Hasan Sarbakhshian and Parvaneh Vahidmanesh, co-authors, Iranian Jews (2007-2009)

Hasan Sarbakhshian and Parvaneh Vahidmanesh gathered stories and photographs from Iran's dwindling Jewish population for their book Iranian Jews. The effort would eventually cause them to flee Iran, their homeland, for the United States.

Topics: Artists, Holocaust denial, Propaganda and the media

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Kathleen Blee, professor of sociology, University of Pittsburgh

Prof. Kathleen Blee has written several books about racism and the Ku Klux Klan. Blee looks in particular at ways the KKK was able to infiltrate mainstream America in the 1920s, by focusing its membership efforts on moderates, not extremists—a strategy repeated by the Nazis shortly thereafter.

Topics: Academic perspectives, Propaganda and the media

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Rita Jahanforuz, Iranian-born Israeli pop singer

Iranian-born Rita Jahanforuz is one of the biggest pop stars in Israel. With the release of her recent album, sung almost entirely in her native Farsi, Rita is developing a fan base in Iran as well, despite the fact that her music is banned there. Although she does not consider herself a political person, Rita is proof that individuals can challenge a system of state-sponsored antisemitism by reaching across cultural boundaries.

Topics: Artists, Holocaust denial, Popular culture figures

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Edward T. Linenthal, editor, Journal of American History, and professor of history, Indiana University

Edward Linenthal believes memorials serve a complex and important role in society, to help us mourn and remember, but also to encourage a dynamic engagement with history.

Topics: Academic perspectives, Burden of memory, The role of education

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Colbert I. King, columnist, The Washington Post

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Colbert King has a reputation for direct and plainspoken commentaries. In a recent column, King expressed frustration with what he calls the "tepid" international response to state-sponsored antisemitism in Iran.

Topics: Journalists

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Jamel Bettaieb, high-school teacher and activist, Tunisia

Jamel Bettaieb teaches German to high-school students, which affords him an opportunity that is rare in Tunisia: to teach about the Holocaust. An active participant in Tunisia's recent revolution, Bettaieb strives to be an agent of change in the Muslim world, pushing back against propaganda, antisemitism, and silence about the Holocaust.

Topics: Activists, Impact of youth, The role of education

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Jeremy Waldron, professor, New York University School of Law

Jeremy Waldron calls the topic of hate speech a “hardy perennial” and one we must continue to revisit. In his book The Harm in Hate Speech, Waldron examines First Amendment legal protections and considers the damage inflicted on society by hate speech.

Topics: Academic perspectives, Justice and law

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Mehnaz Afridi, Assistant Professor and Director, Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center, Manhattan College, Riverdale, NY

Born in Pakistan and a practicing Muslim, Mehnaz Afridi has studied Judaism and Jewish history, interviewed Holocaust survivors, and visited Dachau to pay respect and pray. Now she works to inspire her students to take interest in other faiths and cultures as well.

Topics: Academic perspectives, Identity and religion, The role of education

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Fariborz Mokhtari, author, In the Lion's Shadow: The Iranian Schindler and His Homeland in the Second World War

In his book, Fariborz Mokhtari brings to light the story of Abdol Hossein Sardari, sometimes called "the Iranian Schindler" for his efforts to save Jews during World War II. Mokhtari hopes to encourage new conversations about the Holocaust and about Iran.

Topics: Academic perspectives, Government and political figures, Rescue and resistance

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Maya Benton, adjunct curator, International Center of Photography, New York

Maya Benton is working to establish the Roman Vishniac Archive at the International Center of Photography. Vishniac's photos include some of the most well-known images of Jewish life in Eastern Europe. The archive also includes thousands of unpublished images that show the tremendous diversity of prewar Jewish life, as well as the rise of Nazi power in Berlin.

Topics: Artists

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