a groundbreaking conference
Background
The conference will provide an integrated and multi-dimensional view of the evolution of the Final Solution in Central and Eastern Europe. It aims to present new voices, new perspectives, and new approaches for understanding the Holocaust. Most widely known images depict only the final chapter, the extermination of millions in gas chambers, however the ghettoization and subsequent extermination of millions between 1941-1943 was also carried out by lesser known (but equally lethal) 'person-to-person' methods: bullets. The conference connects the starting and final chapters and the ongoing genocide between them. The conference will also commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Hungarian Holocaust.
Organizers & Host Institution
ORGANIZING INSTITUTIONS
1. Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, is a leading higher education institution in the Transcarpathia region of Ukraine.
Contact: njkubiniy@gmail.com
2. John Wesley Theological College houses
the Institute for the Research of the Holocaust & Christianity, Budapest
Contact: WJLF1703@gmail.com
3. Salisbury University, a prominent regional educational institution, is a member of the Maryland State University System, USA
Contact: MLPEREBOOM@salisbury.edu
4. Galicia Jewish Museum, Cracow
LOCATION
As the host of the conference, the State University of Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, was selected for its academic excellence as well as central location, in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-lingual region. Transcarpathia has been populated through the centuries by Rusyns, Hungarians, Romanians, Slovakians, Germans Jews and Roma. At the "cross-roads" of the region, Uzhhorod is easily accessible from the neighboring countries by car or train. Overseas participants can fly to Budapest or other regional airports in Hungary and proceed by train.
Themes & Topics
Regional Implementation of the Holocaust: Comparative Perspectives
The evolution of the Holocaust: from Bullets to Gas Chambers
"The Silence of God:" Religion, Faith, and the Holocaust
Holocaust Education: Lessons for Future Generations
The Holocaust in Contemporary Political Discourse
The Holocaust in the Mirror of Literature, Art, Film and Music
Reconstituting a Community: Post Holocaust Generations
Perpetrators, Collaborators, & Rescuers in the Holocaust
Forgotten Victims: Roma, 'Homosexuals,' Jehovah Witnesses
Gender and Genocide
Students' Reflections: What Have They Learned about the Holocaust
*
Additional themes and topics relating to the Holocaust are welcomed
the ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Dr. George Eisen, Professor Emeritus & AVPAA—Chair, USA
Dr. Maarten Pereboom, Dean, Salisbury University, USA
Dr. Oksana Sviezhentseva, Head of the Department of International Relations, UNU, Uzhhorod
Dr. Natalya Kubiniy, Professor, UNU, Uzhhorod
Dr. Tibor Deutsch, Professor Emeritus, SOTE, Budapest
Dr. Tamas Majsai, Professor, John Wesley Theological College, Budapest
Dr. Peter Tibor Nagy, Professor, John Wesley Theological College, Budapest
Dr. Alexander Bokotey, Professor, UNU, Uzhhorod
Rev. Matthew J. Temple, O. Carm. Ph.D. Nazareth College, USA
Dr. Zoltan Tibori Szabo, Director, Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj, Romania
conference reflections
"This conference was really amazing with fantastic people! I am so happy I could be part of it! Thank you for the invitation, and I hope it will continue! Toda raba :)" Diana Groo
"I can't tell you enough how much this conference has meant to me, to all of us. Only three days long, it felt much longer. The strong connections and friendships that developed as a result of your efforts have become so important to me. We hope to get together at another conference so that we can continue to share our stories and search for a deeper understanding of whatever void still plagues us." Joan Stein Schimke
"I especially enjoyed the friendly atmosphere of the meetings, discussions. The conference gave me an opportunity to meet with friends and colleagues and to get new connections." Tamas Stark
"For me, and for others, it was a very important and unique experience.
The voice of the creative worlds of the second generation have not yet been heard in the context of Holocaust studies. It's time to embrace the interdisciplinary approach and let the literature, the performing and the visual arts enrich the experience, the knowledge, the thought and before and above all the educational field of Holocaust studies. It's time to bring out this wonderful rich and important creation and use it as a base ground for Holocaust studies. In this regard I want to thank you for being among the pioneers.
Thank you also for letting me meet the wonderful people I met in the conference, including you." Diti Ronen
“Thanks for the Conference. 😊 It was the special gathering of the special people on the very special occasion.” Krystyna Lenkowska
"We appreciated very much the opportunity that we were given to present the history of the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses under the Nazi occupation in Ukraine and we felt welcomed with this topic at this conference.
Attendees that listened to this presentation were surprised to receive information regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses completely unknown to them, e.g., that they were also stigmatized with a purple triangle, were among the first ones to be interned in the early concentration camps, and initially made up the majority of the inmates (in some satellite camps even up to a hundred percent). Our presentation made possible a fruitful interchange of discussion among scholars and students to answer questions like: What was the relationship between Jews and Jehovah’s Witnesses during the Holocaust period? Why were Jehovah’s Witnesses persecuted by the Nazis? How were the Nazis able to identify Jehovah’s Witnesses among their population? (E.g., by refusing to say “Heil Hitler!”/refusal to display the swastika flag outside their homes/as conscientious objectors/by their preaching activity/by meeting together under ban for their worship.) Are there similarities between past Nazi persecution and modern-day persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia? Are Jehovah’s Witnesses experiencing the same problems in other countries like in Russia today? It was indeed a very positive and lively discussion. Both participants and students were pleased to receive supplemental printed information about this historical aspect of the persecution history of Jehovah’s Witnesses." Wolfram Slupina
"It was a great conference and I hope it will continue. Thanks, George, for being an excellent organizer. With your amazing personality you made this event an unforgettable experience. I would say some magic happened in Uzhhorod. I know you that you don’t like when someone praises you. But I must be honest and tell that you made an excellent job. I am sure it took a lot of work and energy from you, (and others too).
I liked that the conference wasn’t a boring conventional event, but you established a new concept of how we can deeply think of and remember the Holocaust. Unfortunately, the remembrance and the commemoration of the Holocaust often become empty, sadly even in Israel. We must search for new ways of talking about the Holocaust. I liked that it was a fresh and creative event that was more an encounter, a discussion between people that want to say something about the topic seriously but with a friendly, loving manner. I liked that nobody wanted to take over or monopolizing the truth in the conference.
I am sure that this event must continue and to be a model how we should remember and commemorate, and also researchers can present they scientific findings. I am very glad that I had a small part of it." Zoltan Haberman
"My feedback on the conference is all in all positive considering the chance of meeting people involved in similar interest, and especially connecting to those who have shared their own personal stories and their everlasting reflections - deeply enriching for me. I will be using material that I have received from co-participants during my forthcoming courses for international students (Remembrance Education) and also the planned anthology once you publish it. I am deeply sorry that I could not participate in the pre - and post conference events and join the study tour of the American / Transylvanian students. " Renáta A. Dezső
The Synagogue of Uzhhorod-- Site of the Holocaust Memorial Concert
optional trips for conference participants
Pre-Conference Trip June 11-15: AUSCHWITZ
Join the American students for an optional trip, in cooperation with the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow. The trip will include a visit to Auschwitz and its museum, the area of the ghetto of Krakow, tour of the Schindler factory, view of the exhibits in the Galicia Jewish Museum, and an evening of Jewish culture.
Post Conference Trip: "Vanished World: Once Jews Lived Here" June 19-20
Visit to the small village of Vilhivce (Irholc in Hungarian) in Transcarpathia.
The shtetle, frozen in time, hosts two cemeteries and a synagogue, which was converted to a storage facility and has not been used since 1944. After a visit of these sites, a lecture about the history of the Jews of the village, their deportation and murder, and the reciting of the Kaddish in the synagogue will complement the visit.
The Trip will continue across the border to Sighet, Romania, the birth place of Elie Wiesel, where a tour of the town and a lecture will conclude the Field Trip. From there, the group will return to Budapest.
Tour of Budapest June 21-25:
Interested participants may join the American delegation on a 4-day tour of Budapest. Special activities include an introduction to Jewish Budapest, visit of historical sites, and cultural events.
Estimated Cost: in progress
The Synagogue of Vilhivce-Irholc
