The Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies at The University of Texas at Dallas hosted two internationally-renowned researchers of genocide, human rights, and the Holocaust for the 54th Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches (ASC).
Marco Gonzalez, director of Yahad-In Unum, an organization dedicated to uncovering and documenting genocidal practices worldwide, and Charlotte Schallié, professor of Germanic studies and chair of the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies at the University of Victoria, discussed the history of the Holocaust and how its memory has been preserved and transmitted on March 3.
Both lectures, “The Legacy of the Holocaust by Bullets in Contemporary Mass Crimes and Genocides,” and “But I Live: Three Stories of Child Survivors of the Holocaust” were in conjunction with the 54th ASC, a yearly convention that addresses the historical significance of the Holocaust through interfaith, international, and interdisciplinary scholarship.
Established in 1974 by Franklin H. Littell and Hubert G. Locke, the ASC was held in the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center from March 2 through March 4. The conference provided an invaluable forum for scholars to discuss and advance Holocaust research, ensuring that the Holocaust’s valuable lessons remain relevant to today’s world.
The Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies invited all campus members and the broader D-FW community to attend the presentations and keynote speakers free of charge. Pre-registration was required.
Yahad – In Unum (“together” in Hebrew and “one” in Latin) is a Paris-based organization established in 2004 by Father Patrick Desbois that focuses on identifying the sites of Jewish and Roma mass executions by Nazi mobile-killing units in Eastern Europe during World War II. His mission is to uncover facts of genocidal practices and provide a voice of protest on behalf of all victims and potential victims of genocide.
On Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, The Ackerman Center hosted Desbois, a Catholic priest, Georgetown University’s Center for Jewish Civilization faculty member, and Yahad–In Unum founder, as part of the Burton C. Einspruch Holocaust Lecture Series.
During his visit, The Ackerman Center granted Desbois the Eternal Flame Award. The center gives the Eternal Flame Award to acknowledge individuals whose words and actions have endeavored to assure that we remember the horrific past and murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust and to build a better future for all humanity.
In conjunction with Father Desbois’ visit, The Ackerman Center and The Bass School displayed “Women at the Frontline of Mass Violence Worldwide,” a Yahad –In Unum installment featuring images and testimonies of women who were victims of mass violence.
The temporary exhibition, housed at the east wing of the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Bldg. (ATC) through March 8, featured 19 intimate portraits (each 24 by 36 inches) and testimonial excerpts in text and video of women who survived state-sponsored atrocities.
After more than 12 years of field investigation on the Holocaust by Bullets and contemporary mass crime, Yahad – In Unum’s exhibit “Women at the Frontline of Mass Violence Worldwide” aims to give a voice to women who were victims of genocide. The installment features research and stories of mass violence survivors from various regions and periods, such as:
– The extermination of Jews by Einsatzgruppen (mobile-killing units) in the Nazi-occupied Soviet territories during WWII.
– The genocide of the Roma people in Eastern Europe between 1941 and 1944.
– The attacks and massacres of the indigenous communities during Guatemala’s armed conflict between 1960 and 1996.
– The Yazidi genocide in Iraq and Syria by ISIS militants in the mid-2010s.