the Holocaust.
The award honours Hilda Dajč, a Jewish architecture student and volunteer nurse who was murdered in 1942 at the Judenlager Semlin (Staro Sajmište) camp in Belgrade, Serbia. Her four letters from the camp are among the most moving and important testimonies of the Holocaust.
“As Holocaust distortion, denial and antisemitism continue to spread online, international collaboration has never been more important,” said Marazzi.
“Digital technologies are transforming how younger generations engage with history. This initiative will help ensure that Holocaust remembrance remains accurate, meaningful and grounded in survivor testimony while embracing innovative approaches to education and memorialization. I am honoured to contribute to this important global effort.”
Marazzi joins an international steering board composed of experts from leading Holocaust remembrance, archival, educational and research institutions around the world, including Arolsen Archives (Germany), the Ghetto Fighters’ House Museum (Israel), the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the Jewish Heritage Network and European Memory Data Space (Netherlands), iRights.Lab (Germany), the Memorial Center Staro Sajmište (Serbia) and the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale University.
The Hilda Dajč International Digital Holocaust Memory Award was created in response to growing concerns about Holocaust distortion and misinformation in digital spaces, as well as the need to strengthen democratic values through education and remembrance. The award seeks to elevate the relevance of Holocaust memory for younger generations, drive innovation in digital remembrance, establish international standards for digital Holocaust education and foster shared responsibility in countering antisemitism and Holocaust denial.
Image courtesy of Terraforming.
Projects will be evaluated on criteria including technological sophistication and creativity, pedagogical impact and youth engagement, collaborative digital ecosystems and the amplification of marginalized and overlooked Holocaust histories.
Founded in 1994 by Holocaust survivors, the VHEC is one of Canada’s leading Holocaust education institutions and is home to Western Canada’s largest Holocaust-related archive and library. The Centre was among the early pioneers in recording Holocaust survivor testimonies on video and continues to develop innovative educational programs that connect Holocaust history to contemporary issues of antisemitism and human rights.
Marazzi’s appointment strengthens the VHEC’s role within the international Holocaust remembrance community and underscores the Centre’s commitment to ensuring Holocaust memory remains accessible, relevant and resilient in the digital age.
