Mailstop 058
Brandeis University
415 South Street
Waltham, MA 02454

cgees@brandeis.edu

Events Fall 2006

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

7:30pm, Olin-Sang 212

"Berlin Today: German Hosts, Jewish Visitors"

Jewish-German Dialogue with members of the dialogue group from Boston. They will speak about their experience on a trip to Berlin this August. If you have traveled to Berlin or any other part of Germany and would like to join our discussion, or if you are curious about Berlin and would like to listen, please come!

Refreshments will be served.

Tuesday, October 3, 2006

4-6pm, Olin Sang 207

Welcome Reception in Celebration of the Day of German Unity

Come find out more about the Center for German and European Studies and celebrate the Day of German Unity. Enjoy homemade cake, coffee, tea and more alongside good conversations.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

7:30pm, GOETHE-INSTITUT, 170 Beacon Street, Boston

Günter Grass and His Confession:
A Panel Discussion about the Presence of the Past

With Karl Kaiser, John F. Kennedy School of Government; Steve Dowden, Brandeis University; Ruth Gutmann, Memoirist; Ingrid Kisliuk, Literary Scholar and Memoirist; Moderator: Susanne Klingenstein, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.

For more than 40 years, Günter Grass has advocated contrition and asked his countrymen to be mindful of the past. It came as a tremendous surprise, when in an interview to mark the publication of his autobiography, the 78-year-old confessed that he had joined the Waffen SS, the notorious Nazi paramilitary organization, in 1944, when he was 17 years old. Grass’s confession triggered a wide-ranging debate about the value of his literary work and his moral standing, but also about the effectiveness of Vergangenheitsbewältigung (working through the past), a process in which Germans have been engaged individually and communally for five decades. Grass’s prepublication confession about the shame of not confessing made his memoir an instant bestseller and indicated that, once again, he touched a raw nerve. Please join our distinguished panelists for a discussion of Günter Grass and his confession.

As a teenager, Ruth Gutmann survived the Auschwitz concentration camp. She and her twin sister were experimented on by Josef Mengele. Ruth Gutmann never talked about her past until her seventies, when she wrote her memoir.
Ingrid Kisliuk survived the Holocaust as a hidden child in Vienna and Brussels. She documented the experiences of those events and their aftermath in two books.
Susanne Klingenstein is a cultural correspondent for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Steve Dowden is a scholar of modern literature and teaches at Brandeis University.
Karl Kaiser is Visiting Professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and an expert on transatlantic relations.

This event is in English and has free admission. It is co-sponsored by the Goethe-Institut Boston and the Center for German and European Studies, Brandeis University. A buffet dinner will be served.

For more information please call +1 (617) 262- 6050 or email program@boston.goethe.org.
You can also find above information in English or in German (click on the small flag in the upper right hand corner) on the following website: http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/bos/en1714323.htm

Thursday, October 12, 2006

12:30pm, Faculty Club

"German-Israeli relations"
Lunch & Lecture with Prof. Michael Wolffsohn, Academy of the German Armed Forces, Munich

Please, RSVP to cgees@brandeis.edu.

Monday, October 23, 2006

6-7:30pm, Rappaporte Treasure Hall

"Concentration camp souvenirs:
pieces of memory or objects of commercial mass production?"

Jewish-German Dialogue with Ulrike Dittrich

After leaving High School, Ulrike Dittrich was trained as an art dealer in an art gallery in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. Following this apprenticeship, she spent half a year in Lyon, France. Ms. Dittrich studied Media and Communication, Art History, and Theatre at the Freie Universität Berlin and graduated with an analysis of the German-Jewish exile press in Palestine focusing on the Orient, a journal edited by Wolfgang Yourgrau and Arnold Zweig. She was a postgraduate trainee at the Ravensbrück Memorial Museum, Brandenburg Memorials Foundation from 2002 to 2004. Since then, Ms. Dittrich concentrates on her PhD thesis project "Concentration Camp and Holocaust Keepsakes - objects of memory in everyday life: semiotic narratives in the scope of holocaust site tourism and event culture" and continually works as a freelance writer and teacher in the fields of theatre and historical-political education with a focus on memory and culture (research, talks, editing). Ms. Dittrich lives in Berlin.

Her publications include:

Ulrike Dittrich; Sigrid Jacobeit (Hrsg.): KZ-Souvenirs. Erinnerungsobjekte der Alltagskultur im Gedenken an die nationalsozialistischen Verbrechen. Potsdam: Brandenburgische Landeszentrale fuer politische Bildung 2005.

Ulrike Dittrich: "Gedaechtnisforschung interdisziplinaer: Die Medialitaet von kollektivem Gedaechtnis fassbar machen", in KULT_online 5 (2005). http://www.uni-giessen.de/graduiertenzentrum/magazin/rezension-1774.php

Tuesday, November 7, 2006

12noon-2pm, Faculty Club

Luncheon with Richard Newman in Celebration of Alma Rosé's 100th Birthday

Alma Rosé was born on November 3, 1906 in Vienna. Her father, Arnold Rosé, was concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic for over half a century and founder of the worldfamous Rosé String Quartet. Her mother, Justine, was Gustav Mahler's sister. Alma became a successful violinist and founded her own women's orchestra, the "Wiener Walzermädeln", whose lively repertoire made it popular and wellknown throughout Europe. Her career took a tragic turn in 1942 as she became prisoner at the concentration camp in Auschwitz. She was however recognized as a famous musician and assumed leadership of the "Mädchenorchester von Auschwitz" (Girls' Orchestra of Auschwitz). Having saved many of the orchestra's members from an instant death, Alma Rosé herself died of poisoning on April 5, 1944.

We will commemorate this extraordinary woman with a talk by Richard Newman who wrote the moving biography "Alma Rosé: Vienna to Auschwitz" that was published in 2000.

Richard Newman has been a journalist, entertainment columnist, music critic, travel writer and features editor for 45 years at the Winnepeg Tribune, Windsor Daily Star, and London Free Press, where he has received Western Ontario newspaper awards for feature writing.

Newman first got the idea for the book about Alma Rosé's life after speaking to her brother, Alfred, who mentioned that Alma had saved many Jewish girls in her camp orchestra. Newman felt compelled to find out how Alma had accomplished such a feat.

"Everyone is unique," says Newman, "but Alma, though dead almost 45 years [now 62 years], became singled out from those prominent prisoners who perished in the grotesque Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. A darling of Viennese society, a musician of considerable accomplishment, she was a natural leader motivated by an unerring sense of the 'right thing' to do. Her forceful personality and her capacity to overcome adversity for the sake of her father made her a heroic figure to me even though she sometimes showed a streak of arrogance and even folly in her decisions."

Newman spent sixteen years working on Alma Rosé. He has given lectures on the book's subject for a lecture recital at the University of Western Ontario and to the Academic Retirees of the University, and he prepared a paper for the Baconian Club on the Rosé family.

The father of three and grandfather of five, Newman is now retired. He lives with his wife in London, Ontario.

Please click below to read an interview with Richard Newman about his book:
http://www.amadeuspress.com/about/interviews.cfm?ID=882

To browse sample pages of "Alma Rosé: Vienna to Auschwitz" go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Alma-Rose-Auschwitz-Richard-Newman/dp/1574670859

For a short biography of Alma Rosé, please go to:
http://www.jmw.at/en/alma_rose.html

If you would like to attend this event, please RSVP by November 2 to cgees@brandeis.edu. Please specify, if you would like a vegetarian meal.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

2pm, Rappaporte Treasure Hall

"Responses to Islamic Radicalism and Terrorism on both sides of the Atlantic."

German author Henryk Broder, author of "Hurra, wir kapitulieren," will give the keynote address and a faculty panel will respond and discuss American and European approaches towards the fight against terrorism.

Panelists: Seyom Brown, Wien Professor of International Cooperation, Brandeis University; Jytte Klausen, Associate Professor of Comparative Politics at Brandeis University; Assaf Moghadam, Fellow in National Security, Olin Institute for Strategic Studies, Harvard University; Angel M. Rabasa, Senior Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation; and George Ross, Hillquit Professor of Labor and Social Thought and Director, Center for German and European Studies at Brandeis University.

Henryk M. Broder, writer and one of the most well-known publicists in Germany, was born in Katowice in 1946. In 1958 he came with his parents to the Federal Republic of Germany where he got his driving license, took his A-levels and began studies in sociology. As a journalist for "Der Spiegel", Broder has never avoided quarrels about German self-identity. In his publications he deals critically and pointedly with topics such as the German past, the Judaism and the German Left. Some hold him in regard as an astute columnist, others fear the argumentative polemicist. On the one hand derisive and ironic, on the other investigative and informed, Broder has published numerous texts. The collection of texts, "Die Irren von Zion" (1998), was written on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel. The title alone already suggests, in its reversal of the antisemitic myth of the "Wise Men of Zion" how uninhibited Broder is when approaching his subject. In this collection of reports, essays, interviews and anecdotes, the reader is satirically made aware of the, at times harsh, reality of everyday life in Israel.

"Provocative" is the term, which is connected with Broder. After the publication of "Erbarmen mit den Deutschen" (1994) the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" wrote: "He is a pitiless provocateur and classic instigator. He makes us think and suggests ways of changing things."

His publication, "Kein Krieg, nirgends: Die Deutschen und der Terror" (2002), affirms this reputation. In this book, based on true statements, Broder documents, with his usual readiness to engage in confrontation, the first reactions of German opinion makers to the events of 11th September 2001. Whether Eugen Drewermann, Horst Eberhard Richter, Boris Becker, Wolfgang Joop, or Günter Grass, every imaginable statement made on this subject on the radio, in the newspaper, talk show or Internet was registered and commented on. Broder follows the debate with masochistic patience and sadistic precision and uncovered the intellectual mechanically routine modes of thinking which predominate in the world of the media. "Kein Krieg. Nirgends" is the stimulating but also terrifying reflection of the German newspapers? literary and arts sections. In 2003 "www.Deutsche-Leidkultur.de" got published.

Henryk M. Broder publishes the "Jüdischen Kalendar" together with Hilde Recher annually, a current yearbook of history, culture and politics. He lives in Berlin and Jerusalem.

Seyom Brown is the Wien Professor of International Cooperation at Brandeis University. He also is a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He teaches and does research on the causes and prevention of war and human rights issues. His writing focuses on the U.S. policy implications of changing patterns of world politics.

Jytte Klausen is an Associate Professor of Comparative Politics at Brandeis University. Her fields of expertise are immigration and social cohesion, specifically in Europe. Her most recent book is "The Challenge of Islam: Politics and Religion in Western Europe" (Oxford University Press, fall 2005). It will be published in German as "Die muslimische Elite in Europa" (Campus Verlag, February 2006).

Assaf Moghadam is a Fellow in National Security at the John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University and a doctoral candidate in International Relations at The Fletcher School at Tufts University. He has published extensively on the topic of terrorism and is the author, most recently, of "The Roots of Terrorism" (New York: Chelsea House, 2006). Mr. Moghadam is also an associate of the Jebsen Center for Counterterrorism Studies at The Fletcher School and serves on the editorial board of the journal "Studies in Conflict and Terrorism".

Dr. Angel M. Rabasa is a Senior Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation who has written extensively about Islamic extremism, terrorism and insurgency. He is the project leader of the recently completed RAND Project Air Force studies "Beyond al-Qaeda: Countering Future Terrorist and Other Non-Traditional Threats" (October 2006) and "Defeating Terrorists in Ungoverned Territories" (forthcoming 2007). He was the project leader and lead author of The Muslim World After 9/11 (RAND 2004). Dr. Rabasa's other works include the International Institute for Strategic Studies Adelphi Paper No. 358, Political Islam in Southeast Asia: Moderates, Radicals and Terrorists (2003); The Military and Democracy in Indonesia: Challenges, Politics, and Power (RAND 2002), with John Haseman; and Indonesia’s Transformation and the Stability of Southeast Asia (RAND 2001) and Colombian Labyrinth: The Synergy of Drugs and Insurgency and Its Implications for Regional Stability (RAND 2001) with Peter Chalk. Dr. Rabasa is also a contributor to the Hudson Institute's Current Trends in Islamist Ideology (2005), Jean-Luc Marret, ed., Les fabriques du jihad (2005), published by the University of France Press, and other publications. He is currently working on a project on "Eurojihad," which examines jihadist trends in Europe; and on "Building Moderate Muslim Networks," a project that seeks to examine the lessons of the U.S. Cold War effort to build free and democratic institutions and their applicability to the current radical Islamist challenge. Dr. Rabasa has a B.A. and Ph.D. in history from Harvard University and was a Knox Fellow at St. Antony’s College, Oxford University. Before joining RAND, Dr. Rabasa served in the U.S. Departments of State and Defense. He is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

George Ross, Hillquit Professor of Labor and Social Thought and Director, Center for German and European Studies at Brandeis University, is an expert on various European issues. His main interests and publications deal with European integration, European politics and social policy, comparative industrial relations, and the sociology of advanced capitalist societies. He researches and analyzes the development of this "new" Europe which is a frontier region in today's world.

Monday, December 4, 2006

7pm, Rappaporte Treasure Hall

"LOUIS BRANDEIS - His Years in Germany 1873-1875"

Professor Daniel Breen (American Studies) talks about Brandeis' school years in Dresden and how his experiences affected Brandeis the lawyer and justice.

Refreshments will be served.

Events Spring 2006

Thursday, February 16, 2006

3pm, Pearlman Lounge

"Nothing But an Unfinished Song"

Colloquium with DENIS O'HEARN, Professor of Sociology at Queens University, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Monday, March 13, 2006

12noon-1pm, Shiffman 201

"The Image of the Female Gypsy in European Culture"

A Talk by LOU CHARNON-DEUTSCH (Professor of Spanish Literature at Stony Brook University and author of several books on women in Spanish literature and culture)

This event is co-sponsored by the Department of Romance and Comparative Literature and the Center for German and European Studies. It is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Professor Reyes (lreyes@brandeis.edu) or Professor González (elenag@brandeis.edu).

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

5-7pm, Levine-Ross, Hassenfeld Conference Center

"Auschwitz to Srebrenice: War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity,
and the Possibility of Justice"

Justice for Auschwitz? The Frankfurter Auschwitz Trial and the Limits of Law.
DEVIN PENDAS, Assistant Professor of History, Boston College

Justice Delayed? The Last Trials of Accused War Criminals in France.
PAUL JANKOWSKI, Raymond Ginger Professor of History, Brandeis

The International Criminal Courts: Justice and Its Costs.
DANIEL TERRIS, Director, International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, Brandeis

A Buffet Dinner will be served following the discussion.
To reserve a seat, please RSVP to cgees@brandeis.edu.

Devin Pendas teaches history at Boston College. He is the author of The Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial, 1963-1965: Genocide, History and the Limits of the Law (Cambridge University Press, 2006). He has published articles on the history of the Holocaust trials in West Germany, the uses of survivor and perpetrator testimony for history and the history of Human Rights and is currently working on a history of Nazi trials in German courts from 1945-1950, also to be published by Cambridge University Press.

Paul Jankowski is Ray Ginger Professor of History at Brandeis University and currently chair of the History Department. His published work has so far been focused on the history of modern France. He is currently working on a book about the battle of Verdun, the encounter in 1916 between the French and the Germans that left over 300,000 dead.

Daniel Terris is director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life at Brandeis University. The Center sponsors the Brandeis Institute for International Judges, which brings together judges serving on international courts and tribunals for discussions on matters of international law, politics, and culture. Dr. Terris is the author of Ethics at Work: Creating Virtue in an American Corporation, and he is at work on a new book based on interviews with international judges.

To download information for this event, please click here.

Monday, April 10, 2006

4-6pm, Shiffman 201

"The Strike in France"

Join Brandeis Faculty for an analysis of the political, social, and cultural background of the current situation. Refreshments will be served.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 (Holocaust Remembrance Day)

12-2pm, Faculty Club Lounge

"In the Shadow of the Holocaust: New Jewish Life in Germany Today."

Professor JEFFREY PECK (American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, Washington, D.C.) is presenting his new book "Being Jewish in the New Germany".

April 22-30, 2006

Edie and Lew Wasserman Cinematheque, Sachar International Center

jewishfilm.2006: From Plaza de Mayo to Zion Square

Jewishfilm.2006 will feature 8 Boston-area premieres, 1 American premiere, 1 World premiere and a tribute to award-winning German filmmaker Michael Verhoeven, JEWISHFILM.2006's special visiting guest (see below). For more information go to jewishfilm.2006.

April 28-30, 2006

MICHAEL VERHOEVEN will present for all three screenings of his films, April 28-30.
There will be receptions after Friday's The Verhoevens and Sunday's Unknown Soldier at the Goethe Institute and Brandeis University, respectively.

Friday, April 28, 6pm, Goethe-Institute, Boston, 170 Beacon Street, Boston, MA

The Verhoevens

Saturday, April 29, 8:15pm, Edie and Lew Wasserman Cinematheque, Sachar International Center

The White Rose

Sunday, April 30, 4pm, Edie and Lew Wasserman Cinematheque, Sachar International Center

Unknown Soldier

The Center for German and European Studies at Brandeis University is proud to present its first Conscience and Courage Award to German filmmaker Michael Verhoeven, on Sunday, April 30, 2006 at 4:00 pm.

May 5-9, Harvard Film Archive, 24 Quincy Street, Cambridge

The Nasty Girl; The White Rose; My Mother's Courage

Renowned German filmmaker MICHAEL VERHOEVEN was born in Berlin in 1938. Although his father, the theater director Paul Verhoeven (not to be confused with the Dutch filmmaker of the same name) tried to discourage Michael from "such a joyless career", Verhoeven first studied medicine in Berlin and Munich. But parallel to becoming a doctor, Verhoeven began to act on stage and produce and direct films in the late 1960's. Having set up his own film company, Sentana Filmproduktion, with his wife, actress Senta Berger, Verhoeven produced a number of films for German television before launching a successful international career as a film director. Brandeis University will show a retrospective of his biggest successes, including The White Rose (1982), Nasty Girl (1989), which was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, and My Mother's Courage (1995). Verhoeven's newest film, Unknown Soldier, is a documentary that was inspired by the 1997 exhibit "Crimes of the Wehrmacht" which traveled all over Germany. In his film Verhoeven asks questions about the complicity of Wehrmacht soldiers in Hitler's "Final Solution"; Did the Wehrmacht get involved in anti-Jewish actions only haphazardly? Or was there a basic agreement with Nazi policies among army generals? Specifically, the film investigates crimes committed by the army in the Ukraine between 1941 and 1942. Based on seven years of painstaking research, it includes interviews with eye-witnesses and authentic footage collected in archives around the world.

This retrospective is co-presented by the National Center for Jewish Film, the Goethe-Institut, Boston, and the Harvard Film Archive.

All information can also be found at jewishfilm.2006.

Brandeis German Film Evenings