Purdue News

Holocaust Conference focuses on human rights worldwide

The theme is "Collective Guilt and Individual Responsibility: Image and Reality." The 1997 conference is dedicated to the memory of Kudirat Abiola, the wife of Mashood Abiola, imprisoned president of Nigeria. Kudirat was murdered in June 1996 in Nigeria. Her daughter, Hafsat, part of the 1996 Holocaust Remembrance Conference, will return this year.

Other participants this year include:

• Former Central Intelligence Agency analyst Patrick Eddington, who investigated the use of chemical weapons during the Gulf War. He resigned from the agency in 1996 and filed a complaint against the CIA and other governmental groups, seeking the release of thousands of documents related to illnesses suffered by war veterans. He claims to have turned up evidence of as many as 60 incidents where nerve gas and other chemical weapons were used during the war.

• Chinese dissident Harry Wu, who returned to China from the United States in 1995, was arrested by the Chinese government and convicted of "stealing state secrets." He later was expelled from the country after an extensive international campaign against his imprisonment. He now travels the world, accusing the Chinese government of abusing its own people.

  "We feel great responsibility not only to remember the Holocaust but to help ensure that these horrible things do not happen again anywhere in the world," said Rabbi Gedalyah Engel, conference coordinator. "Our conference focuses more and more on human rights around the world while remembering what happened and what can happen if we don't take responsibility and do something."

  The Holocaust Remembrance Conference is sponsored by the Greater Lafayette Holocaust Remembrance Committee in cooperation with Hillel Foundation; Diocese of Lafayette -- St. Thomas Aquinas Center; University Ministers Association; Tippecanoe County Ministerial Association; and the Purdue schools of Education and Liberal Arts, Jewish Studies Program and Diversity Resource Office.

  The conference is assisted with endowments from the Sam and Edith Chosnek Memorial Fund and the Irving and Shirley Kaplan Fund and receives grants from Eli Lilly and Co., the Gannett Foundation and PSI Energy.

Holocaust Remembrance Conference schedule

Saturday, April 5

• 1:30 p.m. Registration
  
• 2 p.m. "The USA and the International Community in Bosnia-Herzegovina." Charles Ingrao, Purdue professor of history.
  
• 2:45 p.m. "The Gulf War Syndrome: Official Policy vs. Public Trust." Patrick Eddington.
  
• 3:30 p.m. "Developing Relations Between Africa and Israel." Balaynesh Zevadia, Israeli vice consul in Chicago.
  
• 3:55 p.m. "Teaching the Holocaust in Germany." Gregory Wegner, professor of education, University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse.
  
• 4:15 p.m. "The Pernkopf Anatomy and Nazi Victims." David Williams, Purdue professor of history.
  
• 4:30 p.m. Panel discussion "Shoppers' Ethics, Slaves and Slave Labor." Panelists: Raymond Dumett, Purdue associate professor of history; Michael Gill, Purdue assistant professor of philosophy; John Wilms, Purdue professor emeritus of psychological sciences; and Harry Wu.
  
• 5:15 p.m. Concurrent Workshops.
  "Teaching the Holocaust." Gregory Wegner.
  "Ethiopian Immigrants in Israel." Balaynesh Zevadia.
  "Ethnic and Religious Differences -- Roots of 20th Century Genocide." Charles Ingrao.
  "Youth Expectations and Reality." Hafsat Abiola.
  "Human Rights in Africa." Raymond Dumett.

• 6:30 p.m. Supper: Public, $5; students, $4. Must preregister. Send reservations and money to Greater Lafayette Holocaust Remembrance Committee, 448 Littleton, West Lafayette, Ind. 47906.

8 p.m. "The Holocaust -- Our Legacy." Peter Tarjan, Holocaust survivor and Purdue graduate.

• 8:45 p.m. "Women Dealing With Diversity." Panelists: Terri Boone, director of Hanna Center; Glenda Cornstubble, teacher at Lafayette Jefferson High School; Myra Mason, director of Purdue Diversity Resource Office; Donna Schurman, teacher at Tecumseh Middle School; and Cindy Svajgar, executive director of Greater Lafayette YWCA.
  
• 9:30 p.m. "World War II Memories." Speakers: Arne Kvaalen, Purdue professor emeritus of art; Bob Mann, World War II veteran and aide under Gen. Douglas MacArthur; Leon Trachtman, Purdue professor of communication.

Sunday, April 6

• 10:30 a.m. "Focus on Feelings" with Joe Rubinstein, Purdue professor emeritus of psychological sciences and education, and Beth Winebrenner, Lafayette social worker.
  
• Noon. Brunch: Public, $5; students, $4. Must preregister. Send reservations and money to Greater Lafayette Holocaust Remembrance Committee, 448 Littleton, West Lafayette, Ind. 47906.

• 10:30 a.m. "Human Rights in Nigeria." Hafsat Abiola.

• 1:30 p.m. Proclamation presentation by mayors of Lafayette and West Lafayette. Candle of Hope -- Flame of Remembrance Ceremony.
  
• 2 p.m. "Nigeria -- Human Rights and Oil." Hafsat Abiola.
  
• 2:30 p.m. "People and Government in The People's Republic of China." Harry Wu.
  
• 3:30 p.m. Panel. "Collective Guilt and Individual Responsibility." Panelists: Hafsat Abiola, Patrick Eddington, Charles Ingrao and Harry Wu.
  
• 4:15 p.m. Student panel. "Implementing the Democratic Process." Panelists: Purdue students Julia Blatnak, Matt Holsapple, Maria Khan, Tara Lagu, Kathy Obenchain and Irene Zubarev.
  
• 5 p.m. Resolutions.

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: A press conference featuring Patrick Eddington, Harry Wu and several other conference participants will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, April 4, at the Hillel Foundation, 912 W. State St., West Lafayette.

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