Portrait of Rabbi Morris B. Lazaron. Courtesy of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio, at americanjewisharchives.org
Join us for two programs honoring the service and leadership of Margaret and Charlie Obrecht in the fields of interreligious dialogue and Holocaust history:
From Baltimore to Berlin: An Interfaith Encounter in Nazi Germany
9:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
Speakers
Victoria Barnett, Director, Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust
Rebecca Carter-Chand, Program Officer, Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust
As a staff member of the National Conference of Christians and Jews (NCCJ), during the 1930s, Baltimore's Rabbi Morris B. Lazaron became nationally known for his interfaith work with Catholic and Protestant leaders.
In 1935, he went to Berlin hoping to replicate the NCCJ’s successful interfaith model. His expectations were shattered by the realities of National Socialism. He returned after several months and lectured widely about his experiences. As persecution of the Jews intensified in Nazi Germany, the tensions between the Christian and Jewish communities in the U.S. deepened over differing perceptions of what was at stake. By 1945, Rabbi Lazaron’s focus had turned to the challenges of American anti-black racism and social justice issues in Baltimore.
Join us as we reflect on Rabbi Lazaron's journey from Baltimore to Berlin and the complexities of interfaith engagement.
The Holocaust Through Muslim Eyes
7–9 p.m.
Speakers
Dr. Mehnaz Afridi, Associate Professor, Religious Studies, and Director, Holocaust, Genocide & Interfaith Education Center, Manhattan College
Heather Miller Rubens, Executive Director, Institute for Islamic Christian Jewish Studies
Antisemitism and Islamophobia have placed Dr. Mehnaz Afridi at a challenging crossroads. Afridi, a Muslim and the director of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan College (a Lasallian Catholic university), is an advocate for Holocaust education for all faiths. But remembrance and Holocaust studies is often personal and controversial. And she isn't always welcomed by either her Muslim or Jewish colleagues.
What does it mean to bring Muslim voices into conversation about the Holocaust? How does this impact not only Jewish communities but also Muslim and Christian communities? Can we use one of the most horrific tragedies of all time, the Holocaust, as an entry point for interfaith dialogue? Join us for a brief lecture and audience Q&A as Afridi reflects on her life as a Muslim and a scholar of Holocaust Studies and Islam.
This program is co-sponsored by Baltimore’s Institute for Islamic-Christian-Jewish Studies and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, with the generous support of the Hoffberger Family Foundation.