37th Annual Holocaust Lecture Series
The 37th Annual Holocaust Lecture Series is in full swing and has more great events to come. The theme for the series this year is Science, Technology, and the Holocaust. This is a topic that bridges the historical themes of the World War II era with many salient issues and challenges in today’s society. Among the topics we will be exploring: the advent of mechanization in warfare and its role in distancing perpetrators of violence from the effects of their actions; the impact of science (and pseudoscience) and in contributing to the events that led to the Holocaust; the role of technology in the implementation of the Holocaust; the responsibility of scientists and technologists for how their inventions are put to use; and finally, the impact of the Holocaust on the practice of science and the development of technology in the decades since 1945.
For the first event, Dr. Peter Hayes of Northwestern University brought the theme in to clear view on October 7th in Wilson Hall. Speaking to a crowd over over 125 students, staff, faculty and community members, Dr. Hayes talk entitled “Was the Holocaust Modern?” explored the mechanization of the Nazi regime, and how this war was similar and different than anything history had seen up to that point.For photos, please click here.
Next, the HLS featured the film Amen on October 14th in the Divinity School Art Room. The film is based loosely on the story of a Nazi SS officer, Kurt Gerstein, whose scientific research on water-purification led to the development of the poison Zyklon B, which was widely used in the death camps for mass-killing of Jews. Gerstein’s horror at the uses to which his invention were put, and his courageous attempts to alert Swedish diplomats and Vatican officials about what was happening in the camps, make for a gripping narrative about the tensions between scientific ideals, national allegiance, religious conscience, and the demands of moral engagement in a time of war. With a discussion after by new faculty member Lutz Koepnick, the provocative film kept people talking into the night.
We still have three more events to come for the series this year, including Dr. Arleen Tuchman speaking on Eugenics, survivor Eva Kor, a Mengele Twin, speaking on her book Forgiving Mengele and Arthur Allen speaking on Enslaved Scientists, as well as Vittorio Luzzati speaking to scientist and the Holocaust in Italy. Visit the Holocaust Lecture Series web site for more details and the dates and times of these amazing events.