Ambassador Gras holds a Master’s Degree in German Language and Literature and General Linguistics and a Master’s Degree in German History, Politics and Literature from the University of Zagreb. She completed a one-year programme at the Diplomatic Academy in Zagreb and the Diplomatenkolleg at the Diplomatic Academy of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. Furthermore, she earned a certificate in European Governance from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, as well as Harvard Kennedy School certificates in Leadership for the 21st Century and the Digitization of Public Services.

Within the Future of Remembrance Initiative, which is the hallmark of the Croatian IHRA Presidency, Ms. Gras’s priorities as Co-Chair of the IHRA will be the roll-out of the campaign on countering racism and antisemitism in sports, enforcement of the three IHRA working definitions, and outreach of the IHRA to its permanent international partners.

 

Sara Lustig is the Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia for Holocaust Issues, Combating Antisemitism, and Relations with Jewish Organizations and Communities. In this capacity, she serves as Croatia’s representative in the EU Working Group on the implementation of the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. Yielding over a decade of experience within the Croatian government, she has served as advisor to Ministers of European and Foreign Affairs, the Office of the President and Senior Expert Advisor at the Office of the National Security Council.

Ms. Lustig started her career in book publishing in New York City, where she worked as a literary agent and in various roles at HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Welcome Books, later an imprint of Rizzoli International Publications, while simultaneously obtaining a Master of Science in Book Publishing and Editing at NYU, with a dissertation on intellectual property and developing technology. In 2006, Ms. Lustig decided to continue her legal education at New York Law School, where her mentor was Professor Nadine Strossen, president of the ACLU (1991-2008). Inspired by the courage of Professor Strossen’s convictions, Ms. Lustig moved to The Hague in order to work as assistant defense counsel at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, as she completed her Juris Doctor at Leiden University, where she specialized in International Humanitarian Law. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology from Duke University.

Our generation is the last to have had the opportunity to interact and learn from Holocaust survivors. Driven by this urgency and knowing that the collective truth of the survivors will forever counter Holocaust denial and distortion, Ms. Lustig’s mission is ensuring that the legacy of the Shoah is preserved by next generations and that testimony continues to make an impact, especially through advancements in digital technologies. Her priorities as Co-Chair of the IHRA are developing the future of global Holocaust remembrance, focusing on the IHRA’s original goal of preventing genocide and mass atrocity crimes, strengthening the #ProtectTheFacts campaign against Holocaust distortion and the IHRA’s outreach to its permanent international partners.