SAN DIEGO, Calif. — This fall, the University of California San Diego’s Holocaust Living History Workshop (HLHW) series returns for its 16th season with eight compelling talks that underscore the theme “Violence, Voice and Recognition.” Each event will feature innovative approaches from scholars, writers, and survivors and explore both personal and shared responses to the Holocaust and its far-reaching consequences.
“This year’s workshops explore a range of topics, from literary expressions of past tragedies to controversial Jewish behaviors during the Holocaust, and new paradigms for comparing the Holocaust to other genocides,” said Holocaust Living History Workshop Coordinator Susanne Hillman. “Although we know much about the Holocaust, crucial gaps in our understanding remain. Our goal is to shed light on these gaps and give voices to those who were silenced.”
A collaboration between the UC San Diego Library and the UC San Diego Jewish Studies Program, HLHW continues its mission in the 2024-25 academic year to deepen our understanding of the past, foster tolerance and ensure the stories of Holocaust victims and survivors are never forgotten. Each event will captivate and challenge audiences with groundbreaking perspectives on the Holocaust’s enduring impact.
“I am honored to co-chair this important program at UC San Diego alongside Dr. Deborah Hertz,” said Audrey Geisel University Librarian Erik Mitchell. “This partnership between the Library and the Jewish Studies Program provides a unique opportunity to highlight essential scholarship and personal narratives from the Holocaust, enriching our shared historical understanding and contributing to a broader dialogue.”
Each lecture will be held in person at Geisel Library and/or online beginning at 5 p.m. PT. All events are free and open to the public, but registration is required. Registration will open approximately one month before each event.
Series Opener
The Voices of Babyn Yar featuring Marianna Kiyanoyska
October 9, 2024 | 5 – 6:30 p.m. PT | In-Person and Virtual
With support from UC San Diego Jewish Studies and Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
Registration is open and required (links above)
In late September 1941, tens of thousands of people were massacred over two days in a ravine known as Babyn Yar on the outskirts of Nazi-occupied Kyiv. Most of the victims were Jews, though Roma, Crimean Tatars, and Ukrainian and Russian Communists were also among those murdered.
In her 2017 book of poems, “The Voices of Babyn Yar,” award-winning poet Marianna Kiyanovska engages with this tragedy as a Ukrainian who learned of the mass killings only as an adult. Kiyanovska is the author of more than a dozen books of poetry, prose, and literary translations and her works have been translated into 18 languages.
In this bilingual poetry reading, Kiyanovska will share poems in the original Ukrainian, including selections from “The Voices of Babyn Yar.” UC San Diego Professor of Literature Amelia Glaser will read the English translations.
Additional 2024-25 HLHW Events
“My Droplet of Fate Reflects the Jewish Ocean”: The Legacy of Béla Pásztor featuring Rafael Pastor
November 13, 2024 | 5-6:30 p.m. PT | In-Person and Virtual
Sponsored by Judi Gottschalk
Registration details are forthcoming
The Gray Zone: How Jews Navigated Forced Cooperation with the Nazis featuring Laura Jockusch
January 16, 2025 | 5-6:30 p.m. PT | Virtual-Only
Registration details are forthcoming
Sexual Violence During the Holocaust: The Known, the Unknown and the Thorny Issue of Sexual Barter featuring Pascale Bos
February 6, 2025 | 5-6:30 p.m. PT | In-Person
With support from UC San Diego Muir College’s LBGTQIA+ LLC
Registration details are forthcoming
In Hitler’s Munich: Jews, the Revolution and the Rise of Nazism featuring Michael Brenner
March 6, 2025 | 5-6:30 p.m. PT | Virtual-Only
With support from UC San Diego European Studies
Registration details are forthcoming
Politics, Violence, Memory: The New Social Science of the Holocaust featuring Jeffrey Kopstein
April 3, 2025 | 5-6:30 p.m. PT | Virtual-Only
Lou Dunst Memorial Lecture
Registration details are forthcoming
Rain of Ash: Roma, Jews and the Holocaust featuring Ari Joskowicz
April 24, 2025 | 5-6:30 p.m. PT | In-Person
Sponsored by July Galper
Registration details are forthcoming
Schindler’s Listed: In Search of a Buried Past featuring Randi Biederman
May 15, 2025 | 5-6:30 p.m. PT | Virtual-Only
Registration details are forthcoming
In addition to the lecture series, HLHW connects students, teachers and the community with the USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive—the world’s largest online database of Holocaust survivor testimonies. The Library is proud to offer exclusive access to this invaluable resource in the San Diego region.
To learn more about the HLHW series, contact Susanne Hillman at shillman@ucsd.edu. For questions or to register by phone, email UCSDLibrary@ucsd.edu or call (858) 534-1183.
About UC San Diego Library
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About Holocaust Living History Workshop
The Holocaust Living History Workshop (HLHW) series is an education and outreach program sponsored by the UC San Diego Library and the Jewish Studies Program. It aims to preserve the memories of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust by offering public events involving witnesses, descendants and scholars and through the use of the USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive. Past HLHW workshops are now part of the Library’s digital collections and can be accessed online.
Media Contact
April Tellez Green (she/her)
Communications Manager
UC San Diego Library
atgreen@ucsd.edu