Jewish women forced to labor at the Płaszów concentration camp in German-occupied Poland. US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Leopold Page Photographic Collection
This event has been canceled. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is closely monitoring the rapidly changing situation with COVID-19 (the coronavirus). The safety and well-being of our event attendees, program participants, and staff are our highest priority. Thank you for your understanding. We appreciate your interest in the Museum and hope you will join us at a future program.
Join us for an engaging conversation to explore women’s experiences of genocide and how they’ve worked to use their voices to empower victims, campaign for justice, and rebuild their communities.
Until recently, gender was largely ignored in genocide studies. Women who were victims and survivors of the Holocaust were considered to have had the “same experience” as men. Gender-based assaults were accepted as a by-product of war, and perpetrators were not prosecuted—including after World War II.
Today we know better. History shows that gender is weaponized in war— inspiring horrific crimes aimed at destroying communities. Through conflict-era memoirs and survivor testimonies, we are learning about women’s unique experiences during the Holocaust, in the Rwanda and Bosnia genocides of the 1990s, and today, in Iraq, Syria, and Burma.
Learn about this history, women’s resilience in the face of wartime atrocities, the pursuit of justice, and what is being done today to protect women and girls in conflict zones.
Speakers
Sareta Ashraph, Senior Legal Adviser, Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Sara Darehshori, Principal, Vestry Laight; Former Prosecutor, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda; and, Former Council Member, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Helen Epstein, Journalist, Author, and Editor of Franci’s War: A Woman's Story of Survival
Rose-Helene Spreiregen, Holocaust Survivor and Museum Volunteer
Moderator
Elizabeth Anthony, Director, Visiting Scholars, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Book sales and a signing with journalist and author Helen Epstein will follow the discussion.
This event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required.
For more information, please contact calendar@ushmm.org.