Two representatives from KSC have been awarded fellowships to the first European Summer Institute on the Holocaust and Jewish Civilization at the Royal Holloway campus, Egham, Surrey in England, this summer: Dr. Nona Fienberg, who will be moving from her current position as  dean of Arts & Humanities in June to teach in the Holocaust and Genocide Studies Department, and Economics Professor Patrick Dolenc. This intensive, two-week residential program is designed to broaden the background of postgraduates in Holocaust studies, early career academics, and educators in relevant fields. The curriculum consists of courses, lectures, and seminars taught by leading scholars on such themes as the history of Jews and Judaism in Europe, Holocaust history, the Holocaust in literature and film, and the Holocaust and modern thought.

James Waller, Professor and Cohen Chair for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Professor and Cohen Chair for Holocaust and Genocide Studies James Waller has been invited to attend a dinner at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, on April 18, honoring Aung San Suu Kyi. The Memorial Museum will grant Suu Kyi, who won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her pro-democracy work in her native Burma, with the Elie Wiesel Award, the Museum’s highest honor.

“I am particularly thrilled to have the opportunity to be present for Aung San Suu Kyi’s award,” Dr. Waller explained. “I think that what is happening in Myanmar/Burma is forcing us to rethink genocide prevention in some fundamental (and very encouraging) ways. Last year at this time, I was telling audiences that Burma was the most likely country in the world to engage in genocide. It really stood on the precipice of mass atrocity, and my standard line was ‘the only surprise is that genocide hasn’t happened yet in Burma,’ because every other risk factor was well in place. Now, just months later, free, democratic elections are on the horizon. It’s really amazing—this most encouraging lesson in genocide prevention is that it’s never too late. As long as a country hasn’t yet reached that falling off point, there’s still hope.”

Dr. Waller is also invited to participate as a featured speaker in the Museum’s annual Days of Remembrance luncheon on April 19. Broadcast journalist Marvin Kalb, and Shankhar Vedantum, author of The Hidden Brain, will moderate the luncheon program, which will focus on understanding how the Holocaust was made possible by everyday people. Dr. Waller’s research for his book, Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing (Oxford), will be particularly relevant to the discussion.

Dr. Jim Waller

Dr. James Waller, Cohen Endowed Chair of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and author of Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide, was commended by the California State Senate at the Third International Conference on Genocide, Negationism, Revisionism, Survivors’ Testimonies, Eyewitness Accounts, Justice, and Memory on November 2–4, 2011.
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The Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies has been one of the centers/museums selected to pilot the Anti-Defamation League, USC Shoah Foundation Institute, and Yad Vashem’s Multimedia Curriculum on the Holocaust, Echoes and Reflections. Designed for middle and high school teachers, Echoes and Reflections examines the ways in which Jewish communities and culture throughout Europe were impacted by the Holocaust and provides works of literature, photographs, filmed Survivor testimonials, and other resources for educators to incorporate in their classrooms.

The Cohen Center is recognized as an “Echoes and Reflections Approved Training Center” and will deliver workshops to the New England region. Heading this pilot program will be Glenda McFadden, Cohen Center and Jewish Foundation for the Righteous Lerner Fellow, who received training in NYC. Ms. McFadden is a recipient of the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous‘ Goldman Award for Excellence in Holocaust Education and teaches at Nashua (NH) Catholic Junior High School.

Fr. Desbois speaking at KSC's 14th Annual Holocaust Memorial Lecture

Father Patrick Desbois‘ presentation at KSC’s 14th Annual Holocaust Memorial Lecture was featured in the latest edition of the newsletter from Yahad – In Unum, a research organization investigating the mass executions of 1.5 million Jews and Roma/Gypsy people in Eastern Europe between 1941 and 1944. While he was here, Fr. Desbois also met with Holocaust and Genocide Studies majors to discuss his book, “Holocaust by Bullets” and was interviewed on NH Public Radio’s All Things Considered.