Episodes
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In recognition of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the broader UTD community—including faculty, staff, students, and community members—came together to read poetry, prose, and personal testimony in a variety of languages. This recording was produced in conjunction with the 2023 gathering and features readings and new translations of the poem "Cart Load of Shoes," a moving poem by Abraham Sutzkever. Through this and other poems, we honor and remember the past, ensuring that the voices of those who endured the Holocaust are never forgotten. Tune in as we delve into the power of literature to preserve memory and inspire reflection.
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In this episode, Belofsky Fellow Katie Fisher sits down with Dr. Charlotte Schallié, an author and professor of German Studies at the University of Victoria, to discuss the importance of arts-based research. Dr. Schallié spoke at the Annual Scholar’s Conference about her collaborative research work with Holocaust survivors and graphic novelists which produced the novel "But I Live: Three Stories of Child Survivors of the Holocaust." What sets this project apart is its innovative format as a graphic novel, offering poignant visual narratives of three survivors' experiences during and after the Holocaust.
During the interview, Schallié shares insights into her collaborative process with artists, shedding light on how she orchestrated their contributions to bring the stories onto the page. Together, Schallié and Fisher discuss the delicate balance of creating a safe and inclusive space for students to learn about mass atrocities while also not hiding the horrors of the events studied.
Charlotte Schallié delivered the 2024 Mitchell L. and Miriam Lewis Barnett Lecture at The 54th Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches
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Episodes manquant?
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In this episode, Dr. Nils Roemer sits down with Father Patrick Desbois, the esteemed founder of Yahad – in Unum, and they discuss his presentation of the 2024, Einspruch Lectures on the Holocaust and the mission of his organization in identifying Holocaust mass execution sites. The conversation centers on his acclaimed book, The Holocaust by Bullets, which earned him the National Jewish Book Award. Father Desbois shares insights into the atrocities of World War II, emphasizing the mass killings and destruction of graves. He extends the discussion to his research on ISIS, the Yazidi genocide, and the suffering of women across diverse backgrounds, providing a poignant glimpse into the darker pages of history.
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In this episode, Dr. Nils Roemer hosts an an engaging conversation with our newest faculty member, Dr. Hanno Berger, an assistant professor in film studies at the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology. Dr. Berger delves into his research on postwar German films, sharing fascinating insights into revolutions and their multifaceted impact. He offers a deep exploration of Hannah Arendt's influential book "On Revolution", which served as the foundation for his PhD thesis. Additionally, Dr. Berger sheds light on his role as one of the editors of Hannah Arendt's renowned work, "The Origin of Totalitarianism." Tune in for an enlightening discussion on film, revolutions, and the profound influence of Arendt's writings on modern discourse.
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Join us as we take a close look at the unique Bollywood film, "Bawaal." Our guest, Dr. Mehak Burza, is an expert in Holocaust studies who teaches in the Department of English at University of Delhi (New Delhi, India). Dr. Nils Roemer and Dr. Burza speak about this film and her recent article "The State of Holocaust Awareness in India is Abysmal" where she points out that many people in India do not have in-depth knowledge about the Holocaust. Together they explore how "Bawaal" impacts Indian viewers, especially young people.
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In this episode, Dr. Nils Roemer and Angie Simmons have a meaningful conversation with Dr. Martin Dean, a respected scholar and the 2023 keynote speaker at the Annual Scholar’s Conference. Dr. Dean's book, "Collaboration in the Holocaust: Crimes of the Local Police in Belorussia and Ukraine" provides us an understanding how different groups collaborated in committing crimes during the Holocaust. This work developed out of his years working alongside Scotland Yard.
Dr. Martin Dean delivered the Michael And Elaine Jaffe Lecture at the 53rd Annual Scholar’s Conference. -
In this episode of the Ackerman Center podcast, we speak with author and Annual Scholar’s Conference keynote speaker Glenn Kurtz about the adaptation of his book Three Minutes in Poland: Discovering a Lost World in a 1938 Family Film into a documentary film titled Three Minutes-A Lengthening. He discusses the path that led him to writing the book and discovering the film amongst his family’s home movies as well as the years of research that he has embarked on as a result.
Glenn Kurtz delivered the 2023 Mitchell L. and Miriam Lewis Barnett Lecture at the Annual Scholar’s Conference.
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This interview with Susan Neiman—Philosopher, Author, and Director of the Einstein Forum—and Dr. Nils Roemer was recorded in April 2021. The two discuss her book "Learning from the Germans" which delivers an urgently needed perspective on how a country can come to terms with its historical wrongdoings. It has been edited to better fit a podcast format.
--In the wake of white nationalist attacks, the ongoing debate over reparations, and the controversy surrounding Confederate monuments and the contested memories they evoke, Susan Neiman’s Learning from the Germans delivers an urgently needed perspective on how a country can come to terms with its historical wrongdoings. Neiman is a white woman who came of age in the civil rights–era South and a Jewish woman who has spent much of her adult life in Berlin. Working from this unique perspective, she combines philosophical reflection, personal stories, and interviews with both Americans and Germans who are grappling with the evils of their own national histories.Through discussions with Germans, including Jan Philipp Reemtsma, who created the breakthrough Crimes of the Wehrmacht exhibit, and Friedrich Schorlemmer, the East German dissident preacher, Neiman tells the story of the long and difficult path Germans faced in their effort to atone for the crimes of the Holocaust. In the United States, she interviews James Meredith about his battle for equality in Mississippi and Bryan Stevenson about his monument to the victims of lynching, as well as lesser-known social justice activists in the South, to provide a compelling picture of the work contemporary Americans are doing to confront our violent history. In clear and gripping prose, Neiman urges us to consider the nuanced forms that evil can assume, so that we can recognize and avoid them in the future.
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Join Dr. Nils Roemer and Belofsky fellows Angie Simmons and Katie Fisher on a walking tour of a few memorials scattered around Berlin. This episode dives into the locations and historical context around 5 prominent local Holocaust memorials in Berlin with a focus on what happened after the end of WWII. Throughout the episode noise of the contemporary cityscape blends with historical references provided by Dr. Nils Roemer.
Find out more about each of these memorials at the links below.
The Deserted Room
The Missing House
Track 17 Memorial at Grunewald Railway Station
The Neue Synagoge
Stumbling Stones (Stolpersteine)
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Join Dr. Nils Roemer and Belofsky fellow Katie Fisher on a walking tour of three memorials in Berlin—the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism, and the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism. This auditory experience captures the sound of the present-day cityscape with its traffic and tourist chatter and is layered with historical context and references provided by Dr. Nils Roemer.
Find out more about each of these memorials at the links below.
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
The Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism
The Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism -
In this episode, Dr. Emily-Rose Baker, assistant professor of film studies at UT Dallas, interviews Sabina Vajrača an award-winning film director from Bosnia and Herzegovina who immigrated to the US as a war refugee at the age of 14. Her work deals with representations of inter-ethnic conflict particularly pertaining to the Bosnian war and genocide—as well as the Holocaust.
Watch Variables here: https://vimeo.com/337351085
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On November 9, 1938, a day that has come to be known as Kristallnacht, the Nazis orchestrated an attack against Jews, their businesses, synagogues, and their homes. This was followed by mass arrests and deportations to camps. In this episode, Dr. Roemer and Angie Simmons discuss the events that lead up to the attack, as well as the significance of this day and what would follow.
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Dr. Dina Porat, professor emerita of modern Jewish history at the Department of Jewish History at Tel Aviv University and the chief historian of Yad Vashem, presented the Einspruch Lecture Series at the Ackerman Center this year. Her recent work focuses on debates around the definitions of antisemitism. In this episode, she and Dr. David Patterson sit down for a conversation.
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Join Dr. Nils Roemer and Belofsky fellow Katie Fisher on a walking tour of the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site outside of Munich, Germany. This auditory experience captures the sound of the present-day landscape with its birdsong and tourist chatter and is layered with historical context and references provided by Dr. Nils Roemer.
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The 2020 Dutch World War II film, The Forgotten Battle, follows the actions of three young characters: a Dutch Axis soldier, a British glider pilot, and a woman affiliated with the Dutch Resistance, as events unfold during the battle in which Allied forces attempted to regain control of German-occupied Zeeland. In this episode, Dr. Emily-Rose Baker and Angie Simmons discuss the film’s representation of this historical event and the Dutch resistance movement.
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As it became increasingly clear the Nazis would not overcome the Allied forces and would lose WWII, the Nazis forced survivors of the death camps to march toward the heart of German territory with the idea that they would restart their efforts to exterminate Europe's Jews. In this episode, Dr. Nils Roemer and Belofsky Fellow Angie Simmons discuss the ways in which the death marches signed the end of the Nazi reign of terror but also how it was just the beginning of figuring out what had unfolded during the years of the Third Reich.
The series, "A Year in the Third Reich," explores significant events that took place throughout the years of Hitler's Third Reich. In each episode, we refer to specific primary sources such as newspaper articles, photographs, and maps. To access and download the Primary Sources Handout for this episode, please visit: https://ackerman.utdallas.edu/virtual-outreach.
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Near the end of 1944, Himmler ordered the halt of the Final Solution and the destruction of the gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau. As Allied troops carried out Air Raids on Germany, citizens felt the effects of war on their daily lives forcing the Nazis to shift their focus. In this episode, Dr. Nils Roemer and Belofsky Fellow Angie Simmons discuss the Posen Speeches and the Nazis shifting their focus.
The series, "A Year in the Third Reich," explores significant events that took place throughout the years of Hitler's Third Reich. In each episode, we refer to specific primary sources such as newspaper articles, photographs, and maps. To access and download the Primary Sources Handout for this episode, please visit: https://ackerman.utdallas.edu/virtual-outreach.
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In 1943 expectations about the outcome of WWII began to point toward the defeat of the Third Reich. Despite growing awareness about the coming fall of the Nazis, they would still go on to kill another 3 million more Jews. In this episode, Dr. Nils Roemer and Belofsky Fellow Angie Simmons discuss pivotal events in 1943 and highlight the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.
The series, "A Year in the Third Reich," explores significant events that took place throughout the years of Hitler's Third Reich. In each episode, we refer to specific primary sources such as newspaper articles, photographs, and maps. To access and download the Primary Sources Handout for this episode, please visit: https://ackerman.utdallas.edu/virtual-outreach.
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In 1942 the events associated with the Holocaust began in earnest and grew in scale moving toward a continental genocide. This episode focuses on the building up of death camps, the mass deportations of Jews, and the start of gassing at killing centers.
The series, "A Year in the Third Reich," explores significant events that took place throughout the years of Hitler's Third Reich. In each episode, we refer to specific primary sources such as newspaper articles, photographs, and maps. To access and download the Primary Sources Handout for this episode, please visit: https://ackerman.utdallas.edu/virtual-outreach.
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We are all looking for ways to make sense of the news about the war in Ukraine. In this episode, Dr. Nils Roemer and Dr. Emily-Rose Baker have a conversation with Dr. Yuliya Komska—a cultural historian and native Ukrainian who currently teaches at Dartmouth. Dr. Komska shared with us about the need to protect and rescue cultural heritage as Russian bombs threaten major sites and people flee the conflict. She also talks about the challenges facing Ukrainians who don't want to leave their communities as Russian aggression continues.
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