UNO Brings "Holocaust by Bullets" Programs, Founder to Omaha

This spring, the Sam and Frances Fried Holocaust and Genocide Academy at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is partnering with Yahad-In Unum (Together in One), an international anti-genocide, non-governmental organization, to draw attention to an often overlooked historical tragedy.

"Holocaust by Bullets" traces the decades-long effort by Father Patrick Desbois to document the shooting deaths of more than 1.5 million Eastern European Jews after Nazi Germany’s invasion of Russia during the Second World War.

"The innovative research of Father Desbois and his team offers a deeply moving and harrowing account of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe," said Dr. Mark Celinscak, executive director of the Fried Academy. "I’m grateful we can offer these opportunities to our community."

Programming at UNO begins with the opening of the exhibit "Holocaust by Bullets: 10 Years of Investigation" on Jan. 7. The exhibit will run through April 4 on the main floor of UNO’s Criss Library. In the exhibit, the visitor becomes a 'witness' to the heinous crimes of the Nazi death squads. The multimedia installation includes video monitors to view extended documentary footage of eyewitness testimonies and is written in English and in Spanish. A reception to mark the opening of the exhibition will occur on Jan. 16 at 6 PM on the main floor of the Criss Library.

On March 28 at 7 P.M., UNO will welcome Desbois, a world-renowned human rights activist and Yahad-In Unum founder, to the Strauss Performing Arts Center to discuss the findings of his investigation into the Nazi death squads in Eastern Europe. The discussion will include his most current work investigating ISIS for their genocide against the Yazidis community in northern Iraq. Desbois will also speak on the rapid growth of anti-Semitic rhetoric and organized violence throughout the world and offer his counsel to those seeking to resist it. Desbois is the author of several books, including "The Holocaust by Bullets: A Priest’s Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews," winner of the 2008 National Jewish Book Award; "The Terrorist Factory: ISIS, the Yazidi Genocide, and Exporting Terror"; and "In Broad Daylight: The Secret Procedures Behind the Holocaust by Bullets." A book signing will follow his keynote.

On March 28 and 29, members of the Yahad-In Unum investigation team will offer a two-day workshop for high school and university educators. The workshop emphasizes studying and teaching the "Holocaust by Bullets" as a crime and on making connections with today’s violence and human rights violations. The workshop is co-sponsored by UNO’s Fried Academy and Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Center for Human Rights.

Thanks to the generous private support, all of these events are open to the public at no cost to participants. Registration is required for the teacher’s seminar. Educators interested in attending should contact Celinscak at mcelinscak@unomaha.edu.

About Yahad-In Unum

Yahad-In Unum combines the Hebrew word Yahad which means “together”, with the Latin phrase In Unum, which means “in one.” Founded in 2004 by Father Patrick Desbois, the organization is dedicated to documenting the evidence of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe and to work on the prevention of future genocides. Yahad-In Unum’s ongoing research on World War II crimes against Jews and Roma/Gypsy people in Eastern Europe has uncovered the location of more than 2,300 killing sites and documented more than 5,700 witness testimonies to these crimes.

Yahad-In Unum is not affiliated with any political party and does not advocate any economic or military action. Its mission is to discover the facts of genocidal practices wherever they are and provide a voice of protest on behalf of all victims of genocide and mass violence.

About Father Patrick Desbois

Father Patrick Desbois is the founder of Yahad-In Unum, a distinguished author, university professor, historian, forensic detective and world-renowned human-rights activist. He has dedicated his life to fighting the bigotry that fuels the disease of genocide. His ongoing work brings closure to the victims and survivors of genocide and calls for legal justice for the perpetrators. Yahad-In Unum is a non-profit organization dedicated to discovering genocidal practices wherever they are found around the world, providing documented proof of crimes against humanity, and a leading voice of protest on behalf of all past and present victims of mass murder.

Fr. Desbois is the winner of the 2008 National Jewish Book Award. He has received numerous honors including the 2018 Key Family Award from the Anti-Defamation League and the 2017 Lantos Human Rights Prize. Very notably, the of Yahad-In Unum and Desbois has been lauded by world leaders including Pope Francis and French President, Emmanuel Macron. He resides in Washington, DC, and Paris, France.