24th Annual Symposium on the Holocaust and Genocide: Overcoming Fear of the Other

At a time when many politicians and political parties are exploiting the politics of division, the 24th Annual Symposium on the Holocaust and Genocide at Vanier College will explore the theme of Overcoming Fear of the Other during the week-long event that will run April-11-15, 2016.

“While fear alone does not cause genocide it heightens the various social, cultural and psychological components that create fertile ground for division, extremism, racism and discrimination,” says Marlene Grossman, the principal organizer of the event.

Presentations and talks by guest speakers during the symposium will raise numerous issues related to the social consequences of fear of the other. All talks are open to the public. Some of the speakers include the following:

• Professors Paul Eid and Frédérick Guillaume Dufour (UQAM) compare and contrast current islamophobia and antisemitism.

• Professor Bruce Broomhall, professor of international criminal law and director of the law department at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) will discuss protection against the many current horrific acts of terrorism and international security.

• Ingrid Rauchbauer, Program Director at Caritas, in Vienna, will recount her agency’s part in settling the many thousands of Syrians that have streamed into Austria.

• Rebbetzin Dvorah Shanowitz, who will be addressing stereotypes of observant Jewish women. She is a highly acclaimed Jewish Studies teacher and lecturer on Women’s Issues.

• The media plays an important role in the shaping of students’ values. How do students know when they are looking at an Internet site or when they hear an entertainer discussing a particular point of view, whether this is fact, a personal opinion, or propaganda? Vanier’s Colleen Ayoup, Susan Bissonnette, and Christoph Heldt will discuss with students how to identify whether information is fact, fiction or propaganda.

• Holocaust survivors will give testimony about how fear enabled the atrocities they survived or lack of contributed to their survival, as in the case of Ben Bicher who hid in a Belgium convent for two years.

As well, on Wednesday, April 13th at noon, a Holocaust and Genocide Commemoration Service will take place in the presence of special invited guests: German Consul, Walter Leuchs, Austrian Consul, Elisabeth Caniseus, Austrian Vice-Consul, Marc Bissell, Austrian Cultural Attaché, Bernhard Faustenhammer, and Israeli Consul General, Ziv Nevo Kulman.

24th Annual Symposium on the Holocaust and Genocide: Fear of the Other

At a time when many politicians and political parties are exploiting the politics of division, the 24th Annual Symposium on the Holocaust and Genocide at Vanier College will explore the theme of Fear of the Other during the week-long event that will run April-11-15, 2016.

“While fear alone does not cause genocide it heightens the various social, cultural and psychological components that create fertile ground for division, extremism, racism and discrimination,” says Marlene Grossman, the principal organizer of the event.

Presentations and talks by guest speakers during the symposium will raise numerous issues related to the social consequences of fear of the other. All talks are open to the public. Some of the speakers include the following:

• Professors Paul Eid and Frédérick Guillaume Dufour (UQAM) compare and contrast current islamophobia and antisemitism.

• Professor Bruce Broomhall, professor of international criminal law and director of the law department at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) will discuss protection against the many current horrific acts of terrorism and international security.

• Ingrid Rauchbauer, Program Director at Caritas, in Vienna, will recount her agency’s part in settling the many thousands of Syrians that have streamed into Austria.

• Rebbetzin Dvorah Shanowitz, who will be addressing stereotypes of observant Jewish women. She is a highly acclaimed Jewish Studies teacher and lecturer on Women’s Issues.

• The media plays an important role in the shaping of students’ values. How do students know when they are looking at an Internet site or when they hear an entertainer discussing a particular point of view, whether this is fact, a personal opinion, or propaganda? Vanier’s Colleen Ayoup, Susan Bissonnette, and Christoph Heldt will discuss with students how to identify whether information is fact, fiction or propaganda.

• Holocaust survivors will give testimony about how fear enabled the atrocities they survived or lack of contributed to their survival, as in the case of Ben Bicher who hid in a Belgium convent for two years.

As well, on Wednesday, April 13th at noon, a Holocaust and Genocide Commemoration Service will take place in the presence of special invited guests: German Consul, Walter Leuchs, Austrian Consul, Elisabeth Caniseus, Austrian Vice-Consul, Marc Bissell, Austrian Cultural Attaché, Bernhard Faustenhammer, and Israeli Consul General, Ziv Nevo Kulman.