“Holocaust Memory in the Twenty-First Century”

HEFNU Regional Institute on the Holocaust and Jewish Civilization

Atlanta, GA, February 26-28, 2025

Applications have closed

The Holocaust Educational Foundation of Northwestern University (HEFNU) and Emory University are pleased to announce the Spring 2025 Regional Institute on “Holocaust Memory in the Twenty-First Century,” which will take place on February 26-28, 2025 at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Almost a century after the Holocaust, its memory neither recedes into the past nor remains static. On the contrary: it functions as a powerful point of reference for the present while becoming increasingly contentious. This Regional Institute will explore the current state of Holocaust memory, focusing on its political uses, abuses, and distortions. Invoked for lessons on democracy and human rights, as well as weaponized to justify violence, Holocaust memory occupies a complex and fraught space, shaped by the fading of first-hand testimonies, digital technology, and ethnic nationalism. Various groups appropriate Holocaust memory to support their own narratives, leading to conflicts over how this history is commemorated and taught. And while memory scholars continuously complicate the notion of post-1945 successful reckoning with the past, Holocaust commemoration is often invoked as a model for coming to terms with other histories of racial discrimination, violence, and genocide.

All these developments, playing out in the media and popular culture, impact students’ pre-existing knowledge and opinions, necessitating the inclusion of critical reflection on Holocaust memory in any course on the subject. During the Institute, we will share experiences and exchange best practices for teaching these emotionally fraught and potentially contentious topics. This Institute will be equally helpful to Fellows looking to develop a course in Holocaust memory as well as those who would want to add a module on memory to their surveys of Holocaust history.  While the session topics will focus primarily on Holocaust memory in Europe, we will bring the role the Holocaust plays in American life into our discussions. In particular, we will reflect on how Holocaust memory can be taught in the US in a multidirectional way, in the context of ongoing confrontations with the legacies of slavery and anti-Black racism.

“Holocaust Memory in the Twenty-First Century” faculty and topics include:

• Natalia Aleksiun (University of Florida): Family and emotions in the history of the Holocaust
• Ari Joskowicz (Vanderbilt University): Memory of the Roma genocide
• Nikolai Kopsov (Georgia Tech): Politics of memory in Putin’s Russia
• Alicja Podbielska (Emory University): Holocaust memory in Poland
• Jelena Subotić (Georgia State University): Holocaust memory in post-communist Europe

Application Information:

Higher education faculty, museum professionals, and graduate students who have attended a HEFNU Summer Institute or who have previously taught courses on any aspect of the Holocaust or on Jewish civilization are encouraged to apply to become Regional Institute Fellows. We particularly welcome those who live and work in the Southeast or work at two-year institutions. A fellowship includes the cost of tuition, room, and board during the Institute. Fellowships do not cover travel expenses to and from Atlanta or the (low) cost of assigned materials.

To apply, please submit the following materials in a single PDF through the online application portal:  

• a cover letter of no more than 1.5 pages indicating your interest and intent to teach classes related to the topic
• A short CV (2 pages)
• a sample syllabus or exhibition plan of a Holocaust, Jewish History, or Jewish Civilization course/exhibition that you have used previously or plan to use (optional but encouraged)

Also required (current graduate students only):

• for graduate students, a letter of recommendation from a faculty member familiar with your work – sent separately to hef@northwestern.edu.

“Global Approaches to the Holocaust”

HEFNU Regional Institute on the Holocaust and Jewish Civilization

Omaha, Nebraska, April 3-5, 2025

Applications have closed

​​The Holocaust Educational Foundation of Northwestern University (HEFNU) and the Sam and Frances Fried Holocaust and Genocide Academy at the University of Nebraska at Omaha are pleased to announce the Spring 2025 Regional Institute on “Global Approaches to the Holocaust,” which will take place on April 3-5, 2025 in Omaha, Nebraska.

Scholars continue to challenge the idea that the Holocaust was an exclusively European project. Recent research exploring the history, memory and representation of the Holocaust has focused on countries in Asia, Africa, North and South America, the Middle East and Australia. The Omaha Regional Institute asks how does our understanding of the Holocaust change when we shift focus from a primarily European perspective and adopt a more global approach? What new insights are gained from exploring the impact of the Holocaust from outside Europe? How do countries that were not directly impacted by Nazi policies of occupation and extermination remember the Holocaust? What consequences does a global approach to the Holocaust entail?

The Omaha Regional Institute offers an opportunity for university-level instructors and museum professionals to expand their knowledge about the global dimensions of the Holocaust. The Regional Institute will focus especially on how the Holocaust has been approached in Africa, Asia, North and South America, and the Middle East. The institute’s teaching faculty include Mehnaz Afridi (Manhattan University), Rebecca Erbelding (Holocaust Historian and Author), Yael Siman (Iberoamericana University) and Ran Zwigenberg (Penn State). Edward Kissi (University of South Florida) will deliver the keynote lecture.

Application Information:

Higher education faculty and graduate students who have attended a HEFNU Summer Institute or who have previously taught courses on any aspect of the Holocaust or on Jewish History, Civilization, or Judaic Studies are encouraged to apply to become Regional Institute fellows. We particularly welcome those who live in the Midwest and/or work at two-year institutions. A fellowship includes the cost of tuition, room, and board during the Institute. Fellowships do not cover travel expenses to and from Omaha, NE or the possible minimal cost of assigned materials.

To apply, please send the following materials in a single PDF to the Fried Academy’s project and design manager, Angela Brown (friedacademy@unomaha.edu):

• a cover letter of no more than 1.5 pages indicating your interest and intent to teach classes related to the topic
• A short CV (2 pages)
• a sample syllabus or exhibition plan of a Holocaust, Jewish History, or Jewish Civilization course/exhibition that you have used previously or plan to use (optional but encouraged)

Also required (current graduate students only):

• for graduate students, a letter of recommendation from a faculty member familiar with your work - sent separately to Angela Brown (friedacademy@unomaha.edu)