Holocaust Lecture Series CSRL

Holocaust Lecture Series

The Holocaust Lecture Series (HLS) was established by the University Chaplain, the Rev. Beverly A. Asbury, in 1977 and has become the longest continuous lecture series on the Holocaust at an American university. Dedicated to reflection on ourselves and our society in the wake of the Holocaust, HLS has brought notable scholars, survivors and liberators, and artistic examinations of the Holocaust to Vanderbilt’s campus for over 40 years.

Holocaust Lecture Series

The 2025-26 Holocaust Lecture Series underscores "The Weight of Witness."

Dr. Alan E. Steinweis, Professor of History and Raul Hilberg Distinguished Professor of Holocaust Studies at the University of Vermont, joins Vanderbilt for lecture titled “Kristallnacht and the Reversibility of Progress."

Co-sponsored by the Holocaust Lecture Series, Hillel, and the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies

Past Series

2024-25 "Songs of Remembrance"

This theme illuminates the power of music and artistic expression as acts of resistance, remembrance, and hope—showing how creativity sustained individuals during the Holocaust and continues to carry their stories forward.
2023-24 "The Weight of Words"

With conversations featuring survivors, this theme underscores the importance of hearing their stories directly, in their own words.
2022-23 "Like a Reed"

Rabbi Simeon ben Eleazar taught, “Be pliable like a reed, not rigid like a cedar.” In that spirit, the Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe developed Yiddishkeit—“the Jewish way of life”—a rich language and culture that endured despite pogroms, Nazi genocide, and Soviet oppression. This theme discusses how Yiddish culture became a vital source of strength and resilience during the Holocaust and beyond.
2021-22 “The Root of Hate”

This theme highlights the age of media —constant streams of videos, posts, and messages that can dull our awareness of the power behind words and images — and how they can connect or divide, nurture empathy or fuel fear, inspire compassion or incite hate and violence.
2020-2021 “Children in the Holocaust”

The theme explores the experiences of children during the Holocaust — loss, survival, exile, displacement — and highlights both the tragedy and resilience of young Holocaust victims and survivors.