International Symposium Marking the Opening of The Patrick Desbois and Philip Friedman Institute

International Symposium Marking the Opening of The Patrick Desbois and Philip Friedman Institute at Yad Vashem for Documenting Holocaust Murder Sites

Beyond the Extermination Camps:

The Holocaust in Eastern Europe and Holocaust Historiography

Monday, November 23, 2026

Opening Events, open to the General Public, Constantiner Lecture Hall

• 9:30 Gathering
• 10:00 – 10:50 Opening Remarks

Mr. Dani Dayan, Chairman of Yad Vashem

Mr. Philip Friedman, Executive Chairman of Computer Generated Solutions, Inc. (CGS), Yad Vashem Visionary and extraordinary supporter of The Patrick Desbois and Phil Friedman Institute for Documenting Holocaust Murder Sites

Father Patrick Desbois, President and Founder of Yahad – In Unum, Professor of the Practice of the Forensic Study of the Holocaust at Georgetown University’s Center for Jewish Civilization within the School of Foreign Service

Dr. David Silberklang, Head of the International Institute for Holocaust Research and Incumbent of the John Najmann Chair for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem

• 10:50 – 11:30 A Conversation on the Yad Vashem Archives: Collections, Research, and the Stories of Holocaust Victims

Moderator: Dr. Haim Gertner, Director of the Resource and Partnership Development Division, Yad Vashem

Participants: Dr. Iael Nidam Orvieto, Senior Historian, The International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad Vashem

Dr. Yoel Finkelman, Director of the Archival Acquisitions and Testimonies Department, Yad Vashem Archives

• 11:30 – 11:45 coffee break
• 11:45-13:00 Keynote Lecture

Dr. Christoph Dieckmann, Yad Vashem, "The Holocaust in Eastern Europe. Testimonies, Historiography, Documents"

• 13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
• 14:00 – 15:45 Educational Panel: In the Absence of Survivors: Reflections about Teaching the Final Solution in Eastern Europe through Personal Voices

Moderator: Dr. Noa Mkayton, Director of Overseas Education and Training Department, International Institute for Holocaust Education, Yad Vashem

Participants: Ms. Shlomit Steiner-Dunkelblum, Yad Vashem

"We Utter a Cry" (Gustawa Jarecka): Teaching the Language of the Murdered Jewish People

Dr. Mali Eisenberg, Ghetto Fighters' House

"Among the Trees — The Holocaust in the Soviet Union, 1941 – 1945": Educational Use and Experiences with the Installation

Ms. Renata Masna, Yahad – In Unum

Teaching about the Holocaust in Eastern Europe through Eyewitness Accounts

• 16:00 Dedication Ceremony of The Patrick Desbois and Philip Friedman Institute for Documenting Holocaust Murder Sites