Scholars from throughout the world will converge at the Brigham Young University Conference Center March 5-8 to hear messages of "Remembrance, Repentance and Reconciliation" at the silver anniversary of the Annual Scholars Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches.
Also coming are 13 Holocaust survivors who will present papers, 22 soldier liberators who will explain what they saw in the concentration camps, and two Holocaust specialists from Russia and two from Ukraine."The Holocaust happened, and we need to remember to ensure it does not happen again," says BYU history professor Douglas F. Tobler, conference chairman.
"Humans are often more capable of learning from their mistakes than from their triumphs. This annual conference seeks to bring about a better understanding, so future generations can learn to respect and love each other better."
A free opening convocation Sunday, March 5, at 8:15 p.m. in the Provo LDS Tabernacle will feature Wallenberg Holocaust survivor Tom Lantos, a member of Congress from California. Lantos was saved by the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg. Joining Lantos will be his wife Annette, also a Holocaust survivor. BYU music professor Murray Boren composed a work, "Beyond," for the opening session.
All other sessions require a $150 registration fee. For additional information, contact 438 Harman Building, Provo, UT 84602, (801) 378-6759.
As part of the conference, the Theatre and Film Department will stage "Playing for Time," a Holocaust play BYU presented this past fall semester. The performance is Tuesday, March 7, at 8 p.m. Oscar Award-winning executive producer Gerald Molen of "Schindler's List" will give the closing address March 8 at 2 p.m.
The interdisciplinary approach to the Holocaust will bring specialists in theology, philosophy, psychology, history, political science, sociology, literature and writing.
Its international emphasis is reflected in representatives coming from 12 countries: the United States, Israel, Germany, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Great Britain, Australia and Canada. An interfaith organization, participants will range from LDS, Protestant, Catholic and Jewish to those with no religious affiliation.
Eight sessions Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, March 6, 7 and 8, will feature panels and scholarly papers that will be open to discussion. Subjects will cover the Shoah and literature, historical investigations, teaching methods, testimonies of survivors, how the Holo-caust affects contemporary Christianity and Holocaust films.
Additional topics will include the camps, the movement toward revisionism and right-wing resurgence, mourning, therapy and liberation in literature.
Since its founding in 1970, The Annual Conferences on the Holocaust and the Churches has been committed to raising Holocaust issues in tandem with the study of churches' struggles and failures to confront anti-Semitism. As well as celebrating its silver anniversary, the organization is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II and the liberation of the concentration camps.