Visit from Washington Expanding Transatlantic Research Collaboration
On February 23rd, 2026, Dr. Paul A. Shapiro, Director of International Affairs at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, visited the Research Center on Antigypsyism (RCA) at Heidelberg University. Andrea Bertrand, Program Manager for International Audiences & Initiative on Holocaust Denial and Antisemitism, accompanied him during his visit in Heidelberg. This visit built upon the existing institutional ties and ongoing scholarly exchange between the two institutions.
During discussions with the Academic Director of the RCA, Dr. Frank Reuter, the focus was on prospects for expanding transatlantic research collaboration. Particular attention was given to potential cooperation with two projects: the editorial project “Sources on the Nazi Genocide of the Sinti and Roma in Europe” (Director: Dr. Karola Fings) and the Critical Film & Image Hub (Director: Dr. Radmila Mladenova; Coordinator: Jonathan Mack-Sroka).
Specific ways of working together on the editorial project were explored. The extensive collections of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum offer important opportunities for strengthening scholarly exchange in this field.
In the afternoon, Dr. Shapiro and the Critical Film & Image Hub team discussed potential areas for cooperation, particularly about international educational formats and the role of audiovisual media in historical interpretation and memory culture.
A further point of connection is the International Research Workshop “Romani Responses to Persecution: Transnational Histories of Repression and Resistance (1850–1950),” scheduled to take place at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in July 2026. The workshop is convened by the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies in cooperation with RCA Post-Doc Verena Meier and Adrian-Nicolae Furtună (Romanian Academy and National Centre of Roma Culture).
The visit underscores the importance of ongoing international partnerships in advancing research into and public awareness of the Nazi genocide of the Sinti and Roma.