The Powell-Heller Conference for Holocaust Education

2017 Powell-Heller Conference for Holocaust Education

The 10th annual Powell-Heller Conference for Holocaust Education “Synagogue & Church” will take place November 1-3 at Pacific Lutheran University.

The conference will dive into the controversial role of the Roman Catholic Church and its relationship to the events of the Holocaust. The speakers will present on the heated debate about the role of Pope Pius XII, examine the role of Catholic anti-semitism and inaction taken by the church in resisting the Nazis. By contrast speakers will share the courageous stories of individual Catholics who resisted, such as Bernhard Litchenberg.

The final sessions will focus on the changing nature of Catholic Church vis a vis the Jewish people, with the aim of understanding efforts to improve Jewish-Catholic relations and understanding, providing attendees with a message of hope that antisemitism can be defeated.