Yehuda Bauer came to the Land of Israel with his family from Prague in early 1939, at the age of
13, and was thus spared from the Holocaust. During Israel's War of Independence (1947-49) he
served and fought in pre-State paramilitary units and later in the Israel Defense Forces. After
that war, he pursued academic studies in Israel and Wales and entered into Holocaust research
at the urging of the Jewish partisan hero, Abba Kovner.
Bauer was one of the founders of Yad Vashem's International Institute for Holocaust Research,
where he served as its head and for many years as Academic Advisor. He also founded Hebrew
University's Sassoon Center for the Study of Antisemitism, as well as the journal Holocaust and
Genocide Studies.
Together with Professor Israel Gutman, Bauer established what came to be known as the
"Jerusalem school of Holocaust studies" which emphasizes the study of the Shoah from its
distinct Jewish perspective but without ignoring wider contexts and meanings. Bauer mentored
scores of young researchers, many of whom eventually become key Holocaust scholars.
Bauer articulated central concepts in understanding the Holocaust, such as its
"unprecedentedness", as well as the centrality of anti-Semitic ideology as the motivation for Nazi
perpetration of the Holocaust.
Professor Bauer was internationally renowned as a compelling speaker who greatly furthered
public awareness and knowledge about the Holocaust. He was instrumental in the founding of
the ITF, the precursor of IHRA, serving as its first academic advisor and continuing as IHRA's
active and revered Honorary Chair until shortly before his passing. He guided the organization as
it grew and developed. Later in his life, he also became active in the Global Action Against Mass
Atrocity Crimes (GAAMAC).
In numerous capacities and frameworks, Professor Bauer facilitated the building of international
consensus regarding the importance of Holocaust research, education and remembrance.
Whether through his captivating speeches or his thorough scholarship, Bauer reminded world
leaders and students alike that “antisemitism is not a Jewish problem. It is a problem for all the
societies in which it grows” – and he underlined the role each of us must play in countering it.
Yehuda Bauer is survived by two daughters, six grandchildren and six great grandchildren. His
memory is cherished by all who hold Holocaust research and remembrance dear.