The Rudolf Vrba Memorial Lecture honours the memory of Dr. Rudolf Vrba, who played a critical role in the history of the Holocaust as one of only five Jewish prisoners who ever escaped from Auschwitz. The Holocaust Education Committee is pleased to announce the 2021 Rudolf Vrba Memorial Lecture, featuring Prof. Christopher R. Browning.
About the speaker
For over three decades, Prof. Browning has had a profound influence on Holocaust historiography. In addition to his pathbreaking work in Ordinary Men on the motives and behaviour of lower and middle echelon personnel, he has published seminal works on Nazi decision-making regarding the “Final Solution” and on the use of survivor testimony to describe and analyze Jewish responses during the Holocaust.
About the lecture series
The Rudolf Vrba Memorial Lecture honours the memory of Dr. Rudolf Vrba, who was a distinguished medical researcher and professor of pharmacology at UBC for many decades before his death in 2006. Rudolf Vrba also played a critical role in the history of the Holocaust as one of only five Jewish prisoners who ever escaped from Auschwitz. The report written by Rudolf Vrba and his fellow-prisoner Alfred Wetzler following their escape in 1944 was the first eyewitness report about what was happening inside Auschwitz. It is considered a foundational document for understanding the facts about the Holocaust.
Additional information
Please contact the chair of the Holocaust Education Committee, Dr. Richard Menkis, menkis@mail.ubc.ca.