Conference To Examine Holocaust, Genocide And War

Noted clerics and scholars will gather at Baylor University for a conference that focuses on the Holocaust, genocide and war. Sponsored by Baylor's Center for American and Jewish Studies and the J.M. Dawson Institute for Church-State Studies, the event will take place Tuesday, April 29, through Thursday, May 1, and is free and open to the public
"This conference will draw attention to the reality of mass killing and war crimes in today's world," said Dr. Derek Davis, professor and director of the Dawson Institute. "The 20th century was literally a 'century of death' if measured from the standpoint of the extent of genocides committed worldwide. The World War II Holocaust is the best-known atrocity, of course, but perhaps as many as 170 million people were killed last century in mass killings perpetrated by government authorities around the globe. Already in the 21st century there have been mass killings in places like Indonesia, Iraq and the Sudan. We will look at causes, including religious and ethnic conflict, and ways to end this ugly side of human experience."
As part of the conference, the Holocaust Remembrance luncheon and lecture will be held at noon Tuesday at George W. Truett Seminary's Piper Great Hall. The featured speakers will be Rabbi Michael Robinson, the first North Carolina native ordained as a rabbi and a veteran of World War II, and the Rev. Dr. Said Ailabouni, who was born in Nazareth and is program director for Europe and the Middle East in the division for global mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Robinson will speak on "A Rabbi Reflects on the Holocaust," while Ailabouni will lecture on "A Palestinian Christian Responds to the Holocaust."
Other major presenters at the conference include Dr. Greg Stanton, president of Genocide Watch, who will speak on "A Century of Genocide" and "The Eight Stages of Genocide" at 9:30 a.m. and 10:50 a.m. Tuesday; Dr. James Waller, author of the book "Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing," who will speak at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday; Martin Selak, a survivor of World War II Croatian prisons and concentration camps, who will lecture at noon Wednesday; and Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, one of the first 10 women in Jewish history to enter Rabbinic life, who will speak at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Thursday.
Other conference activities include a dinner and dramatic presentation at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, a panel discussion at 3 p.m. Wednesday and a dinner at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Seventh and James Baptist Church.
All events except the Holocaust Remembrance lecture and the Tuesday night dinner will be held at the Dawson Institute on the third floor of Carroll Library. Reservations are required for the luncheon and dinner.
For a complete conference schedule, visit www.baylor.edu/American_Jewish/ . For more information or for reservations, call 710-1510.