Past Events

December 7th
“Operation Texas: LBJ and the Holocaust”

This workshop explored the claim that Lyndon Johnson, while a freshman congressman, led a clandestine rescue mission to save European Jews from the Holocaust. This workshop was made possible by a grant from the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission.

Read more and access the recording of this event by clicking here.

November 30th
“In Commemoration of The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women“
The Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies, the School of Arts and Humanities, and the School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication gathered in person to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of  Violence against Women with a series of short presentations from students, staff, faculty, and members of the community.

November 9th
“From Conviction To Freedom: Exonerating the Wrongfully Convicted“
This collaborative panel discussion was presented virtually by the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies, Southwest Jewish Congress, and the UTD Pre-Law Advising Center.

Moderator: 
– Gary Udashen, lead counsel or co-counsel on over 20 exonerations of wrongfully convicted persons.
Panelists:
– Richard Miles, an exoneree who served 15 years for a crime he did not commit
– Cynthia Garcia, Special Fields Bureau Chief of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office’s and Chief of the Conviction Integrity Unit
– Mike Ware, Executive Director at The Innocence Project of Texas

November 5th
Samantha Rose Hill, “Hannah Arendt”

Hannah Arendt is one of the most renowned political thinkers of the twentieth century and her work has never been more relevant than it is today. Born in Germany in 1906, Arendt published her first book at the age of 23, before turning away from the world of academic philosophy to reckon with the rise of the Third Reich. After the War, Arendt became one of the most prominent – and controversial – public intellectuals of her time, publishing influential works such as The Origins of Totalitarianism, The Human Condition, and Eichmann in Jerusalem. Samantha Rose Hill weaves together new biographical detail, archival documents, poems, and correspondence to reveal a woman whose passion for the life of the mind was nourished by her love of the world. The event is sponsored by the Center for Values in Medicine, Science, and Technology, The Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies, and the History and Philosophy Track at the School of Arts and Humanities, UT Dallas.

October 28th
“Witnessing Humanity”
The panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Nils Roemer, discussed witnesses of tragic events including martyrdom and testimonies of survivors. This event was presented in conjunction with the School of Arts & Humanities and other community partners.

October 21st
“Human Rights in a Turbulent Era”
Gráinne de Búrca, NYU Law
Florence Ellinwood Allen Professor of Law
Faculty Director, Hauser Global Law School
Director, Jean Monnet Center for International and Regional Economic Law & Justice

In recent years, human rights have come under fire, with the rise of political illiberalism and the empowerment of populist authoritarian leaders in many parts of the world who contest and dismiss the idea of human rights. More surprisingly, scholars and public intellectuals, from both the progressive and the conservative side of the political spectrum, have also been deeply critical, dismissing human rights as flawed, inadequate, hegemonic, or overreaching. While acknowledging some of the shortcomings, de Búrca presents an experimentalist account of the human rights movement and argues that it remains a powerful and appealing one with widespread traction in many parts of the globe. She draws on three case studies (of reproductive law reform in Ireland, disability activism in Argentina, and gender justice advocacy in Pakistan) to illuminate the importance and vibrancy of the movement around the world, and to show how it has helped to promote human rights and positive social change. Presented in conjunction with the Pre-Law Advising Center, UT Dallas.

October 5th
“The Surprising Global Legacy of Anne Frank”
Gillian Walnes Perry MBE
Speaker, lecturer, educator, and author
Co-founder and Honorary Vice President Anne Frank Trust UK

On October 5, 2021, the Ackerman Center hosted a special guest lecture, “The Surprising Global Legacy of Anne Frank,” given by Gillian Walnes Perry MBE, who is co-founder and Honorary Vice President of the Anne Frank Trust in the UK. She introduced her lecture by telling the audience that it was her mission to bring Anne Frank to life and give insight into her family’s background.

August 4th
Passage To Sweden Film Screening and Q&A

Passage to Sweden tells the lesser-known story of events occurring in Scandinavia and Budapest during WWII. It focuses on the extraordinary heroic actions of ordinary people who saved the lives of thousands of Jews and fellow countrymen. Special attention is paid to the Norwegian resistance, the citizens of Denmark, Raoul Wallenberg, and Count Folke Bernadotte, all of whom showed exemplary courage during the darkest of times. The recording of this live event can be found online here.

April 30th
“Learning from the Germans: Race and the Memory of Evil”
Dr. Susan Neiman, Director of the Einstein Forum

The Ackerman Center and the School of Arts and Humanities partnered to present “Learning from the Germans: Race and the Memory of Evil” as part of their ongoing lecture series “The Future of the Arts and Humanities in Times of Crisis.”

April 28th
“The Holocaust & Dictatorship in Brazilian Literature”
Dr. Sarah Valente, Visiting Assistant Professor

This was the third of three lectures presented this semester in our Spring Lecture Series.

April 14th
“Memories of Social Engineering State-Sponsored Violence in Mexico and Argentina”
Dr. Pedro Corona Gonzalez, Visiting Assistant Professor

This was the second of three lectures presented this semester in our Spring Lecture Series.

April 8th
Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration

This year’s event was held virtually in two parts:

• “Remembering Resistance: The 1942 Tuczyn Ghetto Uprising”
  In 1942 in the village of Tuczyn, Ukraine, the Jewish community set fire to the ghetto in order to resist the Nazis and Ukrainians who liquidated the ghetto. The majority of the Jews perished, and survivors and scholars today are preserving the memory of what happened there. Dr. Michael Emmett, the son of Isaak Emmett, a survivor of the Tuczyn Ghetto Uprising and Fire, spoke about his family’s experience. The NGO Mnemonics showed the documentary Uprising of the Doomed. Before this film, the public in Ukraine did not know about this heroic and tragic history of the victims of Tuchyn. Dr. Anne Parsons discussed the many ways this history has been remembered.
  View a recording of this special event.
• Annual Yom HaShoah Commemoration Event
  Dr. Sarah Valente introduced and shared a video featuring our translations of Primo Levi’s poem, “Shema.” Lois Roman, a trustee from the Memorial Scrolls Trust then shared information about the work of the organization, which is a London-based non-profit that cares for 1,564 Czech scrolls that survived the Shoah. 1,400 of these scrolls have been given out on permanent loan to synagogues, museums, libraries, and schools around the world. The Trust’s main mission is to keep the memory of Czech Holocaust victims alive by retelling the scroll story. It is Holocaust Remembrance through artifacts. Dr. David Patterson ended the event by discussing the significance of the day.

March 31st
“Language and Trauma: Yiddish in Post-Dictatorship Argentina”
Dr. Amy Kerner, Fellow of the Jacqueline and Michael Wald Professorship in Holocaust Studies

This was the first of three lectures presented this semester in our Spring Lecture Series.

March 24th
Annual Race Workshop: “Conversations on Mestizaje, Transculturation, and Anti-Black Racism in Latin America”
Dr. Jose Espericueta, University of Dallas
Dr. Mónica Moreno Figueroa, University of Cambridge

This was the sixth race workshop hosted by the Ackerman Center. Learn more about the previous workshops.

March 21st
“Mending Fragments of Time: How the Lives of Jewish Merchants Shape Our Understanding of the Medieval Islamic World”

Based on his own research, Dr. Ali Alibhai discussed the history of the Geniza documents and how medieval letters that were written between Jewish merchants enhance our understanding of medieval Islamic social history and material culture.

March 7th
51st Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches

Rather than a traditional multi-day conference, this year’s ASC featured three distinguished speakers who addressed the past, present, and future of Holocaust studies.

• Ackerman Center Distinguished Lecture:
  Dr. Yehuda Bauer, “Denial and Distortion of Holocaust Memory”
  Professor Emeritus of History and Holocaust Studies at the Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Academic Advisor to Yad Vashem.
• Michael and Elaine Jaffe Lecture:
  Dr. Mehnaz Afridi, “Shoah Through Muslim Eyes”
  Director/HGI, Holocaust, Genocide & Interfaith Education Center, Manhattan College
• Mitchell L. and Miriam Lewis Barnett Lecture:
  Pieter Kohnstam, “A Chance to Live: A Family’s Journey to Freedom”
  Holocaust survivor and member of the Board of Directors for The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect

Learn more and view recordings of these lectures.

March 3rd
State of the Center

Dr. Nils Roemer provided updates on the University in general and the Ackerman Center in particular.

February 17th
Film Screening and Discussion: Who Will Write Our History

The Ackerman Center hosted a virtual screening of the documentary film Who Will Write Our History, where viewers were given the opportunity to watch the film free of charge for two weeks prior to a special online discussion. This powerful documentary is based on diary excerpts taken from the Oneg Shabbat archive, initiated by esteemed historian, Dr. Emanuel Ringelblum, who recruited members from the ghetto to collect and record documentation from eyewitnesses that chronicled the everyday life of the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto. Dr. David Patterson hosted a discussion about this film. Learn more about the screening.

February 11th
“Jewish Identifiers: Reflections on Latin American Jewish Identity”

Dr. Deby Roitman, Strategic Advisor at Universidad Hebraica, Mexico and Advisor at the Museo Judio Interactivo de Chile presented this special lecture.

January 26th
Author/Filmmaker Heather Dune Macadam

Heather Dune Macadam is the acclaimed author of the international bestseller 999: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz. Ms. Macadam discussed her current project, producing and directing the documentary film 999 based on her book containing the remarkable untold stories of the young women who were part of the first official transport to Auschwitz.

December 6th
Guest Lecture: “Sephardic Jews and the Third Reich”

Dr. Nils Roemer presented this special guest lecture for the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies.

November 10th
Remembering Kristallnacht: “The Night of Broken Glass”

Ackerman Center faculty and graduate students shared different perspectives on the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht.

October 29th
Film Screening and Panel Discussion: The Silence of Others

Ackerman Center professors Amy Kerner, Pedro Gonzalez Corona, and Sarah Valente provided commentary and an opportunity for participants to share their thoughts and perspectives and to discuss the meaning and implications of the film. View a recording of the screening and discussion.

October 25th
Burton C. Einspruch Holocaust Lecture
“Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials”

This year’s Einspruch lecture was presented in two parts. Part I was a pre-recorded interview with Benjamin Ferencz, the chief prosecutor for the United States Army at the Einsatzgruppen Trial in Nuremberg, which is available by clicking below. At age 100, Mr. Ferencz is the last-living Nuremberg prosecutor. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, he is the subject of the 2018 documentary Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz, available on Netflix. This interview was conducted strictly for this program. Part II was a live panel presentation with Michael Bazyler (Professor of Law and The 1939 Society Scholar in Holocaust and Human Rights Studies, Dale E. Fowler School of Law at Chapman University), Michael S. Bryant (Professor of History and Legal Studies, Bryant University), and Kristen Nelson (Gratz College).

October 18th
“Bridge to Nowhere: Yiddish in Argentina from the Holocaust to the Dirty War”
Dr. Amy Kerner, Fellow of the Jacqueline and Michael Wald Professorship in Holocaust Studies

Jewish Argentines were disproportionately represented among the victims of the “dirty war” between 1976 and 1983, a state-led campaign against so-called “subversives” that left some 30,000 dead. In its aftermath, comparisons to the Holocaust circulated widely. But popular awareness of the Holocaust had existed decades earlier in Argentina, among speakers of the Yiddish language. This talk explains how Yiddish traveled to Argentina, the extent of Yiddish cultural activities there, and the responses of Holocaust survivors upon finding a robust Yiddish cultural center in Argentina after 1945. This history provides a new context for understanding the entanglement of Jewish migration to Argentina, the Yiddish language, and the trauma of the “dirty war.”

October 8th
“Infectious Diseases, COVID-19 and Antisemitism”

Dr. Nils Roemer discussed the history of blaming Jews in times of disaster and pandemics over the centuries and how this legacy is informing current responses toward COVID-19. Presented in partnership with ADL – Texoma.

September 30th
“From Darkness into Light: My Journey through Nazism, Fascism, and Communism to Freedom”

Hungarian Holocaust Survivor, Robert Ratonyi, will be launching the new release of his memoir, From Darkness into Light: My Journey through Nazism, Fascism, and Communism to Freedom, in this live event.

September 24th
“Race and Antisemitism: Contemporary Global Perspectives”

This special workshop brought together scholars to discuss this important topic.

September 13th
“From the Spanish Inquisition to the Present: A Search for Jewish Roots”

Genie Milgrom, a direct descendant of the Spanish-Portuguese Jews, shared the details of her journey back 615 years to 1405 Pre-Inquisition Spain and Portugal to locate her Jewish ancestors. Presented in conjunction with the Southwest Jewish Congress.

August 30th:
Celebrating Zsuzsi

The Ackerman Center hosted a virtual celebration to honor Dr. Zsuzsanna Ozsváth on the eve of her retirement from UT Dallas.

August 20th:
Film Screening: When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Talkback with Dr. Nils Roemer

The Ackerman Center sponsored a virtual screening event of When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit as part of the 2020 Dallas Jewish Film Festival. On August 20th, viewers were invited to participate in a live-streamed discussion about the film with Dr. Nils Roemer, Stan and Barbara Rabin Professor in Holocaust Studies and the Director of the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies.

July 16th:
“Anne Frank Parallel Stories: A Live Conversation with Dr. Nils Roemer and Dr. Sarah Valente”

Drs. Nils Roemer and Sarah Valente engaged in a live conversation about the newly-released documentary Anne Frank Parallel Stories in which Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren retraces the life of Anne Frank through the pages of her diary and introduces us to the stories of five other Holocaust survivors.

June 22nd:
“Operation Barbarossa and the Holocaust”

Operation Barbarossa, the code name for the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, was a significant turning point in World War II. Marking the 79th anniversary of this invasion, Dr. Nils Roemer considered the significance of this event and the role that it played in the escalation of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust.

June 14th:
We Are Here: A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance, and Hope

The Ackerman Center teamed up with 60 museums and cultural institutions around the world to present a free program celebrating resilience, resistance, and hope. Featuring award-winning media personalities Whoopi Goldberg, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Adrien Brody, Mayim Bialik, Jackie Hoffman, and Tiffany Haddish, world-renowned singers and musicians Renee Fleming, Lea Salonga, Steven Skybell, Joyce DiDonato, and Lang Lang, and other public figures from all walks of life, the free 90-minute program commemorated the recent anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and project a message of hope amidst the crises we face.

April 21st:
Holocaust Remembrance Day

Read more about the 5th annual Holocaust Remembrance Day event.

April 19th:
Spring Lecture Series

Dr. Nils Roemer, Stan and Barbara Rabin Professor of Holocaust Studies
“Faust and Mephistoles in German History”

April 17th:
State of the Center Address
Dr. Nils Roemer, Director of the Ackerman Center

Dr. Nils Roemer presented the “State of the Center” via Webex, where he discussed the current situation regarding the University and the Ackerman Center’s transition to online classes and programming due to COVID-19.

April 1st
Virtual Translation Workshop

We held our first-ever Virtual Translation Workshop, where the Miklós Radnóti poem, “Letter to My Wife” was translated into multiple languages. Read more about this exciting event in our Ackerman Chronicle Newsletter.
Read more about this workshop and our transition to online classes and programming.

March 29th
Spring Professor Lecture Series

Dr. David Patterson, Hillel A. Feinberg Distinguished Chair in Holocaust Studies
“Antecedents of Antisemitism during the Middle Ages”
Read more about this workshop and our transition to online classes and programming.

March 7-10th 
50th Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches 

March 8th
Special Lectures in conjunction with the 50th Annual Scholars’ Conference

Michael and Elaine Jaffe Lecture (jpg)
Dr. Wolf Gruner, “Defiance and Protest: Forgotten Individual Jewish Resistance in Nazi Germany”

Mitchell L. and Miriam Lewis Barnett Lecture (pdf)
Eva and Robert Ratonyi, “Holocaust Childhood: Wounds that Never Heal”

February 23rd
The Texas Liberator: Witness to the Holocaust – Encore Event (pdf)

The Ackerman Center hosted a second open house for the “The Texas Liberator: Witness to the Holocaust” exhibit. Dr. Nils Roemer will be on hand to give remarks and answer any questions

January 27th
International Holocaust Remembrance Day

The Ackerman Center hosted a special open house for the “The Texas Liberator: Witness to the Holocaust” (pdf) exhibit and Dr. David Patterson was on hand to answer questions and give remarks about the significance of the day and answer any questions.

November 17th
Ackerman Center Leadership Dinner

We were proud to honor the inaugural recipient of the Edward M. Ackerman Leadership Award, former Executive Vice-President and long-time friend of the Ackerman Center Dr. Hobson Wildenthal. Photos from the event (pdf).

October 30th
“Rescuing the Children: Remembering the Kindertransport” (pdf)
Phyllis Lassner, Professor Emerita at Northwestern University

Dr. Lassner discussed the Kindertransport children who were rescued by Britain between December 1938 and September 1939.

October 20th & 21st:
Burton C. Einspruch Holocaust Lecture Series (pdf)

Sunday, October 20 – “Flowers for the Heinemanns: The Hidden History of Helping Jews in Nazi Germany”
Using the remarkable example of a little-known oppositional group in Nazi Germany, the lecture explored the challenges and opportunities of helping Jews in the Third Reich, and the motives for doing so.  It asked why those who lived under Nazi rule and took on the regime found it hard after the war to articulate what they had been through, and why much of their experience disappeared from memory. With the help of some unique wartime documents, the lecture sought to recover a lost world of thought and action during the Holocaust.

Monday, October 21 – “Genocide in View: Holocaust Perpetrators in the Eyes of Others”
This lecture introduced an ongoing research project. It explored the vantage points of different groups who encountered German perpetrators of the Holocaust – among them their victims, their families, the courts, the postwar press, historians and more. It showed how these different “constituencies” struggled to reconcile what they were seeing with their vision of Germany, their understanding of humanity, and/or their other knowledge of the individuals concerned – and it explored the ways in which they responded to the challenge of making sense of the perpetrators.

October 12th:
Duo Mantar (jpg)

Jacob Reuven (mandolin) and Adam Levin (guitar) presented a program of Israeli, Jewish and Sephardic pieces as part of the UT Dallas Guitar Series.
Presented in conjunction with the School of Arts & Humanities.

October 7th: 
“Searching for the Disappeared: Mexican Mothers Turning Grief into Action” (pdf)
Lucia Diaz, activist and Matt Hone, PhD

There are tens of thousands of victims of violence throughout Mexico that have not been accounted for. El Colectivo Solecito is an organization of mothers that are searching for their missing children in the beleaguered state of Veracruz and they are fighting for justice, transparency and closure through the arduous labor of locating and identifying mass graves as well as by providing support for the loved ones left behind in the wake of this atrocity.

October 3rd:
“History between Jews and Albanians in Kosovo” (pdf)

This special event had three speakers:
H.E. Mrs. Teuta Sahatqija, Ambassador of Kosovo: Spoke about Kosovo as a success story and the steps taken by the government for the rehabilitation of rape victims during the war. She also spoke about the country’s rapid development since the war.

Mrs. Vasfije Krasniqi Goodman: Shared her experience during the last war between Kosovo and Serbia. She became the first woman in Kosovo who had the courage to talk openly about her suffering and rape during the war, becoming the voice of 20,000 raped women and men in Kosovo.

Ms. Ines Demiri: Spoke about the history of Jews and Albanians and the importance of “Besa.” Ines is a subject matter expert and is a member of the small Jewish community whose family survived the Holocaust.

August 28th:
Film Screening, Persona Non-Grata (pdf)

June 26-27th:
Teacher Workshop (pdf)
The Ackerman Center hosted its annual Teacher Workshop, which is free of charge to area teachers to learn about teaching the Holocaust while earning Continuing Education Credit.

May 18th:
Book Launch Party (png)
The Ackerman Center, UT Dallas Arts & Humanities and Deep Vellum proudly launched a new book translated by Dr. Zsuzsanna Ozsváth and Prof Fred Turner entitled, Goethe: The Golden Goblet, Selected Poems. Learn more about the book.

May 2nd:
Holocaust Remembrance Day (pdf)
In commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah), students, faculty, staff, and members of the community recited Holocaust poems in multiple languages. Excerpts from “Holocaust Cantata,” were also performed by the UT Dallas Choir, conducted by Dr. Jonathan Palant.

April 14th:
Professor Lecture Series (pdf)
Dr. Nils Roemer, “Deportation and Liberation in the Final Year of the Third Reich”
Generously sponsored bt the Schuman-Ellman Opportunity Fund for the Ackerman Center

April 7th:
Professor Lecture Series (pdf)
Dr. Zsuzsanna Ozsváth, “When We Remember: The Murder of the Hungarian Jews, March 19, 1944 – May 1945”
Generously sponsored bt the Schuman-Ellman Opportunity Fund for the Ackerman Center

March 31st:
Professor Lecture Series (pdf)
Dr. David Patterson, “Death and Ghetto Death”
Generously sponsored bt the Schuman-Ellman Opportunity Fund for the Ackerman Center

March 2nd-4th:
The 49th Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches
Founded in 1970 by Franklin H. Littell and Hubert G. Locke, the ASC provides an invaluable forum for scholars to discuss and advance Holocaust research, ensuring the valuable lessons of the Holocaust remain relevant for today’s world. The Ackerman Center welcomed Holocaust scholars from across the globe to UT Dallas, the permanent home for the Annual Scholars’ Conference. The theme was “Conflicting Realities of the Holocaust.” View the conference program (pdf).
More information can be found on the ASC homepage.

March 3rd:
“The Texas Liberator: Witness to the Holocaust” (pdf)
Dr. Aliza S. Wong,  Associate Dean of the Honors College and Director of European Studies at Texas Tech University
Generously sponsored by the Mitchell L. and Miriam Lewis Barnett Annual Scholars’ Conference Endowment and presented in conjunction with the 49th Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches.

February 10th:
The Universal Idea of Race, Semiotic Commerce and Vernacular Occurrences (jpg)
The Ackerman Center hosted a workshop with both UT Dallas professors and visiting scholars.
— Opening remarks: Dr. Nils Roemer, Stan and Barbara Rabin Professor of Holocaust Studies
— Pedro Gonzalez (UT Dallas),
“Manufacturing Race: Racial Technologies in Mexico, Building Blocks of a Modern Nation-State.”
— Dr. Yael Siman (Iberoamericana University),
“Race, Mestizaje, and Antisemitism: Political and Social Experiences of Holocaust Survivors in Mexico in the 1930s and 1940s”
— Dr. Whitney Stewart (UT Dallas),
“Racializing the American Home: Home-Making on James Madison’s Montpelier Plantation”

February 8th:
“Intimate Violence: Anti-Jewish Pogroms on the Eve of the Holocaust” (jpg)
Dr. Jeffrey Kopstein, Professor and Chair of Political Science at the University of California – Irvine
In his research, Professor Kopstein focuses on interethnic violence and voting patterns of minority groups, paying special attention to cases within European and Russian Jewish history. These interests are central topics in his latest book with Jason Wittenberg, Intimate Violence: Anti-Jewish Pogroms in the Shadow of the Holocaust, which he will discussed.

January 27th:
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
In commemoration of the millions of victims of the Holocaust, Dr. Nils Roemer, Stan and Barbara Rabin Professor of Holocaust Studies, led a presentation on the media coverage as the camps were liberated. Dr. Mary Catherine Mueller discussed the coverage here in Dallas, and PhD candidate Sarah R. Valente discussed the coverage in Brazil.

November 11th:
Confronting The Past (pdf)
Led by Dr. Nils Roemer, the Stan and Barbara Rabin Professor in Holocaust Studies, “Confronting the Past” was an interdisciplinary and multi-media event that centers around the darker histories of Dallas. The event, underwritten by the Communities Foundation of Texas, featured an original dance performance, the official launch of the Ackerman Center’s Digital Exhibit Series: “The History of Racism and Hatred” and scholarly presentations from faculty, students, and alumni from both UT Dallas and SMU.

October 28th & 29th:
Burton C. Einspruch Holocaust Lecture Series (pdf)

Sunday, October 28th – “Why? Explaining the Holocaust” Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center
Prof. Hayes discussed the findings of his newest book via an exploration of two fundamental questions raised by the Holocaust: Why were Jews killed?  Why didn’t anyone stop the murder? Photos from Sunday’s lectures.

Monday, October 29th – “German Corporate Complicity in the Holocaust”
Prof. Hayes outlined the surprisingly contemporary motivations that induced most large German firms to cooperate with the Nazi government of Germany, detail the ways in which these enterprises became deeply complicit in many of that regime’s worst crimes, and explain how the nation’s largest businesses managed to evade responsibility for their deeds until the 1990s.

October 20th:
“Researching for Our Future”
Collaborative presentation discussing new technologies, methodologies, and scholarship in Holocaust Studies.

September 30th:
“Understanding and Misunderstanding: Poland’s Holocaust Laws” (jpg)
Dr. Jadwiga Biskupska, Sam Houston State University

Aug. 22nd:
Operation Finale Advanced Screening (png)
The Ackerman Center presented a special advance screening of Operation Finale. This film tells the true story of Mossad agent Peter Malkin’s covert mission to Argentina in 1960 to track down and capture Adolf Eichmann, portrayed by Ben Kingsley.

May 17th:
Racism and the Disciplinary Differentiation of Science and Philosophy
This workshop was in conjunction with the 8th Annual Conference on Values in Medicine, Science, and Technology.

May 2nd:
Lecture: “Unwelcome Exiles: Jewish Refugees in Mexico” (pdf)
Dr. Daniela Gleizer, Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

April 22nd:
2018 Professor Sunday Lecture Series (jpg)
Lecture: “Remembering the Holocaust and the War in Post-war Germany”
Dr. Nils Roemer, Stan and Barbara Rabin Professor of Holocaust Studies

April 15th:
2018 Professor Sunday Lecture Series (jpg)
Lecture: “Emil L. Fackenheim: A Jewish Philosopher’s Response to the Holocaust”
Dr. David Patterson, Hillel A. Feinberg Chair in Holocaust Studies

April 12th:
Holocaust Remembrance Day (png)
In commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day, students, faculty, staff, and members of the community will be reciting Holocaust poems in numerous languages.

April 8th:
2018 Professor Sunday Lecture Series (jpg)
Lecture: “Rebuilding after the Holocaust”
Dr. Zsuzsanna Ozsváth, Leah and Paul Lewis Chair in Holocaust Studies

March 22nd:
Lecture by Dr. Dawin Payne: “When the Klan Ruled Dallas” (pdf)
Dr. Payne will discuss the past of the KKK in Dallas, which was home to Klan Chapter Number 66, the largest in the country.
With an introduction by Dr. Kimberly Hill.

March 3rd-5th:
The 48th Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches (pdf)
Founded in 1970 by Franklin H. Littell and Hubert G. Locke, the ASC provides an invaluable forum for scholars to discuss and advance Holocaust research, ensuring the valuable lessons of the Holocaust remain relevant for today’s world.
The Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies is proud that The University of Texas at Dallas is the new home of The Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches.
More information can be found on the ASC homepage.

March 4th:
Lecture: “Shores Beyond Shores: From Holocaust to Hope, A True Story” (pdf)
Dr. Irene Hasenberg Butter is a well-known peace activist, Holocaust survivor, and Professor Emerita of Public Health at the University of Michigan. She is a frequent and favored inspirational speaker, talking about her experience during World War II and stressing the importance of “never a bystander” and that one person can make a difference. Learn more about her remarkable story by visiting her website.
This lecture was presented in conjunction with the 48th Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches.

February 25th: 
A Life for Football with FC Bayern Munich (pdf)
This film tells the story of Kurt Landauer, the pre-WWII Jewish president of Bayern Munich, who returned after the Holocaust to rebuild the club — and his life.
There was a short panel discussion following the film, with a reception afterward.
Presented in conjunction with AJC Dallas, German Consulate, Goethe Society, and the American Council on Germany.

February 21st and 22nd:
Yiddish Poems of the Holocaust
February 21st: 7 p.m.
Lecture: “Yiddish Translation Matters: Translating Yiddish in the 20th Century” (jpg)
Dr. Anita Norich, University of Michigan
Tikva Frymer-Kensky Collegiate Professor,
Frankel Center for Judaic Studies and
Department of English Language and Literature

February 22nd: 2 p.m.
Yiddish Language Workshop
Dr. David Patterson, Dr. Anita Norich, and Visiting Scholar Sebastian Schulman will offer a crash course on the basics of the Yiddish language.

January 27th – February 2nd:
Exhibit: Revisiting the Eichmann Trial (pdf)
This exhibit was curated by graduate students in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Revisit the prosecution of an architect of the atrocity through multi-media artifacts. Examine how the Eichmann Trial brought the Holocaust into the world’s spotlight and ushered in the Era of the Witness.

Download a copy of our 2018 Spring Events booklet (pdf).

November 5th and 6th:
Einspruch Lecture Series: Michael Berenbaum (pdf)
Sunday, November 5th: ““Holocaust Memorials and the Perpetrators”
4PM – Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center
Monday, November 6th: “Issues in Creating Holocaust Museums and Memorials: The Obligation to the Past, the Responsibilities Toward the Future”
9AM – Davidson Auditorium

October 29th:
4PM – Davidson Auditorium
Author Lecture: Caroline Heller (Reading Claudius) (jpg)

October 19th:
10AM – Davidson Auditorium
Lecture and Q&A about Night and the Holocaust.
Professors Ozsváth, Patterson, and Roemer hosted 120 8th graders who came to learn about the Holocaust in general and Elie Wiesel’s iconic memoir, Night, in particular.

October 15th:
Eichmann Trial Symposium with Guest Speaker Ellen Rudolph
1PM – Zale Auditorium, Aaron Family Jewish Community Center
In conjunction with Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education & Tolerance
Supported by the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission

October 11th:
Graduate Workshop
2PM – Ackerman Center
Dr. Charles Asher Small, Director of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy and the former Director of the Yale Center for the Study of Antisemitism, met with graduate students to discuss the current state of research into the subject of anti-Semitism.

September 24th:
Philosophers and Race Workshop (jpg)
Visiting scholars: Demetrius L. Eudell (Wesleyan University), Emily S. Lee (CSU Fullerton)
From UT Dallas: Charles Hatfield, Peter Park, Nils Roemer, and ShilyhWarren.
More information, including a detailed schedule (pdf).

September 18th:
“Myth and Memory: New Perspectives on the Kindertransport” (jpg)
Dr. Jennifer Craig-Norton, Parkes Institute at the University of Southampton
7PM  – JO 3.516

September 13th:
“IBM and the Holocaust” – Edwin Black  (pdf)
7PM – Davidson Auditorium
Presented in conjunction with the Southwest Jewish Congress

May 27th:
Sixth Biennial Graduate Translation Conference: “Performing Translation”
Panel – Translating Paul Celan’s “Death Fugue” (jpg)
7:30PM – Jonsson Performance Hall

April 27th:
Film Screening of Paragraph 175 (jpg)
7PM – JO 3.516
Presented in conjunction with Galerstein Women’s Center and the UTD Rainbow Guard

April 24th:
Holocaust Remembrance Day – Poetry Reading (pdf)
The Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building – Beginning at 11AM

April 20th:
An Evening with Goethe with Professors Ozsváth and Turner (pdf)
Event: 7PM – JO 3.516
Reception in the Ackerman Center following event
Presented in conjunction with the Dallas Goethe Center

April 12th and 21st:
Translation Workshops – Radnóti poem “Like a Bull”
10am – Ackerman Center

April 9th:
The Latin American Jewish Experience (jpg)
2PM – Davidson Auditorium – JSOM
Presented in conjunction with the Southwest Jewish Congress and Dallas Historical Jewish Society.

March 23rd:
“The Worlds We Have Lost: The Holocaust Catastrophe Beyond Numbers” (jpg)
Dr. Robert H. Abzug, Audre and Bernard Rapoport Regents Chair of Jewish Studies at The University of Texas.
7PM – Davidson Auditorium – JSOM

March 12^th:
Disputed Ownership: Reclaiming Stolen Property (jpg)
Richard L. Wolffe and Melanie Murphy Kuhr
4PM – JSOM, Davidson Auditorium
Sponsored by the Schuman-Ellman Opportunity Fund

March 9^th:
Chasing Portraits – Elizabeth Rynecki
7PM – JCC of Dallas

Spring Professor Lectures – “Begging for a Homeland” (jpg)
February 12^th:
Dr. Zsuzsanna Ozsváth: “Rescue Impossible: Doors Closed for the Jews 1938-1945”
February 19^th:
Dr. David Patterson: “Homelessness as a Defining Feature of the Holocaust”
March 5^th:
Dr. Nils Roemer: “Jewish Refugees and Homelessness after the Holocaust”

January 25^th:
Lecture, “From Barbarism and Vandalism to Genocide: The Unlikely, Untold, and Unknown Story of Raphael Lemkin” (jpg)
Dr. Steve Jacobs, Aaron Aronov Chair of Judaic Studies at The University of Alabama
7PM – JSOM, Davidson Auditorium

January 20^th:
75^th Anniversary of the Wannsee Graduate Workshop and Q&A
1:30PM – Ackerman Center

January 8^th:
“The Crypto-Jew Experience:  Where it Began, Where it is Now”
In conjunction with the Southwest Jewish Congress and Center for Latino-Jewish Relations
2PM – JSOM – Davidson Auditorium
The event was featured in an article in the Dallas Morning News.

December 8^th:
Grant Writing 101 – Workshop by Holly Hull Miori
2:30PM – Ackerman Center

November 30^th:
Aesthetics and Philosophy Seminar – Benjamin & Heidegger
Professors Nils Roemer and Charles Bambach
2PM – The Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History at the Dallas Museum of Art

November 5-7^th:
Einspruch Lecture Series and Film Screening
Géza Röhrig, star of the Academy Award winning film, Son of Saul
Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building and Auditorium
Saturday, Nov. 5th at 8pm: Film Screening, Son of Saul
Sunday, Nov 6th at 2pm: Lecture, “Playing Saul in Son of Saul”
Monday, Nov. 7th at 9am: Lecture, “On Forgiveness”
Photos of these events can be found on the Center’s Facebook page

November 3-4^th:

“The School of London: Diaspora and Pictorial Trauma” (docx)
In conjunction with The Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History
Dallas Museum of Art
Click here for a video interview with Dr. Rick Brettell about this exhibit.

September 27^th:
Translation Workshop – Elie Wiesel poem, “Ani Maamin”
2PM – Ackerman Center
Translations can be found on Facebook.

September 1-30^th:
Exhibition: Jewish Refugees in Shanghai, 1933–1941
In conjunction with the Confucius Institute
Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building
Saturday, Sept. 10th: Lecture by Prof. Pan Guang, “The Jews in China” at 7pm
Sunday, Sept. 18th: Film Screenings: “A Gift of Life” and “Shanghai Ghetto” at 4pm
Sunday, Sept. 25th: Concert: “Wind from the East” at 7pm
Photos of these events can be found on the Center’s Facebook page

August 30^th:
Film Screening, The Labyrinth of Lies
In conjunction with the Dallas Goethe Center, Dallas Jewish Film, and AJC Dallas
7pm – Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building Auditorium

May 11^th: Dr. Ozsváth: “Economic Drain on German Society: Arguments for Mercy Killing”
12:00PM – Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas

May 5^th: Holocaust Poetry Reading – Yom HaShoah
In conjunction with The Center for Translation Studies, Confucius Institute, and The Center for U.S.-Latin America Initiatives
Photos of this event can be found on the Center’s Facebook page

April 17^th: An Evening with Zsuzsi – Honoring Drs. Zsuzsanna and Istvan Ozsváth
5:30PM – UT Dallas Visitor Center Atrium

April 6^th: Workshop: Translating Paul Celan’s “Deathfugue”
2:00PM – Ackerman Center
Photos of this event can be found on the Center’s Facebook page
Translations can be found on Facebook.

March 24^th: Workshop on Memory and Trauma
Profs. Frank Dufour (ATEC), Thomas Riccio (A&H), Nils Roemer (A&H), and Hanna Ulatowska (School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences)

March 13^th:  Ackerman Center Faculty Lecture Series
Dr. Patterson – “Defining the Fundamentals of Nazi Anti-Semitism”

March 6^th:  Ackerman Center Faculty Lecture Series
Dr. Roemer – “Why Mein Kampf: Then and Now”

February 28^th:   Ackerman Center Faculty Lecture Series
Dr. Ozsváth – “Despite Changes: The Culture of Anti-Semitism”

February 17^th:  Workshop with students from the Honors College
Dr. Ozsváth: “When the Bombs were Falling”

January 27^th:  Discussion Forum: “Epidemics, Public Health, and Race in Historical Perspective”
In conjunction with The Center for Values

December 3rd: Celebrating Translation – Honoring Zsuzsanna Ozsváth and Frederick Turner
In conjunction with The Center for Translation Studies

November 7^th:  “Jewish Thinkers’ Fascination with Chinese Thought”
Lecture presented by Dr. Roemer in conjunction with the Confucius Institute

October 18-19^th: Einspruch Lecture Series
Omer Bartov, Brown University
October 18^th:  “The Voice of Your Brother’s Blood: The Murder of a Town in Eastern Galicia”
October 19^th: “Investigating Genocide on the Local Level: Challenges and Benefits”
Photos of these events can be found on the Center’s Facebook page

October 15^th:  Dr. Ozsváth – Lecture on her memoir, When The Danube Ran Red
Allen Public Library

September 23rd: “Remembrance: World War II and the Holocaust”
Lecture presented by Dr. Ozsváth in conjunction with the Confucius Institute

September 20^th: “Identifying the Enemy: The 80th Anniversary of Anti-Jewish Laws in Germany”
Lecture presented jointly by the Ackerman Center faculty