DU Announces Endowed Professorship in Holocaust and Antisemitism Awareness

On the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the University of Denver and its Center for Judaic Studies (CJS) announced a campaign to permanently endow a professorship in Holocaust and Antisemitism Studies. A philanthropic priority of the University’s Denver Difference campaign, this permanent position, which is the first of its kind, will advance Holocaust education and research and the study of antisemitism.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis, DU Provost Elizabeth Loboa, and Holocaust survivors Osi Sladek and Barbara Steinmetz were among those gathered at the Colorado State Capitol on January 27 to commemorate the anniversary and share the importance of the new position with the community.

“This professorship represents a permanent commitment—not only to remembrance, but to making Denver a global hub for thoughtful Holocaust education and applied scholarship that helps future generations foster social change,” says DU Provost Elizabeth Loboa.

At Tuesday’s event, Sladek read from his memoir, “Escape to the Tatras,” which documents his experiences as a child survivor of the Holocaust. The Denver Young Artists Orchestra and Tom Hagerman of the Grammy-nominated band DeVotchKa performed music by Sladek’s father using his Holocaust-surviving violin. Steinmetz, who fled Europe on the last boat out and found refuge in the Dominican Republic, shared a “Letter to the Future.”

The CJS is the fourth oldest Judaic studies center in the United States and this year is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The creation of this new endowed professorship builds on the Center’s leadership and commitment to fostering global Jewish culture in Denver and throughout Colorado.

DU’s Holocaust Awareness Institute, founded in 1983, has led educator training and public programming for more than four decades. It houses the only university-affiliated Holocaust survivor speakers bureau and created Survival and Witness, an online platform for educators and students that supports Colorado’s Holocaust and genocide education mandate in public schools.

“This professorship connects across generations to build the future,” says Adam Rovner, director of CJS. “It will enable DU students and communities across the Front Range to learn from the history of the Holocaust, and to become leaders by confronting antisemitism with courage and real understanding.”

Inspired by Auschwitz survivors Emil and Eva Hecht, a gift from the Michael Feiner Family Foundation and Helene and Marshall Abrahams launched this ongoing campaign to raise the funds necessary for the endowed professorship.