Boca Raton, FL – Florida Atlantic University’s Alan B. and Charna Larkin Symposium on the American Presidency presents “The U.S. Presidency, the Holocaust and the State of Israel,” on Wednesday, Feb. 21 and Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. The symposium will take place in the Lifelong Learning Auditorium, with a reception in the Wimberly Library on FAU’s Boca Raton campus at 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus. Tickets and additional information can be found at www.fauevents.com or 561-297-6124.
The symposium opens with the keynote lecture “Retrospective Blame: FDR, the Jews, and the Holocaust,” by Alan Lichtman on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. Some have blamed President Franklin Roosevelt for not doing more to stop the Holocaust. This lecture will evaluate FDR’s actions in comparison to those of other world leaders and his political opposition in the United States. The keynote lecture will be followed by a reception in the Wimberly library.
Day 2 of the symposium, which lasts from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. will include 2 panels:
9-11:30 The U.S. Presidency, Jewish Refugees, and the Holocaust
The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and the resettlement of German refugees
- Beatrice Dain, Florida State University
FDR, the State Department and the Palestine Question
- Norman J.W. Goda, University of Florida
FDR and the War Refugee Board during the Holocaust
- Rebecca Erbelding, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Holocaust Survivors in Postwar America
- Beth Cohen, University of California, Northridge
11:30-1:00 Lunch Break (on your own)
1:00-3:00 The U.S. Presidency and the State of Israel
Truman and the founding of the State of Israel
- Jeffrey Herf
University of Maryland
The Eichmann Trial and the CIA
- Tim Naftali
Columbia University
The Presidency and the Yom Kippur War of 1973
- Lt. Col. Jill Hopkins
United States Air Force Academy
A Delicate Balance: U.S. – Israeli Relations
- Scott Lasensky
University of Maryland
For additional information on the Larkin Symposium at FAU, visit https://www.fau.edu/artsandletters/larkin/