Oxford Holocaust Memorial Events Series: One Day When We Tell Their Stories
Primary Investigator
Barnabas Balint (History Faculty)
Partner Organisations:
British Association for Holocaust Studies
Oxford University Hungarian Society
Magdalen College Trust – We are very grateful for the financial support of the Magdalen College Trust, who have provided £500 of funding towards the organisation of the series.
Welcome to the Oxford Holocaust Memorial Events Series 2022. Each year, on Holocaust Memorial Day (27 January), we came together to remember the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust and the millions who suffered under Nazi persecution and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. The theme for HMD 2022 was ‘One Day’, encouraging us to think about the individual days in history that held extreme significance: the days when life changed for victims of genocide, and the day in the future without genocide towards which we all strive.
But ‘One Day’ also acted as a sombre reminder that a day would come when Holocaust survivors would no longer be around to share their powerful testimonies. On that day, it would fall to us to tell their stories. This events series built on the online Oxford Holocaust Memorial Lecture Series held in January–February 2021, bringing together high-profile individuals from the UK's Holocaust commemoration community in person for open discussion and bridge-building between members of the University and influential figures in political, civic, academic and public life.
Although 77 years had passed since the end of the Holocaust, its history and memory remained important for a society facing rising antisemitism, contemporary genocide and international humanitarian crises. Learning and reflecting on the Holocaust therefore encouraged us to consider what we wanted our common future to look like. This series, aware that one day survivors would no longer be around to tell their stories, asserted the responsibility of younger generations to carry their memory.
Events related to this project:
Film Screening and Q&A: The Donkey Field - Conversation with Sarah Dobai
Survivor Testimony: John Hajdu MBE – in association with the Oxford University Hungarian Society
The Importance of Personal Stories of the Holocaust - Robert Rinder MBE in conversation with Kirsty Robson
Survivor Testimony: From Yellow Star to Pop Star - Conversation with Dorit Oliver - Wolff Bem
Interdisciplinary Panel on Holocaust Research, Memorial and Education with Dr Steve Muir (Leeds), Dr Zoe Waxman (Oxford), Kathrin Bachleitner (Oxford)
Remembering the Holocaust in the UK: Challenges and Opportunities - Martin Winstone in conversation with Eloise Bishop
Academic Panel Discussion: Holocaust Perpetrators - Chaired by Barnabas Balint (University of Oxford) and Charlie Knight (University of Southampton), the panel consisted of: Prof Christopher Browning (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Prof. Edward B. Westermann (Texas A&M University-San Antonio), Prof. Wendy Lower (Claremont McKenna College) and Prof. Stefan Kühl (University of Bielefeld)
Book Talk: Lily’s Promise: How I Survived Auschwitz and Found the Strength to Live
If you attended or watched any of the events as part of the Oxford Holocaust Memorial series we would be delighted to hear your feedback. Please click here to complete a short online survey. Thank you.
Contact:
Barnabas Balint
