Holocaust Conference Begins

Millersville University’s 40th Conference on the Holocaust and Genocide is one of the oldest in the United States. This year’s event will begin on Sept. 30 with a Teacher’s Workshop and public lecture.  

The interactive workshop, aimed at up-and-coming teachers, will guide participants on how to teach about the Holocaust in a mindful yet informative way. It will take place in the Ford Atrium in McComsey Hall from 6 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 30 and is part of Dr. Pamela Lindstrom’s ENGL 488 class. 

A public lecture called “‘We do not live in the past, but the past lives in us’ (Elie Wiesel):  Post-Holocaust Generations and the Extension of Holocaust Memory” will be held after the workshop with keynotes provided by Dr. Victoria Aarons from Trinity University and Dr. Alan Berger from Florida Atlantic University. They will share their first-hand accounts as children of people who survived the Holocaust. The lecture will be held from 7:30-8:30 p.m. in Myers Auditorium, which is also in McComsey Hall. The event is free and open to the public.  

Barry Kornhauser, assistant director of Campus & Community Engagement and co-chair of the conference, says that there will be different perspectives for everyone who attends.  

“It is stuff that needs to be remembered,” says Kornhauser. “A lot of what they take out of is what they bring into it.” 

The conference is free and open to anyone who wishes to attend. However, Dr. Victoria Khiterer, professor of history and co-chair of the conference, says she does not recommend bringing young school children as it can be emotionally difficult.  

The Holocaust Conference will continue during the spring semester.  The Alan & Linda Loss Keynote Lecture will be held on April 1, and the On Screen/In Person Film Screening of “Kaddish” on April 22. 

For more information about the upcoming conference, visit the Holocaust Conference page on MU’s website.