American University Jewish Studies Program

Just how different was antisemitism in America.? I discuss this and other topics with Hari Sreenivsan for the PBS/WNET Exploring Hate series "Dialogue for Change."

The Oldest Hatred | Video | Exploring Hate | PBS Are we witnessing the "high tide” of American antisemitism? Professor, writer, and American Jewish historian Pamela Nadell says the explosion of vitriol Are we witnessing the "high tide” of American antisemitism? Professor, writer, and American Jewish historian Pamela Nadell says the explosion o...

AU Jewish Studies Program presents our Spring 2023 Speaker Series: Acts of Remembrance: Shaping Holocaust Memory in the Twenty-First Century. Our first speaker is Ruth Franklin, esteemed book critic and author, who will be discussing her new biography of Anne Frank. This event will be held virtually on February 1, 2023, at 1:00pm EST. Follow the link below to register!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ruth-franklin-anne-frank-a-life-tickets-514504064507

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Julie Keresztes to American University as the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies Postdoctoral Fellow. Read more about Dr. Keresztes and her work below!

Dr. Julie Keresztes is a historian of modern Germany who specializes in the Third Reich and the Holocaust. She is the 2022-2024 American University and Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies Postdoctoral Fellow. She previously taught at Tufts University from 2020 to 2022. Keresztes received her Ph.D. with distinction in History from Boston University and is the recipient of fellowships and grants from the German Historical Institute, the Leo Baeck Institute, the American Academy for Jewish Research, and the Central European History Society. She is currently finishing a book manuscript on photography in N**i Germany, and is working on a critical biography of Heinrich Hoffmann, Adolf Hitler’s personal photographer. Her work has also appeared in the journal German History. Keresztes will teach HIST419/619: The Holocaust at American University this fall.

We would like to thank Kathryn Agnes Huether for her excellent work as the 2021-2022 Postdoctoral Fellow in Holocaust Studies, American University and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Research. We look forward to seeing her future contributions and successes. Below are a few examples of student projects from Dr. Huether's course, Pop Culture and the Holocaust. These projects did a wonderful job of combining creative and aesthetic presentation with accurate information regarding the Holocaust and its representation in popular culture. Thanks again Dr. Huether. Best wishes.

Yianni Contis: Podcast: Animating the Holocaust

"My goal for this project was to draw attention to this art form and convince listeners that animation is an effective tool for representing the Holocaust."

Lily London: Class Syllabus: Teaching "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"

"My goal for this curriculum was to make something easily accessible and understandable for educators to use that would also engage and present historical facts to students."

Rebecca Moran-Scoratow: Through the Children's Eyes

"This project shows the value of viewing art by children who were victims of the Holocaust as more than just art— it is their legacy. Their art stands as a reminder of their lives, struggles, and courage in the face of great tragedy."

Ella Thompson: A Conversation about the Holocaust

"This website aims to analyze how the fetishization of the Holocaust in dramatic and comedy film results in the generalization of Holocaust experiences, which can be reconstructed for use in modern propaganda or commercial aims."

Casey Walsh: Instagram User Survey—Knowledge of the Holocaust

"I wanted to shed a light on just how much of our perception of this history has become altered due to the mass production of fictional stories involving Holocaust history and other historical events."

Congratulations to American University Alumna Meredith R. Weisel, New Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League, D.C. office. Read more about Meredith's work with the ADL here: https://dc.adl.org/news/meredith-r-weisel-announced-as-new-regional-director-of-adl-washington-d-c/

Join us on March 3, 2022, at 6:00pm either in-person or on Zoom for a discussion of Jewish Women at Hunter College, with American University Professor Pamela Nadell and Hunter College Professor Leah Garrett. Register at the link below:

https://community.hunter.cuny.edu/event-pages/jewish-women-at-hunter-college-reg-form

Exciting series coming soon! More details to follow!

If you missed "Jews of Color: American Jews, Race and History" with Laura Leibman, Kelly Whitehead and Lewis Gordon, the talk was recorded and can be found below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq7mU-Ezb7c&feature=youtu.be

2/22/21 Jews of Color: American Jews, Race and History

Save the date!! Join us on March 11th as we virtually welcome Wendy Lower to talk about her new book "The Ravine: A Family, A Photograph, A Holocaust Massacre." For more information and to register for the event, click the link below!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ravine-a-family-a-photograph-a-holocaust-massacre-tickets-139999599571

American University Center for Israel Studies: "Thank you to AU's Jewish Studies Program for a great event about the American Jewish community's relationship to race! The key takeaway from today's event: "Not all Jews of color want to be in white spaces, but all Jewish spaces should be open for all Jews" - Kelly Whitehead AU'15"