The Benjamin Ferencz Institute for Ethics, Human Rights and the Holocaust (formerly known as the Maimonides Institute for Medicine, Ethics and the Holocaust) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing Holocaust programming that transcends international, intergenerational, interfaith and interprofessional boundaries to promote justice, tolerance, equality and human dignity for all people. Our organization combines online and physically-based programming to reach a broad international audience. Our flexible approach combines traditional educational models with new, innovative techniques that utilize the increasing presence of digital media in modern society. Benjamin Ferencz sought justice in the aftermath of the Holocaust and successfully prosecuted Nazi officers for their crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg Trials. His dedication to the pursuit of justice and respect for human dignity continued throughout his long and meaningful life. With the blessing of his family, we are honored to continue our longstanding work to educate, empower and advocate the next generation of moral leaders and decision makers as the newly renamed Benjamin Ferencz Institute for Ethics, Human Rights and the Holocaust. In 2015, we founded the Maimonides Institute for Medicine, Ethics and the Holocaust with a mission of "educating the healthcare professions about the ways in which the power and promise of medicine were perverted during the Holocaust and what that can teach about the bioethical dilemmas we face today. In 2023, the world has struggled with challenges we never could have imagined in 2015 that call into question our core ethical values as a society. COVID-19 has resulted in proposed modifications to basic moral principles at varying levels within health care, politics, public policy, the media and the general public. Systemic inequalities that emphasize the hierarchy of human life that have long been present in society have come to the forefront of societal debate. At the same time, studies show an alarming rate in antisemitism and identity-based hate crimes and a troubling lack of knowledge regarding the Holocaust. How we deal with these extraordinary challenges we presently face will define our future. We must be able to use the lessons of the past to inform our current approach to the issues we are confronted with in society and promote justice, tolerance, equality, ethical practice and human dignity for all people. The Ferencz Institute will continue our work in the field of medical ethics, while also broadening our scope of programming and our audience, which we feel is necessary to respond to increased antisemitism, Holocaust distortion and identity-based hate crimes. Our programs will focus on educating the next generation about the essential task of understanding our past and the moral imperative to stand up and speak out when injustice is present. We will provide opportunities to empower young people to become upstanders and active agents of social change. Through a combination of scholarship, national and globally-based programming and outreach efforts, we will focus not only on traditional Holocaust education but also on the link between the Holocaust and current instances of social injustice to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust remain relevant for current and future generations.
