Skip to main content
University of Nebraska Omaha logo University of Nebraska Omaha
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY

Students Faculty Staff Community
University of Nebraska Omaha logo
College of Arts and Sciences
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY
Students Faculty Staff Community
  • About Us Backback to Main menu
    • About Us
    • Departments & Programs
    • News & Events
    • Dean's Office Staff
    • Faculty/Staff Resources
    • Organizational Chart
  • Academics Backback to Main menu
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Graduate Programs
    • Love Your Major
    • Pre-Health
    • Pre-Law
    • Arts and Sciences Minors
    • Academic Advising
    • Academic Support
  • Admissions
  • Student Opportunities Backback to Main menu
    • Scholarships
    • Student Organizations
    • Internships
    • Study Abroad
  • Community Engagement Backback to Main menu
    • Community Engagement
    • College Centers
    • Conferences
    • Nature Preserves
    • Professional Services
    • Teacher Training
    • Youth Programs
  • Research Backback to Main menu
    • Research
    • Student Research Support
    • Social Science Research Commons
  • Support Us
  1. UNO
  2. College of Arts and Sciences
  3. CAS News
  4. 2025
  5. 05
  6. Global Approaches to the Holocaust at UNO Brings Attention to Holocaust Peripheries

Global Approaches to the Holocaust at UNO Brings Attention to Holocaust Peripheries

This spring the Sam and Frances Fried Holocaust and Genocide Academy held a three-day program aimed at offering scholars a global understanding of the Holocaust.

  • published: 2025/05/29
  • contact: Angela Brown - College of Arts and Sciences
Attendees stand in front of a blue sign that says "Global Approaches to the Holocaust."

Attendees at the Omaha Regional Institute.

This spring the Sam and Frances Fried Holocaust and Genocide Academy held a three-day program aimed at offering scholars a global understanding of the Holocaust.

The Omaha Regional Institute was co-organized by UNO’s Sam and Frances Fried Holocaust and Genocide Academy and the Holocaust Educational Foundation of Northwestern University (HEFNU), the latter established in 1976 to advance Holocaust education at institutions of higher learning around the world.

Held April 3-5, 2025 on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, this institute brought together university educators and museum professionals to expand their knowledge about the global dimensions of the Holocaust. The program featured thirty-four participants, who arrived from across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, North Macedonia and Columbia. The Institute’s teaching faculty included Dr. Mehnaz Afridi (Manhattan University), Dr. Rebecca Erbelding (Holocaust historian and author), Dr. Yael Siman (Iberoamericana University), Dr. Ran Zwigenberg (Penn State) and Dr. Edward Kissi (University of South Florida) who delivered the opening keynote, “Africa and the Holocaust.”

Dr. Kissi’s keynote address focused on the historical, cultural, and moral reverberations of the Holocaust in Africa. Recognizing the brutalities against Jews by the Nazi regime, Kissi argued that as “distant observers” the people of west and east Africa began to re-evaluate Europe’s status as the “center of the universe.” The remaining two days featured groundbreaking sessions about how the Holocaust has been approached in Asia, North and South America, and the Middle East.

Dr. Tiarra Maznick, Assistant Director and Postdoctoral Fellow at HEFNU was appreciative of the experience. “The Omaha Regional Institute demonstrated the expanding scope of the field. It emphasized the global reach of the Holocaust, one extended far beyond continental Europe. Whether in the context of refuge or intervention, national narratives or cultural memory, global approaches to the Holocaust continue to inform us of the reverberating impact of Nazi crimes.”

The focus of the Institute is based on a forthcoming book co-edited by the Fried Academy’s Executive Director, Dr. Mark Celinscak, and Dr. Mehnaz Afridi who also spoke at the institute. Global Approaches to the Holocaust: Memory, History, and Representation will be published in November 2025. “The subject of global Holocaust studies is an important and growing field,” says Celinscak and adding that “a global approach incorporates perspectives and voices not always considered in more traditional Holocaust studies.” The Omaha Regional Institute demonstrated that the Holocaust encompassed not only Europe but also Asia, Africa, South and North America, Australia, and the Middle East.

News Sections

  • College of Arts and Sciences News Center
  • UNO News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events

Featured

  • From On-Campus in 1971 to Online in 2025: Ben Simmons's UNO Experience
  • A Round of Applause: CAS Student Award Winners for Spring 2025
  • Deja Harris Found More Than Just a Major — She Found a Mission
  • Following Family Footsteps: Second-Generation Maverick Crosses the Finish Line at Commencement

Most Viewed

  • Four College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Receive Weitz Innovation and Excellence Fund Awards
  • UNO Researchers Protect the Role Bats Play in Nebraska’s Ecosystem
  • UNO James Madison Fellow Inspires Next Generation of Civic Leaders in the Classroom

About the College of Arts and Sciences

College of Arts and Sciences

Contact Us
  • 220 Arts & Sciences Hall
  • College Advising Office
Social media
College Resources
  • For Faculty and Staff
  • Math-Science Learning Center
  • The Writing Center
Arts and Sciences Hall building with large white columns in front of a pink and orange sunset.

Next Steps

  • Visit UNO
  • Request Information
  • Apply for Admission
  • The UNO Advantage
  • Our City (Omaha)

Just For You

  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Work at UNO
  • Faculty and Staff
  • A-Z List

Popular Services and Resources

  • my.unomaha.edu
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Buildings & Maps
  • Library
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Course Catalogs
  • Internships & Career Development
  • The Maverick Store
  • MavCARD Services
  • Military-Connected Resource Center
  • Speech Center
  • Writing Center
  • Human Resources
  • Center for Faculty Excellence

Affiliates

  • University of Nebraska System
  • NU Foundation
  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute
  • Daugherty Water for Food Institute
  • National Strategic Research Institute
  • Peter Kiewit Institute
  • Rural Prosperity Nebraska
  1. University Policies
  2. Privacy Statement
  3. Accessibility
  1. 402.554.2800

University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182
  • ©  
  • Emergency Information Alert
  • MavsReport

Social Media


Omaha Skyline

Our Campus. Otherwise Known as Omaha.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.