–Yahad - In Unum News

No. 3February 2010


European Parliament presentation

Father Desbois will make a special presentation regarding the work of Yahad-In Unum at the European Parliament in Brussels on April 7.  A special photo exhibition chronicling many of the stories that the Yahad team have gathered also will be on display for members of Parliament and other invited dignitaries April 6-9.  In a letter to Father Desbois, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek said, “For many years, your organization has undertaken a unique and precious work on this difficult chapter of Europe’s history.  Your activities and the results of your research most certainly deserve the attention of the European deputies and the support of the European Parliament.”      »

Holocaust Memorial award presented to Father Desbois

The Foundation for French Judaism and Jacob Buchman Foundation recognized the contributions of Yahad-In Unum in presenting Father Desbois with the 2010 Holocaust Memorial Award at a February 15 ceremony in Paris.  The award was presented by Charles Baron, Rosine Bron and Nelly Hansson.    

Appointment

Yahad - In Unum’s Board of Directors has appointed Rabbi Mendel Samama as permanent consultant for rabbinical issues. He will be responsible for overseeing, from the rabbinical perspective, research on the mass graves of Jewish victims of the Einsatszgruppen and for establishing a Rabbinical Council to aid the work of the association in its various phases.

Holocaust by Bullets exhibition opened in Belgium

On February 8, the international exhibition, « Holocaust by Bullets » opened at the Musée de l’Armée in Brussels.  The exhibition, organized by Yahad – In Unum and the Paris-based Memorial of the Shoah, already has been in Paris, New York, Stockhom and Vught in the Netherlands.  The exhibition opens in Madrid, Spain, in November.                       
read article on the exhibition

Third “Thursdays at CERRESE” session announced

CERRESE welcomes author, sociologist and CNRS researcher Gérard Rabinovitch for March’s “Thursdays at CERRESE,” continuing the series of contemporary perspectives on the Holocaust from multiple viewpoints.  Gérard Rabinovitch, who will speak on the topic of “Behemoth, the destructive impulse at work in human societies, including Nazism and the Holocaust,” participated in organizing last year’s special exhibition at the Memorial of Caen, “Survival: Children in the Holocaust,” which can be viewed (in French) on France 5 television’s web site.         
more information

CRIF organizes French delegation visit to Jerusalem

CRIF, the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, has invited Father Desbois to present at the “Colloquy Between Jews and Christians,” being held in Jerusalem March 15-18. CRIF, a long-standing and well-respected federation of French Jewish organizations, has provided strong support to Yahad – In Unum since its founding.  Its annual dinner in February is well-attended by major French political figures including, this year, President Nicolas Sarkozy pictured with Father Desbois.

Training session for European history teachers July 5-6

Teachers of history from high schools in Europe are being invited to participate in a training session this summer on the Holocaust in Eastern Europe at the European Resource Center for Research and Learning about the Eastern Holocaust (in French CERRESE).  Historians, researchers and members of the Yahad – In Unum team at CERRESE will present the different faces of “the Holocaust by bullets” to further educators’ understanding of this part of the history of the genocide of the Jews and Roma of Europe.  The training session will take place in Paris on July 5 and 6, 2010.                            
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Upcoming public events

• Jerusalem:  Yad Vashem, “The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority,” has invited Father Desbois to deliver a lecture on March 9 at 11:00 a.m. at the International Institute for Holocaust Research in Jerusalem.
• Paris:  “Thursdays at CERRESE,” welcomes author, sociologist and CNRS researcher Gérard Rabinovitch on March 11 at 8:00 p.m. (reservation required).           
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• Nice, France:  Father Desbois will present at a conference sponsored by the Union des Patrons et des Professionnels Juifs de France, Monday, March 22 at 8:00 p.m. at the Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen.           
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