CORVALLIS, Ore. – Auschwitz survivor and 2015 Elie Wiesel Award-winner Thomas Buergenthal will speak at Oregon State University in Corvallis as part of the university’s annual observance of Holocaust Memorial Week, April 13-21.
Born in Slovakia in 1934, Buergenthal recounted his survival of Auschwitz in the memoir, “A Lucky Child.” After coming to the United States he became a prominent legal scholar, specializing in international law. He has served as a judge on several panels that have dealt with human rights issues, including 10 years of service on the International Court of Justice.
Buergenthal will speak at 7:30 p.m. April 21 in the Austin Auditorium at the LaSells Stewart Center, 875 S.W. 26th St., Corvallis. His talk will focus on his experience during World War II and his perspective on international law’s role in combatting persecution and protecting human rights.
For the first time in the event’s 29-year history, Holocaust Memorial Week this year will be expanded to include an event in Portland. Buergenthal and OSU faculty members will participate in a panel discussion on religious and human rights at 7 p.m. Monday, April 20, at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center, 6651 S.W. Capitol Highway, in Portland. Other panelists are Rena Lauer, Amy Koehlinger, Stuart Sarbacker and Paul Kopperman of OSU.
Holocaust Memorial Week is presented by the School of History, Philosophy and Religion in OSU’s College of Liberal Arts in association with the City of Corvallis and School District 509-J. All events are free and open to the public. This year’s program includes a special focus on human rights and women’s rights.
Other Holocaust Memorial Week events are:
- Human rights lawyer Gabriela Rivera of Guatemala will speak about sexual violence against indigenous women in Guatemala at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 13, in the C & E Auditorium in the LaSells Stewart Center.
- A virtual “tour” of Auschwitz will be presented by OSU philosophy instructor Marta Kunecka at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, in the Horizon Room in the Memorial Union at OSU. Kunecka conducted tours of the concentration camp while in graduate school in Krakow, Poland, and will recreate the experience using visual aids.
- “Watchers of the Sky,” a documentary film about Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term genocide, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, in the C &E Auditorium in the LaSells Stewart Center.
- Elizabeth Heineman, a feminist historian who has written extensively on the subject of women in Nazi Germany, will be giving a talk entitled “Human Rights Law and the Issue of Violence against Women,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16, in the C & E Auditorium in the LaSells Stewart Center.
- Two academic conferences, the Social Justice Conference and the International Health Symposium, will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 16, in the Journey Room in the Memorial Union, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 17, in the Snell International Forum at OSU. Students will present papers on topics such as violence against women, gender rights and human rights, LGBTQ rights and acceptance, and the relationship between gendered violence and genocide. For more information on the conferences, visit http://liberalarts.
oregonstate.edu/sjc.
For more information about the events, visit http://oregonstate.edu/dept/
Soul Harmony
WHAT: Musical featuring “The Story of Deborah Chessler, Sonny Til & the Orioles”
WHEN: April 16-May 3; 7:30 pm Thursday-Sunday; 2 pm Saturday and Sunday
WHERE: The Brunish Theater at the Portland’5 Center for the Arts, 1111 SW Broadway
TICKETS: Stumptownstages.org or 800-273-1530
EXTRA: Renowned rock critic, Rolling Stone Contributing Editor and author of the essay that inspired “Soul Harmony,” Greil Marcus presents a free lecture at noon, April 16, in the Brunish Theater.
Come see Morah/Teacher Elizabeth “in action”, meet other parents, and see why everyone is checking us out!
The Carl Preschool is a play based Jewish co-operative preschool open to all that focuses on providing a warm, fun and creative environment where your child will laugh, learn and thrive.
This is the first of three chances to check us out!
Full schedule of open house days:
April 19th, 10:00 to 12:00
April 20-21st, 9:30 to 11:00 and 1:30 to 3:00.
Come see Morah/Teacher Elizabeth “in action”, meet other parents, and see why everyone is checking us out!
The Carl Preschool is a play based Jewish co-operative preschool open to all that focuses on providing a warm, fun and creative environment where your child will laugh, learn and thrive.
This is the first of three chances to check us out!
Full schedule of open house days:
April 19th, 10:00 to 12:00
April 20-21st, 9:30 to 11:00 and 1:30 to 3:00.
Learn to Write Poetry with Rabbi David
Rabbi David Zaslow will be teaching a poetry writing class in seven sessions beginning Tuesday, April 21. Rabbi Zaslow says, “The power of the metaphor is a portal to a higher reality.” Rabbi Zaslow is the recipient of the 1988 American Book Award for educational materials. He travelled the nation and taught teachers how to teach poetry in their elementary and high school classrooms. Today, as a rabbi he combines his understanding of the rhythm and imagery with a tilt toward the sacred. The course is geared toward those who already write poetry and with to take their writing to a deeper level, as well as the novice. In each class participants will write and have the option of sharing in an intimate space and safe space that Rabbi David creates. Seven Sessions on Tuesdays: April 21, 28, May 5, 12, 19, 26, June 2, 7-8:30 PM. Cost for the class is $155 , with $15 discount before April 7. Call 541-488-7716 to pre-register or for more information or visit www.havurahshirhadash.org. The Havurah is located at 185 N. Mountain Ave. in Ashland.
New Translations of Boris Slutsky, Jewish Soviet Soldier Poet. A Bilingual Reading and Discussion by Marat Grinberg and Judith Pulman.
Living in Russia during and after the Second World War as a Jew, what does a gifted poet write and which writings must be hidden for the sake of self-preservation? How does this poet shape and maintain his identity when his Soviet allegiance and Jewishness collide?
Join Marat Grinberg, associate professor of Russian and humanities at Reed College, and Judith Pulman, poet and translator, for a poetry reading followed by a Q & A session, where together we can explore expressions of identity in cataclysmic times.
This event is funded in part by Regional Arts & Culture Council and being co-sponsored by Congregation Shir Tikvah. Please call ahead to (503) 226-3600 for ADA accommodation requests.
Thomas Buergenthal will speak to us in a double capacity: first, as a survivor of Auschwitz, whose experiences during the Holocaust are chronicled in his highly acclaimed memoir, A Lucky Child; and second, as a renowned legal scholar who has throughout his career labored to make international law an ever-more-effective tool in combating human rights abuses. During his academic career, he has held a series of chairs in distinguished schools of law and is currently the Lobingier Professor of Comparative Law and Jurisprudence at the George Washington University School of Law. He has also served as a judge on several international tribunals that deal heavily in human rights cases, including the International Court of Justice (a.k.a. “The World Court”).
Professor Buergenthal is the 2015 recipient of the Elie Wiesel Award, a recognition granted annually by the United States Holocaust Memorial museum to honor “internationally prominent individuals whose actions have advanced the Museum’s vision of a world where people confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity.”
In his talk at Oregon State University, Professor Buergenthal will discuss his experiences during World War II and his perspectives on what international law has done, and what it can be expected to do, to combat persecution and protect human rights. As the conclusion of his talk, copies of the new, expanded edition of A Lucky Child will be available for purchase.
Honoring those who have given their lives for the State of Israel.
Celebrate Israel’s 67th year of independence with Israeli music, Israeli food, dancing and lots of surprises!
Celebrate Israel’s birthday April 22; commemorate the fallen April 21
The community is invited to celebrate Israel’s Independence Day 5:30-8:30 pm, Wednesday, April 22, at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center.
The free event features activities and games for all ages art, music and Israeli dancing. A delicious Israeli buffet will be available for $5 per plate from 5:30 to 7 pm.
While the buffet is open kids of all ages can explore a host of activities in the gym. The gym will be full of art and activities, including a bounce house, climbing Masada, face painting, photobooth, henna tattoos, and more.
Meanwhile adults are invited to explore an Israeli Market with some of the best products Israel has to offer. And Café Israeli will offer coffee, wine and beer.
From 7 to 8:30 pm, head for the ballroom for a rocking Israeli Dance Party with DJ Max Barenberg, Israeli dancers, light show and much more.
The evening before Yom Ha’atzmaut is the more somber Yom Hazikaron to honor those who have given their lives for the State of Israel. The commemoration will also be held at the MJCC beginning at 8 pm, April 21.
For more information on either program, contact MJCC Special Events Program Manager Laurie Fendel at 503-535-3617 or LFendel@OregonJCC.org.