New Insights and Research-Intensive Debate at the Heart of Charles University: Jews and Gentiles in East-Central Europe Conference ****************************************************************************************** * New Insights and Research-Intensive Debate at the Heart of Charles University: Jews and Central Europe Conference ****************************************************************************************** On May 26th, Charles University in Prague was privileged to host a fascinating and innovat research conference and two day international workshop Jews and Gentiles in East-Central E Twentieth Century under the Faculty of Social Sciences, organised by internal and external various scholars, graduates and enthusiasts presenting their work. In preparation for the event, a call for research papers and presentations was made in rel news and contemporary discussions on anti-Semitism in Europe, the Holocaust, the experienc religious minorities, and themes of history, politics, anthropology, resistance and citize Central Europe, narrowing focus on to former Czechoslovakia. Accepted proposals were showc conference dates, followed by debates, discussions and specialist input. Each day was open by Dr Jan Láníček, a visiting Postdoctorate in Jewish history from the University of New S Australia, and Dr Hana Kubátová, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences. According to the organisers, this opportunity was in many ways, an anticipated follow on-e public summer research workshop hosted in the Washington D.C. United States Holocaust Memo the Centre for Advanced Holocaust Studies, which addressed the “post-war distortion” of Ho concentrating on a comparative study of Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary during the year until the fall of the communist regime. Notably, it was here that the themes, implications problems and propositions, discussion and friendships ignited for future, permanent resear events of this interdisciplinary, international and interactive nature, which from my time University, I've got to know as part of its ethos. The mobility of these ideas to Prague w Czech Science Foundation grant for research into Jews and anti-Semitism in Czechoslovakia, steered the conference’s academic aspirations and focus. Fortunately, grants were also pro Rothschild Foundation, the Czech Foundation for Holocaust Victims and from Charles Univers allowed the organisers to fulfil their ambitious targets of length and depth for the confe

In 2016, selected papers from both events should be pu Holocaust Studies

The workshop, centred on “in-depth academic discussions of key issues that shaped the coex Jewish and Gentile communities in East-Central Europe in the shadow of the Nazi exterminat was jam packed with individual 30 minute presentations, divided under keynote speakers and Wartime Attitudes, Postwar Poland, Postwar Czechoslovakia and Hungary, microhistory, the H the Politics and the Representation of Jewish/Non-Jewish Relations, all of which I found t discussed, honest and engaging. As a liberal arts student, I loved the range of specialism on display, the creative and analytical atmosphere and the keenness of its dynamic partici always refreshing at universities to come across some passionate, intricate research and r all of which were original, enterprising and thoughtful. Their talks touched on tangible, relating vitally to the current climate of rising right-wing influence and anti-Semitism i parallel discussion on war remembrance, microhistory and awareness of Jewish history and c of food for thought. Although the event was comprised largely of an invite-only workshop, an aim of facilitatin public was stressed, creating accessibility through the conference element, which was arra patronage of the Rector of Charles University, Professor Tomáš Zima, and the city mayor To taking place at the Patriotic Hall of Karolinum, the ceremonial main building of Charles U I just wish to have seen more Erasmus and undergraduate students taking advantage of a rar academic event and the many touching accounts of subjective and personalised research. The by intertwining with demanding, contemporary issues, projected a message to the student ‘g us to become inquisitive on the factors that have moulded the modern European borders, cit experience, and for us to be informed on marginalised communities, their heritage and thei and be equipped and motivated to study and discuss correlative issues and questions in the tense. Through the keynote and guest speakers, a foundation of expertise guided the debate but th interjecting platforms for queries and suggestions from participants, which maintained a f expression and education in the public sphere of the event. The workshop’s keynote speaker from Tel Aviv University, spoke of his fascinating experience and research Imagining the V of Central and Eastern Europe: An Israeli Perspective, and the general conference was led Omer Bartov from Brown University, a historian and accredited academic in Holocaust studie talk The Voice of Your Brother's Blood: The Holocaust as Communal Genocide, outlined the c elementary targets of documenting the “similarities and differences in the Jewish-Gentile volatile national borders in the region” and examined “how this community of coexistence b Gentiles transformed into a community of genocide during German occupation in WWII”, whils the organisational aims of “bringing together senior as well as junior scholars from vario delving in to newfound “methodological approaches” to researching these themes. With hopes of repeating this successful and effectual showcasing of research, the organise “with all the grant and with months of organisational work, putting together this workshop was one of the most challenging things – but definitely worth it! Both events were so stim 2016, selected papers from both events should be published in Holocaust Studies, and hopef book form”…so if you weren’t there, make sure you get your hands on a copy! Poppy Gerrard-Abbott is an Erasmus student studying BA write for the iForum to build on her journalism skills Czech culture and life in Prague through attending loc Poppy saw the iForum as an exciting opportunity to pur fun experience that has brought some exciting opportun offer such placements to future students.