The Holocaust Studies Forum
Inaugurated in fall 2009, the Holocaust Studies Forum connects top scholars in the field of Holocaust research with American University students and the broader public in a series of lectures and discussions. The Holocaust Studies Forum is jointly sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program, Department of History, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Center's Advanced Holocaust Studies.
Here are a few examples of past lectures:
"Holding on to Humanity: The Cultural Life in Terezin and its Place in Postwar Memory," Anna Hajkova, Ph.D. Candidate in History at the University of Toronto, and Ben and Zelda Cohen, Fellow at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies
"Blindness or Complacency? Why Did So Many German Jews Wait So Long to Leave Nazi German?", Mark Roseman, Professor in the Department of History, Pat M. Glazer, Chair of the Jewish Studies Program at Indiana University, and Ina Levine, Invitational Scholar of the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies.
"Babi Yar: The Holocaust by Bullets in Kiev and its Aftermath," Karel Berkhoff, Associate Professor, Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Sr., Scholar-in-Residence of the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies.
"Survival in Siberia: Polish Jewish Refugees in the Soviet Union During WWII," Eliyana Adler, Research Associate and Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff, Center for Jewish Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, and Sosland Foundation Fellow at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies.
For more information on this year's lectures, and our other work with the museum, visit the USHMM Opportunities Page.
Voices of Terezin
In the Spring 2010 semester the Jewish Studies Program, in cooperation with the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Performing Arts, the AU Bender Library, AU Abroad, and the Embassy of the Czech Republic, presented the Voices of Terezin Project. The Project brought together diverse elements of the American University community to commemorate the history of the Theresienstadt ghetto, a Nazi concentration camp located in what is now the Czech Republic. Through an array of performances, discussions, film showings, and exhibits, the project aimed to create a greater awareness of these events and foster further discussion about the legacy of the Holocaust. For more information about the events and their impact, visit the Project's homepage.
"Tough Guys" Documentary Film Series
In the spring 2010 semester the Jewish Studies Program collaborated with George Washington University's Judaic Studies Program to present a series of film screenings and discussion forums. The content was based on a program prepared by the Foundation for Jewish Culture, featuring three films on Jewish masculinity in the modern world. This program marked the first collaboration between the Jewish studies programs of AU and GW.
Guest Lectures
The program sponsors numerous guest lectures by renowned scholars from around the country. Here are a few of the highlights:
2010-2011
Sandra Scham, professor of Anthropology at CUA: "Gender, Archeology, and the Bible.
Eric Cline, GWU Professor of Classics and Archaeology: "Jerusalem Besieged: 4000 Years of conflict in the City of Peace."
Fred Lazin, Abensohn Visiting Professor in Israel Studies: "Jewish Influence in American Politics 1930's to the Present: The Issue of Jewish Refugees."
Devorah Schoenfeld, Assistant Professor of Theology and Jewish Studies at Loyola University Chicago: "Medieval Jewish Proofs for the Existence of God."
Richard Breitman, Professor of History, American University: "Hitler's Shadow: Nazi War Criminals, U.S. Intelligence, and the Cold War."
Scholarships
Thanks to our generous supporters, the following students received scholarships and awards.
2010-2011
Kristina Berinson, Jane and Jerrold Goodman Scholarship
Lisa Paquette, Jane and Jerrold Goodman Scholarship
Eleanor Rose, Jane and Jerrold Goodman Scholarship
Renee Best, Everett and Marion Gordon Scholarship
Becca Levy, Stephen and Lynn Greenfield Scholarship
2009-2010
Rebecca Levy, Stephen and Lynn Greenfield Scholarship
Megan Evans, Stephen and Lynn Greenfield Scholarship
Julie Finkel, Jane and Jerrold Goodman Scholarship
Carolyn Wilson, Jane and Jerrold Goodman Scholarship
2008-2009
Julie Finkel, Judaic Arts and Studies Scholarship
Stephanie Schey, Everett and Marion Gordon Scholarship
Carolyn Kunst, Jane and Jerrold Goodman Scholarship
