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    • Thursday, March 30, 2023
    • 6:00 PM
    • www.wacnh.org
    Register


    T. William & Patricia Ayers Global Tipping Points Series


    Confronting Genocide

    and Antisemitism:

    Identifying the Warning Signs


    March 30, 2023

    6:00 - 7:00 pm 

    Portsmouth Public Library


    “The history of man is the history of crimes, and history can repeat. So information is a defense. Through this we can build, we must build a defense against repetition.” - Simon Wiesenthal, Holocaust Survivor

    The past becomes prologue if societies do not learn the right lessons and take preventative action. With plenty of examples throughout history, the world has ample evidence on what leads to a genocide in all of its forms, yet there are at least a dozen current genocide emergencies in the world today, as defined by Genocide Watch.

    Join the NH Fulbright Association and the World Affairs Council of NH, in partnership with the Lantos Foundation and the Portsmouth Public Library, for a important discussion with Dr. David Livingstone Smith, Professor of Philosophy at the University of New England. Audience members will discuss the warning signs of an impending genocide and what can societies, communities, and individuals do to prevent the attempted eradication of a people. Discussions will also focus on the recent global rise of antisemitism, the dangers of communities denying genocides, and what the international community can do to amplify support for ending genocides.

    About the Speakers


    David Livingstone Smith received his PhD in philosophy from the University of London, Kings College. He is author of ten books, and numerous articles. His book Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave and Exterminate Others (2011) was awarded the Anisfield-Wolf award for nonfiction. He has given numerous presentations and public lectures in the US and Europe. David is an interdisciplinary scholar, whose work is cited not only by philosophers, but also historians, legal scholars, psychologists, anthropologists, and others. David has been interviewed and cited on numerous occasions in the national and international media and was a guest at the 2012 G20 economic summit, where he spoke about dehumanization and mass violence.



    Peggy Shukur serves Interim Regional Director of ADL New England where she is engaged in all aspects of ADL’s mission to “stop the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment to all”. She is actively involved with ADL New England’s program delivery, community relations, and advocacy initiatives across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, with an emphasis on developing community partnerships and initiatives that advocate for justice, equity and fair treatment for everyone. She also leads incident response, staff development, board engagement, strategic planning and community-based efforts in our collective fight against hate and antisemitism.


    Peggy joined ADL in October 2019 following a career as a corporate lawyer, including serving as Chief Legal Officer of a global software and services company. She is actively involved with ADL New England’s advocacy, community outreach and partnerships, board engagement, strategic planning and education efforts in our collective fight against hate and antisemitism.


    Rabba Kaya Stern-Kaufman joined Temple Israel in Portsmouth as spiritual leader/Rabbi in July 2020. She is dedicated to the development of meaningful Jewish community rooted in our Jewish wisdom traditions and focused on contemporary needs for tikkun olam — repairing the world. Before moving to Portsmouth, she served as interim rabbi at synagogues in New England from 2016-2019. Rabba Kaya is the founder of Rimon: Resource Center for Jewish Spirituality, where she served as executive director & spiritual leader from 2012 to 2016.


    Prior to her work in the Jewish community, Rabba Kaya worked as a clinical social worker with families and children and as a professional feng shui consultant. Rabba Kaya Stern-Kaufman was ordained at the Academy for Jewish Religion, a non-denominational, pluralistic seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., in 2011. She holds a BA in Psychology and an MA in social work from New York University.



    About the Moderator


    Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett serves as President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, established in 2008 to continue the legacy of her father, the late Congressman Tom Lantos, who served as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and was the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the US Congress.

    Congressman Lantos was the founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and was widely acknowledged as one of our nation’s most eloquent and forceful leaders on behalf of human rights and justice.

    Under her leadership, the Lantos Foundation has become a distinguished and respected voice on key human rights concerns ranging form advancing rule of law globally and fighting for Internet freedom in closed societies, to combating the persistent and growing threat of antisemitism and Holocaust denial.

    Dr. Lantos Swett is the former Chair and Vice Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and teaches Human Rights and American Foreign Policy at Tufts University. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Board of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) and the Budapest based Tom Lantos Institute. Dr. Lantos Swett also serves on the Advisory Board of UN Watch, the annual Anne Frank Award and Lecture, and the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership and Public Policy. She serves as Co-Chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit, which held its inaugural gathering in 2021.


    In Partnership with: 



    • Friday, April 14, 2023
    • 6:00 PM
    • www.wacnh.org
    Register


    T. William & Patricia Ayers Global Tipping Points Series


    Confronting Genocide

    and Antisemitism:

    U.S. Prevention Efforts around the World


    April 14, 2023

    6:00 - 7:00 pm 

    Mara Auditorium

    Southern New Hampshire University


    “Action is the only remedy to indifference: the most insidious danger of all” - Elie Wiesel, Human Rights Activist and Holocaust Survivor.

    Across the globe, warning signs of genocide and anti-semitism on the rise prompt world leaders to work towards disentangling these conflicts and helping deescalate these challenges within communities. The United States Department of State works across the world to help global communities resolve conflicts and provide stabilization operations, coordinated through the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations.

    Join NH Fulbright Association and the World Affairs Council of NH, with Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Colleen Crenwelge of the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, for a discussion on the work that the United States is doing to tackle these issues. By attending this conversation, audience members will hear about the U.S. government's work in conflict stabilization and atrocity prevention, through the lens of the Global Fragility Act. All community members should understand what their government does as their representative around the world, and make their own decisions on if those efforts support their own values.


    About the Speaker


    Colleen Crenwelge is the principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. She previously served in Mogadishu, Somalia, arriving in September 2020 to serve as the U.S. Embassy’s deputy chief of mission and serving as chargé d’affaires, ad interim from July 2021 to January 2022. Prior to arriving in Somalia, Colleen directed the Office of Global Social Media in the Bureau of Global Public Affairs.

    Other assignments include tours as the principal officer in Lahore, Pakistan, and as the deputy public affairs officer in Kabul, Afghanistan, where she served previously as the deputy chief of staff. Colleen also served as the political chief and acting public affairs officer in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and as the political chief in Baku, Azerbaijan. Earlier, she served as a political officer at the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and as a watch officer in the State Department’s Operations Center. She was also posted to La Paz, Bolivia, and Lagos, Nigeria.

    A Texas native, Colleen joined the Foreign Service in 2003 and has a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Texas A&M University.



    About the Moderator


    Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett serves as President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, established in 2008 to continue the legacy of her father, the late Congressman Tom Lantos, who served as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and was the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the US Congress.

    Congressman Lantos was the founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and was widely acknowledged as one of our nation’s most eloquent and forceful leaders on behalf of human rights and justice.

    Under her leadership, the Lantos Foundation has become a distinguished and respected voice on key human rights concerns ranging form advancing rule of law globally and fighting for Internet freedom in closed societies, to combating the persistent and growing threat of antisemitism and Holocaust denial.

    Dr. Lantos Swett is the former Chair and Vice Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and teaches Human Rights and American Foreign Policy at Tufts University. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Board of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) and the Budapest based Tom Lantos Institute. Dr. Lantos Swett also serves on the Advisory Board of UN Watch, the annual Anne Frank Award and Lecture, and the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership and Public Policy. She serves as Co-Chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit, which held its inaugural gathering in 2021.


    In Partnership with: 



    • Tuesday, May 02, 2023
    • 6:00 PM
    • www.wacnh.org
    Register


    T. William & Patricia Ayers Global Tipping Points Series


    Confronting Genocide

    and Antisemitism:

    Recovering in the Aftermath


    May 2, 2023

    6:00 - 7:00 pm

    Alumni Center

    Keene State College


    “As much as the world has an instinct for evil and is a breeding ground for genocide, holocaust, slavery, racism, war, oppression, and injustice, the world has an even greater instinct for goodness, rebirth, mercy, beauty, truth, freedom and love.” - Desmond Tutu, Anglican bishop and human rights activist.

    How can communities haunted by the circumstance of genocide, atrocities, and anti-Semitism rebuild the trust, respect, and institutions that can prevent a relapse after a conflict has come to an end? There are several examples of truth and reconciliation efforts in post-genocide societies, some of which have resulted in healing and others resulting in impunity.

    Join NH Fulbright Association with the World Affairs Council, in partnership with the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College, as our speakers discuss their reconciliation work in post-genocide Bosnia & Herzegovina.  Audience members will explore lessons learned from these personal experiences and how these approaches can guide future reconciliation work. Healing does not come quickly or easily, meaning communities require ongoing support and unbiased efforts to repair community wounds.


    About the Speaker


    John Sturtz earned his doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Secondary Social Studies Education from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. He is currently a Professor of Education and Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire. He teaches a variety of education courses and works with beginning teachers. His research interests include education in divided societies and education in emergencies. In 2022 he was a US Fulbright Scholar at the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina.




    Christa Kirby is VP of Talent Development and Practice Director for Management and Leadership at Corporate Education Group (CEG). A licensed psychotherapist, Christa integrates her global experience as a mental health professional with her passion for holistically developing leaders and teams. For the last 25 years she has been designing and delivering impactful learning experiences to companies, nonprofits, and non-governmental organizations all over the world.


    Christa has also played a pivotal role in various national and global initiatives focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, civil society building, and conflict resolution. Her work has taken her across North America, throughout Western and Northern Europe, as well as to countries including Afghanistan, Bosnia, Croatia, Romania, Estonia, Ethiopia, India, and Singapore.


    When partnering with clients, Christa takes a very hands-on, collaborative approach to ensure that learning is engaging, holistic, and targeted to deliver specific outcomes. A strategist as well as a “doer,” she is equally comfortable aligning learning strategy with organizational culture as she is with designing a program, facilitating a session, or coaching leaders and teams.


    A frequent speaker at client and industry events, Christa presents on topics including: DE&I, resilience and well-being, communication, emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, team building, and creativity and innovation. Click here to see her TED Talk, “What Lies Within Us: The Transformational Power of Creativity.”


    Prior to joining CEG, Christa spent 10 years at International Institute for Learning, where she was VP of Global Learning Innovation and Leadership Practice Director. Before that, she worked for 9 years at Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide in Communications and Knowledge Management. Christa earned a master’s degree in drama therapy from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Duke University.


    About the Moderator


    Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett serves as President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, established in 2008 to continue the legacy of her father, the late Congressman Tom Lantos, who served as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and was the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the US Congress.

    Congressman Lantos was the founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and was widely acknowledged as one of our nation’s most eloquent and forceful leaders on behalf of human rights and justice.

    Under her leadership, the Lantos Foundation has become a distinguished and respected voice on key human rights concerns ranging form advancing rule of law globally and fighting for Internet freedom in closed societies, to combating the persistent and growing threat of antisemitism and Holocaust denial.

    Dr. Lantos Swett is the former Chair and Vice Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and teaches Human Rights and American Foreign Policy at Tufts University. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Board of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) and the Budapest based Tom Lantos Institute. Dr. Lantos Swett also serves on the Advisory Board of UN Watch, the annual Anne Frank Award and Lecture, and the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership and Public Policy. She serves as Co-Chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit, which held its inaugural gathering in 2021.


    In Partnership with: 



*We encourage advance registration for all of our programs. For events with a ticket price, online payments can be made via our website. If you prefer to register or pay over the phone, please contact our office: 603.314.7970

WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL OF NH
2500 N. River Road - Manchester - NH - 03106

council@wacnh.org - (603) 314-7970

WACNH is an independent, non-profit, educational organization located on the campus of Southern New Hampshire University. © 2010-2021

    

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