A Little Girl in a Cambodian Prison Finds a Cruel Calling for Justice From The Killing Fields of Cambodia to a Life of Activism
Mon, 04/17/2023 - 5:00am
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One morning in 1978, Theary Seng awoke alongside her younger brother in their prison cell in Boeng Rai Security Center, about 100 kilometers south of their hometown of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The children’s mother had been in the cell the night before, but now she was gone.
Join us on campus or on Zoom for this special public convening featuring a keynote by distinguished scholar Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, in recognition of the Mickey Shapiro Endowed Chair in Holocaust Education Research at the University of Southern California. The event will be moderated by Dr. Ishwar K. Puri.
In this presentation, Elyse Semerdjian will outline the earliest Armenian pilgrimages to the killing fields of Dayr al-Zur in the Syrian Desert. It is there that Armenians interacted with the remains of Armenians murdered during the Armenian Genocide (1915-1918) in acts of remembrance. Semerdjian will discuss the origins of the now-destroyed Armenian Genocide Memorial in Dayr al-Zur and the ritual and collection habits of pilgrims that enact what she calls bone memory.
Betty Grebenschikoff, 93, Holocaust Survivor Who Reunited with Childhood Friend
Mon, 02/27/2023 - 1:48pm
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USC Shoah Foundation mourns the passing of Betty Grebenschikoff, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, author, and speaker, who was reunited with a childhood friend in February 2021, 81 years after the pair had last seen one other in a Berlin schoolyard. The reunion, made possible by a longtime researcher at USC Shoah Foundation, touched hearts across the world.
Equipped with blankets and snacks and dressed in pajamas, 24 young women of USC’s Gamma Phi Beta settled into the living room of their sorority house last fall to watch a video of Edith Eger telling her story of survival and resilience during the Holocaust.
Edith’s story struck a chord with many sisters, as she recounted how her friendships with other women saved her life in Auschwitz. In the discussion that followed, the women focused on themes of sisterhood, solidarity and cooperation.
USC Shoah Foundation Ramps Up Survivor Testimony Collection Efforts with New ‘Memory Studio’
Thu, 01/19/2023 - 9:33am
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Gerald Szames is the first Holocaust survivor to record testimony in the Ceci Chan and Lila Sorkin Memory Studio at the Institute’s international headquarters on the USC campus in Los Angeles.
Gerald Szames chokes up easily, especially when talking about his mother. So for years, his daughter has taken it upon herself to tell her father’s story of surviving the Holocaust as a small boy. She speaks to audiences at schools, houses of worship and community centers, often with her father by her side to answer questions.
Survivors of 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda Gather in Salt Lake City
Tue, 05/31/2022 - 1:09pm
Karen Jungblut, director emerita of Global Initiatives with USC Shoah Foundation, and Esther Mujawayo-Keiner, co-founder of Avega – Agahozo, who gave her testimony over the weekend
Hundreds of survivors of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi congregated in Salt Lake City over the weekend for the largest-ever international gathering of survivors.
Organizers say the event, hosted by IBUKA-USA and supported by a number of organizations including USC Shoah Foundation, was a safe space for survivors to discuss issues including bringing genocide perpetrators to justice, preserving the memory of victims, and fighting against revisionism.
April 12, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - April 12, 2022 @ 1:30 pm
A public event with Nicholas Bredie (PhD candidate, Literature and Creative Writing, USC) and Atharva Tewari (USC undergraduate student, Global Studies and Journalism major) 2021 Beth and Arthur Lev Student Research Fellows
(Join us in person for this lecture or attend virtually on Zoom)
