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CORVALLIS, Ore. — The 36th annual observance of Holocaust Memorial Week at Oregon State University begins Monday, April 17, and includes a series of free events that are open to the public.

The events will be a mix of Zoom-only and hybrid formats. For the full program and registration links, visit OSU’s Holocaust Memorial Program website.

Events:

Monday, April 17, 1-2:45 p.m.: Film screening and discussion of “Paragraph 175,” a documentary about the Nazi regime’s use of an 1871 German penal code outlawing sexual relations between men to imprison approximately 100,000 gay men. Roughly 5,000-6,000 gay men were sent to concentration camps, where a majority died or were murdered. The film includes testimonies from gay men who were persecuted by the Nazis. Associate professor Bradley Boovy from OSU’s College of Liberal Arts will introduce the film and respond to audience questions after the screening. Register for Zoom.

Tuesday, April 18, 7-8:30 p.m.: Lecture by associate regional director for the northwest office of the Anti-Defamation League, Stephen Paolini: “Antisemitism in America: The numbers, why they are so bad and what can be done about them.” Incidents of antisemitic violence and harassment nationwide began rising sharply after 2016, and in 2022 the Anti-Defamation League reported a record high of 3,697 such incidents. Paolini will offer insights into this surge and suggest possible remedies. Learning Innovation Center 210 and livestreamed.

Wednesday, April 19, noon to 1:30 p.m.: Panel discussion on “China and three issues of human rights: Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Uyghurs.” Jeffrey Wasserstrom of the University of California, Irvine, will speak to the Chinese crackdown in Hong Kong. Darren Byler of Simon Fraser University will discuss the Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, hundreds of thousands of whom have vanished into high-security camps and factories in China. June Teufel Dreyer of the University of Miami will examine the Chinese threat to seize Taiwan and how Taiwan’s allies are reacting. Register for Zoom.

Wednesday, April 19, 7-8:30 p.m.: Book discussion by author Judy Batalion on “The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos.” Batalion’s bestselling book is being made into a movie by Steven Spielberg, for which Batalion will co-write the screenplay. In her talk, the author will discuss the dedicated young Jewish women who became resistance fighters during the Holocaust. Register for Zoom.

Thursday, April 20, 7-8:30 p.m.: Dramatic reading of “Address Unknown,” a short novel published in 1938 that examines the decline of a friendship between two businessmen: an American Jew and a German expatriate who falls into Nazism after returning to Germany. The two roles will be read by longtime OSU professors Jonathan Katz and Neil Davison. Kearney Hall 112 and streamed via YouTube.

Friday, April 21, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.: Transdisciplinary student conference on “Climate change, peace and global social justice.” This is the seventh Social Justice Student Conference looking at papers by graduate and postdoctoral students at OSU and elsewhere. The event will offer perspectives based on current student research on comparative genocide, war and peace studies, history, and civil and human rights. This year will focus on the consequences of climate change and its repercussions for peace and social justice. Register for Zoom.

Tuesday, May 9, 7-8:15 p.m.: Talk by Auschwitz survivor Joe Alexander, “A Dozen Camps.” Alexander grew up in Koval, Poland, and was the only one of his family of eight to survive the Holocaust. He and his family were sent to a concentration camp shortly after the German invasion of Poland in 1939. It was the first of 12 camps Alexander would endure during the war, including both Dachau and Auschwitz-Birkenau, where he was almost killed in the gas chambers. Alexander says, “They say that 70% of the children I talk to never heard of the Holocaust, so that is why it is important to speak to them to let them know what happened. To prevent another Holocaust, I am doing as much as I can.” LaSells Stewart Center Austin Auditorium and livestreamed.

Holocaust Memorial Week is supported by OSU’s Center for the Humanities, College of Liberal Arts, School of History, Philosophy and Religion and the Provost’s Fund for Excellence; as well as the City of Corvallis, Beit Am and private donations to the OSU Foundation’s Holocaust Memorial Fund. The Chiu Program is co-sponsoring the April 19 panel.