Noted historian Tali Nates, founder and executive director of the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre in South Africa, participated in a virtual presentation as part of the Daniel Pearl Education Center Speaker Series and offered emotional insights into her family’s story during the Holocaust. Nates’ father and uncle were among the prisoners at the Plaszow concentration camp who were able to make it onto Schindler’s List, the 1,200 Jewish prisoners secretly saved by Oskar Schindler.
Nates’ presentation can be seen here.
An historian who lectures internationally on Holocaust education, genocide prevention, reconciliation and human rights, Nates has presented at the United Nations and numerous global conferences.
“Tali’s story is such an important one – today and every day,” said Dr. Andrew Boyarsky, chairman of the Daniel Pearl Education Center. “But what makes her story particularly powerful is her important work with the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre. When Tali and all of us say ‘Never Again’ with regard to the Holocaust, we have to stop and ask ourselves how the genocide in Rwanda happened in 1994 and why there are still human rights issues worldwide and people at risk.”
“I have told my father’s and my uncle’s story many times before,” Nates explained. “And whenever I do, I am always struck by the story’s relevance in today’s environment. As Oskar Schindler demonstrated in the Plaszow concentration camp with his heroic efforts, there have always been – and continue to be – people ready to do the right thing, even at great risk. We need to be reminded of that over and over again.”
Nates also talked about the important work of the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre. The Centre is a place of memory, education and lessons for humanity, connecting the case studies of the Holocaust and the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and examining the connections between genocide and contemporary human rights issues.
Recent speakers in the Daniel Pearl Education Center Speaker Series have included: Mark Newhouse, renowned author of the The Devil’s Bookkeeper Holocaust fiction series, and Lauren Hersh, executive director of World Without Exploitation, an organization dedicated to the eradication of human trafficking. Previous speakers have included: Dr. Perry Brickman, who was the subject of a documentary, “From Silence to Recognition: Confronting Discrimination in Emory’s Dental School History”; Dr. Berndt Wollschlaeger, the son of a decorated Nazi tank commander who traveled to Israel, converted to Judaism and later served in the Israel Defense Forces; representatives of Seton Hall University as part of the showing of Sister Rose’s Passion, a documentary film that examines the life of Sister Rose Thering, a Roman Catholic nun and former professor at Seton Hall University who battled anti-Semitism within her church and contributed to a historic Vatican declaration that Jews were not collectively responsible for the death of Jesus; Sheryl Olitzky, co-founder of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom; legendary high school basketball coach Bob Hurley, who spoke about providing opportunities and guidance to underprivileged youth; and best-selling author Yvette Manessis Corporon (Something Beautiful Happened), who spoke about survival and courage in the face of evil; and the Tyler Clementi Foundation’s Jane Clementi, who lost her son Tyler to suicide after he became the victim of homophobic cyber bullying.
The Daniel Pearl Education Center is a non-profit, charitable organization committed to the ideals of understanding and community – those principles that are part of the legacy of the late Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Pearl was kidnapped and later murdered by extremists in Pakistan in early 2002. The DPEC sponsors a wide range of community outreach programs, including an annual community youth trip to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and more. The DPEC annually participates in the global Daniel Pearl Music Days, an international network of concerts that use the power of music to reaffirm a commitment to humanity and understanding.
Please contact dpeccommittee@gmail.com with any questions.