Skip to main content

Regional Institutes

HEFNU offers Regional Institutes in order to develop regional networks of Holocaust scholars and teachers. Each intensive seminar brings together experts on Holocaust-related topics with professors who teach or want to teach a Holocaust course on that topic. In addition to deep and focused discussion, attendees have the opportunity to learn from and engage with each other, and to build support for Holocaust education locally.

 

REGIONAL INSTITUTE: LOS ANGELES

 

"Acts of Translation: Personal Stories in a Post-Survivor World"

Loyola Marymount University

February 28-March 2, 2026

Application Deadline: November 30, 2025

Apply Here

The Holocaust Educational Foundation of Northwestern University (HEFNU) and Loyola Marymount University are pleased to announce the Spring 2026 Regional Institute on “Acts of Translation: Personal Stories in a Post-survivor World,” which will take place February 28-March 2, 2026, at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.

This HEFNU Regional Institute explores the complex state of Holocaust memory, particularly focusing on its (necessary) translation over time in graphic novels, film, theatre, the digital landscape, and material culture. The Institute recognizes that Holocaust memory neither recedes into the past nor remains static; rather, it functions as a powerful reference point in the present, shaping contemporary discussions on a host of related (and sometimes unrelated) topics. With an interest in examining digital futures and innovative art and media, coupled with pedagogical demonstrations, the Institute will unpack ways of translating Holocaust memory for new generations. The fading of first-hand testimonies, coupled with the rise of digital technology, has further complicated Holocaust memory, making acts of translation necessary to convey personal stories in a post-survivor world.

Central to the Institute is exploring the translation of various acts of testimony into something useful and effective for public/classroom interactions. With access to local resources such as the Shoah Foundation, the Museum of Tolerance, the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, UCLA, USC and a number of other universities, institutes, libraries, and their associated experts, participants will find the process of making meaning from diverse sources a profound takeaway. Moreover, with close access to local histories of survivors, emphasis will be placed on ethical and effective strategies for interpreting and presenting these and other personal narratives to diverse audiences.

The Institute aims to be helpful to fellows looking to develop a course in Holocaust memory, as well as those who wish to add a module on memory to their surveys of Holocaust history. 

Doris Bergen (University of Toronto) will deliver the keynote. Teaching faculty include:  

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 Southern California 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 Los Angeles or the (low) cost of assigned materials.

To apply, please submit the following materials in a single PDF:  

Also required (current graduate students only):

Apply here by 11/30/2025 : https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/76708/submitter 

 

You can find information about past regional institutes here