BOULDER, Colo — This Saturday is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It's a day to honor the lives of six million Jews and millions of others murdered by the Nazi regime.
While many will be mourning and remembering those killed during the Holocaust, some scholars in the Denver metro will discuss the path forward, and what we've learned from studying that time in history.
Historians have wrestled with understanding the perpetrators of the Holocaust and why they did the horrific things they did.
On Monday, CU Boulder is hosting two public lectures. One of the speakers, Mark Roseman, is a distinguished professor of history and Jewish studies at Indiana University.
In his lecture, he plans to discuss the long-held belief among historians that those responsible for the Holocaust were quote "ordinary men." In other words, people caught up in a situation which led them to behave a certain way.
Roseman said it has relevance to our society today in the U.S.
"The worrying thing for us should be, not so much 'ordinary people' just put in that situation would do this, but societies where subject to certain pressures and using some ingredients that are already there, can be moved to a point where it's perfectly thinkable that representatives in that society would act in such and such a way," he said. "I think that is a troubling conclusion for us that’s worth thinking about in our current moment.”
Both lectures will be held Monday, January 29. There's one in the afternoon and another in the evening at CU Boulder. You can attend Roseman's lecture virtually or in-person.
The Mizel Museum also offers Holocaust education year-round. Their virtual programming "Eyewitness to History: A Holocaust Survivor Speaks" helps audiences understand the dangers of hate through interviews with local Holocaust survivors and observers. Anyone interested in bringing this programming to their school or community can contact the Mizel Museum at: details@mizelmuseum.org
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