• A Conversation about October 7th and Gaza

    Please join us for a conversation about the attacks in Israel on October 7th, what is currently happening in Gaza, and what it has to do with us. 

  • Kwibuka 30: Making Memory and Legacy in Rwanda

    On the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda, this workshop gathers an international group of scholars to examine the construction of memory and legacy.

  • Understanding Gaza: Tracing Violence and Reconciliation in Palestine/Israel

    18 October 2024 | 4:15 p.m. | Higgins Lounge |Dana Commons Speaker: Sa’ed Atshan (Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies and Anthropology and Chair of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College) Understanding Gaza: Tracing Violence and Reconciliation in Palestine/Israel No recording of this event is available. Sponsored by the Strassler Center […]

  • Defining Antisemitism and Protecting Academic Freedom After October 7

    Rose Library, Strassler Center

    Speakers: Frances Tanzer (Rose Professor of Holocaust Studies and Modern Jewish History and Culture, Strassler Center) Johanna Vollhardt (Associate Professor, Psychology and Director, Peace and Conflict Studies) Already before October 7, institutions (including colleges and universities) began to adopt narrow definitions of antisemitism—especially the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition—and use them for purposes outside of […]

  • People + Ruins: Remapping Demolished Spaces and Narratives in Haifa

    Clark University, Higgins Lounge, Dana Commons – 2nd Floor 36 Maywood Street, Worcester, MA, United States

    Dr. Orwa Switat, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Palestinian Studies at Brown University, will present an innovative digital map and short films that trace the history of Haifa and its displaced spaces and memories. Discussant:Prof. Elyse Semerdjian, Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Reception immediately following the talk in Higgins Atrium.

  • When Conflicts Go Against the Grain: The Fall of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh and Its Global Consequences

    Strassler Center 950 Main Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

    27 October 2025 | 6:00pm | Rose LibraryStrassler Center Speaker: Anna Ohanyan (Richard B. Finnegan Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Stonehill College) Moderator: Dr. Elyse Semerdjian (Robert Aram and Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marian Mugar Chair of Armenian Genocide Studies; Professor, Department of History) In September 2023, Azerbaijan expelled the […]

  • Lessons and Legacies of the Holocaust: Inaugural Emerging Scholars Conference

    Strassler Center 950 Main Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

    Higgins Lounge, Dana Commons Albert M. Tapper Annual Lecture Keynote: Lessons and Legacies of the Holocaust: Inaugural Emerging Scholars Conference Speaker: Sarah Casteel (Professor of English, Carleton University) Holocaust Studies From the Outside In: Art and Relational Thinking in Times of Crisis In the aftermath of October 7th, as the contemporary meaning and relevance of […]

  • Antisemitism in American Law and Life 

    Higgins Lounge, Dana Commons

    22 January 2026 | 4:00pm | Higgins LoungeDana Commons Speakers: Jonathan Feingold (Professor of law at Boston University School of Law and co-host of the #RaceClass Podcast. Prof. Feingold is an expert in affirmative action, critical race theory, education law, and anti-discrimination law. Much of his scholarship explores how right-wing groups in the United States have […]