Conference to Convene in NYC
Nov. 20-21 at Museum of Jewish Heritage
An impressive roster of international scholars, including Dalia Rabin and Special Envoy to the US State Department, Hannah Rosenthal, will come together on Sunday, Nov. 19 and Monday, Nov. 20 to look at the past 60 years of Holocaust education in Europe and the United States. This conference aims to recognize that Holocaust Education in the past often relied on survivors. As time goes on and survivors pass away, educators now need to ask the question of how to engage youth in caring about the tragedy of the Holocaust.  The conference will develop new methods, media, and tools for helping future generations appreciate the magnitude of this and other genocides.
“As the child of a Holocaust survivor, and as the mother of a teenage son who witnessed 9-11 at very close range, I knew we needed to find some way to bridge these two worlds. I kept asking how the lessons of the Holocaust and the horrors of hatred could be made relevant to my son’s generation in a way that felt compelling and authentic. This conference is the answer to that question,” says conference organizer and filmmaker Linda Mills.
Panels will focus on the different dimensions of transmission of the history of the Holocaust and will consider the incorporation of print, radio, photography, film, YouTube, and the Internet into education about the Shoah. Other more recent genocides will also be examined and considered for their impact on the future of Holocaust remembrance and education.
The conference concludes with a screening of the award-winning film: Auf Wiedersehen, Til We Meet Again with an introduction by Martin Lipton at 5:45pm. A post-screening discussion will feature filmmakers Linda G. Mills and Peter Goodrich, as well as Dalia Rabin and Hannah Rosenthal. The conference takes place at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in Lower Manhattan and is free, but registration is required. For more information, please contact Danielle Emery at danielle.emery@nyu.edu.
Lynn Videka, Dean of the NYU Silver School of Social Work, says, “There has never been a more important time than now to examine genocide, the trauma families suffer, and how genocide is taught to the nation’s youth. Genocide is an ongoing issue for the world, and we must do to our part to help prevent history from repeating itself. A commitment to social justice is a hallmark of the social work profession, and the NYU Silver School of Social Work is proud to support this conference.”
The role of colleges and universities in educating the public about atrocity cannot be understated. Co-sponsors of the two-day event are The Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University; Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust; Law and Humanities Institute; NYU Center on Violence and Recovery; NYU Silver School of Social Work; and The Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at NYU.
David Rittberg, Director of The Bronfman Center, says, “The Bronfman Center at NYU values young Americans feeling an intimate connection to the Holocaust. As the torch of memory passes from survivors to younger generations, the question that arises is how to honor the singularity of the Holocaust, while giving young people the tools to apply its message towards contemporary challenges. Holocaust consciousness has been a motivating impulse for the mobilization of youth towards genocide awareness and humanitarian causes.”
Richard Weisberg, Director of the Law and Humanities Institute, says, “Law intertwines with morality from time to time and is never completely powerless in the face of immorality; we need to learn that we have choices and to make them fittingly. This conference provides a unique opportunity to contribute to the curriculum that will influence the next generation’s sense of morality, justice, and right.”
Peter Goodrich, Professor of Law at Cardozo University, says, “This is a hugely important topic for any lawyer interested in human rights, international criminal law, restitution, or simple humanism.
Luminaries in the world of Holocaust and Genocide education, filmmaking, technology, religious studies, law and other related areas will provide observations of the field and tools and techniques for teaching about atrocity.