The SHEMA Association — Society for History, Education and Active Memory — was officially presented to the public on Thursday, 24 September, at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon. The launch event took place at the Centre for English, Translation and Anglo-Portuguese Studies (CETAPS), formerly known as the Centre for English Studies (CEAUL).
Formally established in June 2025, the Portuguese non-profit organisation brings together researchers and academics working primarily in Holocaust Studies, Jewish Studies, translation, education, and historical memory.
SHEMA's main objectives include promoting Holocaust education and research, supporting secondary and higher education, and contributing to the protection of human rights and the advancement of historical justice. The association also aims to develop educational resources to counter disinformation, Holocaust distortion, and antisemitism.
Media literacy is another key area of activity, with the association seeking to develop and provide educational tools for teachers, students, and policymakers. SHEMA is also involved in transnational projects and consortia dedicated to producing digital educational resources and raising awareness of the importance of historical remembrance.
The founding members of SHEMA have a history of collaboration with Portuguese and international institutions, including the USC Shoah Foundation at the University of Southern California, the Zachor Foundation in Hungary, and the Portuguese association Memoshoá. These partnerships have focused particularly on Holocaust education, the preservation of survivor testimonies, and the promotion of human rights.
The association is chaired by Zsófia Gombár, a researcher and coordinator of the Research Group in Reception and Translation Studies at CEAUL/ULICES, University of Lisbon. Her research interests include Holocaust education, censorship studies, translation history, the history of education, and the history of sexual minorities.
Gombár also coordinates the project "Remembering the Past, Learning for the Future", which focuses on Holocaust education and the transmission of historical memory to younger generations.
With its official launch in Lisbon, SHEMA aims to strengthen cooperation between academic research, education, and historical remembrance initiatives, promoting historical knowledge as a means of encouraging critical reflection on human rights, discrimination, and intolerance.
The association's official website is currently being updated. In the meantime, SHEMA encourages those interested in exploring its previous educational and digital initiatives to consult the Portuguese-language resources and testimonies available through IWitness, the educational platform developed by the USC Shoah Foundation.
