As part of Kent State’s Jewish Studies Speaker Series’ special Yom Hashoah Holocaust Lecture, author Devin Pendas will speak on “Listening and Hearing: Testimony and the History of the Holocaust,”on Monday, April 16, at 8 p.m. in the Governance Chambers, Kent Student Center.

Pendas, an associate professor of history at Boston College and author of The Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial, 1963–1965, will discuss the challenges and benefits of using oral testimony to reconstruct the history of the Holocaust. Many traditional sources on the Holocaust were created by the perpetrators; thus, capturing the victims’ perspectives is extremely important. Pendas does so through oral testimony and asks, “What can testimony tell us, if we listen carefully?”

“As the generation survivors pass, it becomes increasingly important to address memories and reflections of the Holocaust,” says Dr. Richard Steigmann-Gall, director of Kent State’s Jewish Studies Program. “Devin is an emerging scholar from whom we will hear much more of in the future, and we’re excited to have him at Kent State in celebration of Yom Hashoah.”

The event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by Kent State's Jewish Studies Program and Kent Hillel. For more information, call 330-672-8924 or visit http://dept.kent.edu/jewish/.