History of Yad Vashem

The Development Project - a Vision of the Future

Yad Vashem is in the midst a major development project designed to meet the growing needs of its many visitors, and to expand its research, documentation and educational activities. In 1993 Yad Vashem embarked on the comprehensive development plan "Yad Vashem 2001", designed to preserve the Remembrance Authority's central position in the third millennium.

The International School for Holocaust Studies and the new Archives and Library building were constructed, and emphasis was placed on continuing the collection of documentation and the use of advanced technology in order to make Yad Vashem's extensive databases accessible by the general public. The International Institute for Holocaust Research was established. A new Entrance Complex, including a Visitors' Center is nearing completion, and a new Museum Complex is scheduled to open in September 2004. The development plan will enable Yad Vashem to continue to fulfill its obligations well into the future. The State of Israel, the Claims Conference, the Jewish Agency and Yad Vashem societies around the world are partners in this project, which will cost approximately 100 million dollars. Yad Vashem together with assistance of Friends of Yad Vashem Worldwide, is raising much of the funding in an Israel-Diaspora partnership campaign.