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
Ms. Peninah Zilberman, Director, Fundatia Tarbut Sighet Cultura si Educatie Iudaica, Romania
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
travel Information
(1) Overseas travelers advised to fly into Budapest. However, Vienna and Prague can also be an option. The train schedule, though, is more complicated than from Budapest. (2) For cheap flights inside Europe, the town of Debrecen in Hungary and Kosice in Slovakia also maintain an international airport.
TRAIN: The easiest and most comfortable mode of transportation in Europe is by train. The passport and custom control is also easier on the train. From Budapest there is a twice-a-day direct train to Uzhhorod (Csop)--just across the Hungarian border. However, if you are adventurous, you may take a train to the border town of Zahony and change into a local train for border crossing to Chop. About schedule of trains, you may consult the website of the Hungarian railways.
CAR & SHUTTLE SERVICE: There will also be available direct car service from the airports in Budapest, Debrecen, and Kosice to Uzhhorod.
Two travel companies have been identified. You may contact them directly for transportation:
Er-Voyage Passenger Transportation and Logistics
C/O Tetyana Pashchenko
Email: er_voyage@yahoo.com
Direct Viber: +38 050 432 39 98
Karpatours
C/O Bela Huber
Email: huberbelay@yahoo.com
Direct Viber: +38 050 555 0641
Uzhhorod is in Western Ukraine on the Hungarian and Slovakian borders. It is safe and delightful, harking back to the Hapsburg Empire. For general information about Uzhhorod click on https://wikitravel.org/en/Uzhhorod.
Accommodations: You may reserve a room by directly contacting the respective hotel.
Hotel `Uzhhorod`-- the largest hotel in the city. It's reasonably priced.
http://www.hoteluzhgorod.com/english/apartment.html#middle
Mobile: +38 050 377 6064
Hotel `Duet Plus`-- if you like history, this is a Soviet style hotel which retained a certain ambiance from the Brezhnev era.
Mobile: +38 095 41 18 158
Art-Hotel `Emigrand`- small artsy hotel dedicated to Andy Warhol who was born in this region. Moderately priced.
Mobile: +38 067483 14 41
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
