Understanding Genocide: History, Causes, and Responses with Dr. Michael Berenbaum
Wednesday, October 30 @ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT
“Understanding Genocide: History, Causes, and Responses” is an in-depth seminar series led by Dr. Michael Berenbaum, a distinguished scholar in Holocaust and Genocide Studies. This series aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of genocide, examining its historical origins, legal definitions, and instances in the post-Holocaust era. Each session delves into key aspects of genocide, offering scholarly insights and fostering a deeper comprehension of this critical issue.
Dr. Michael Berenbaum
Dr. Michael Berenbaum is a writer, lecturer, and teacher consulting in the conceptual development of museums and historical films. He is director of the Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust at the American Jewish University, where he is also a Professor of Jewish Studies.
He was the Executive Editor of the Second Edition of the Encyclopedia Judaica that reworked, transformed, improved, broadened and deepened, the now classic 1972 work and consists of 22 volumes, sixteen million words with 25,000 individual contributions to Jewish knowledge. For three years, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. He was the Director of the United States Holocaust Research Institute at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Hymen Goldman Adjunct Professor of Theology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. From 1988–93 he served as Project Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, overseeing its creation. He also served as Deputy Director of the President’s Commission on the Holocaust, where he authored its Report to the President.
Berenbaum is the author and editor of twenty books, scores of scholarly articles, and hundreds of journalistic pieces. His most recent books include: Not Your Father’s Antisemitism, A Promise to Remember: The Holocaust in the Words and Voices of Its Survivors and After the Passion Has Passed: American Religious Consequences, a collection of essays on Jews, Judaism and Christianity, Religious Tolerance and Pluralism occasioned by the controversy that swirled around Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion. He was the conceptual developer on the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Educational Center and played a similar function as conceptual developer and chief curator of the Belzec Memorial at the site of the Death Camp. He is currently at work on the Memorial Museum to Macedonian Jewry in Skopje, the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, and the Holocaust and Humanity Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Session 1: October 9th Raphael Lemkin and the Origin of the Word Genocide
This session explores the pioneering work of Raphael Lemkin, the Polish-Jewish lawyer who coined the term “genocide.” Participants will delve into Lemkin’s efforts to define and conceptualize genocide, his advocacy for international recognition, and the historical context that influenced his groundbreaking work. The session will also examine how Lemkin’s definition laid the foundation for contemporary understandings of genocide and its legal implications.
Session 2: Oct 30 The UN Convention on Genocide
In this session, participants will analyze the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted in 1948. The discussion will focus on the legal framework established by the convention, its definitions and provisions, and the challenges associated with its implementation and enforcement. The session will also address the political and diplomatic processes that led to the adoption of the convention and its impact on international law.|
Session 3: November 13 Post-Holocaust Genocides
This session examines genocides that have occurred since the Holocaust, including those in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. Participants will study the causes, characteristics, and consequences of these atrocities, exploring the roles of ideology, political power, and social dynamics in their occurrence. The session will also discuss the international community’s responses to these genocides, including humanitarian interventions, legal prosecutions, and efforts at prevention and reconciliation.
By the end of this series, participants will have gained a thorough understanding of the concept of genocide, its historical development, and the ongoing challenges in addressing and preventing such crimes.