I Spirituality
Focus: Holocaust
Lipstadt Lineup
Historian opens legacy programming honoring
Rabbi and Alicia Nelson.
W
ednesday, May 13, will mark the debut program of
the newly established Rabbi David and Alicia Nelson
Legacy Fund. The program features Holocaust histo-
rian Deborah E. Lipstadt in a daylong series of events.
The day will begin with a program for Federation staff; con-
tinue with a lunch and learn for high school students, followed by
a seminar for Holocaust educators; and culminate with a keynote
program at Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park for the public.
The Rabbi David and Alicia Nelson Legacy Fund will continue
Rabbi Nelson's legacy of service to his congregation, the Jewish
community and the community at large.
Now rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth Shalom after 36
years as its religious leader, Rabbi Nelson is focusing on his areas
of special interest — education, interfaith issues and the needs
of young families — through this fund.
"As an esteemed educator and historian who has affected people
worldwide — of all ages and interests — Dr. Deborah Lipstadt
fits in perfectly with the goals of our fund',' says Alicia Nelson."We
are tremendously excited about this program. It enhances Beth
Shalom's leadership role in the community. And it reaches out to
the broad spectrum of people that David has touched over his 36
years at the synagogue."
Says Rabbi Nelson, "I'm honored to have my name associated
with such a unique and educational program. It's a distinct plea-
sure to welcome Dr. Deborah Lipstadt as our first speaker."
Dr. Lipstadt is the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and
Holocaust Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, where she
directs the Institute for Jewish Studies. She has authored several
books, including History on Trial: My Day in Court with David
Irving, who sued her for calling him a Holocaust denier and
right-wing extremist, and Denying the Holocaust: The Growing
Assault on Truth and Memory, the first frill-length study of people
who attempt to deny the Holocaust.
She is frequently called upon by national broadcast and print
media to offer expertise on Holocaust issues. Among her numer-
ous teaching citations are an award by the Emory student gov-
ernment association as the teacher most likely to motivate stu-
dents to learn about new and unfamiliar topics, and the Emory
Williams award, based on nominations by alumni for the profes-
Los Angeles/JTA
T
his month marks nine years since
Holocaust denier David Irving
lost his libel suit against histo-
rian and scholar Deborah Lipstadt, who
chronicled her battle against him in the
book History On Trial: My Day in Court
with David Irving (Harper Collins, 2005).
Lipstadt, the Dorot Professor of Modern
Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Emory
University in Atlanta, has just unveiled on
Rabbi David and Alicia Nelson
sor who has had the greatest impact on them.
Rabbi Nelson hopes the Nelson Legacy Fund becomes a leader
in the local Jewish community for bringing a focus to issues that
are important to all of us through nationally and internationally
known speakers, special events and more.
"We believe that this eventful day with Deborah Lipstadt is our
first step on that path," he said. El
For information on the Deborah Lipstadt program and the
Rabbi David and Alicia Nelson Legacy Fund, contact Alicia
Nelson, (248) 557-0114 or alicia@allthingsjewish.com .
Event Sponsors
The formal list:
• C.H.A.I.M.
• Congregation Beth Shalom
• Rabbi David and Alicia Nelson Legacy Fund
• Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family
www.hdot.org the translations of the pop-
ular "Myths & Facts" sheets, which help
refute deniers with historical evidence, in
Arabic, Farsi, Turkish and Russian.
On this Holocaust Remembrance Day
— 70 years since the start of World War
H — Lipstadt discusses the changing face
of Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism,
how the next generation of Jews relate
to the Holocaust and the role it should
play in forging Jewish identity, and why
Hollywood loves her story.
The schedule of events featuring
Deborah Lipstadt:
• 8:45-10 a.m., Max M. Fisher
Federation Building, Bloomfield
Township, for Jewish community
professionals, "Creating an Ethical
Jewish Professionals Community."
• 11:30 a.m., Jewish Community
Center, West Bloomfield, for
students from Frankel Jewish
Academy and other schools, lunch
and learn, "Holocaust Denial: What
is it ... what do you do about it."
• 4 p.m., Holocaust Memorial
Center, Farmington Hills, for
Holocaust educators, other
professionals and HMC members,
"Questions surrounding the
uniqueness of the Holocaust ... how
to teach it."
• 7:45 p.m., Congregation
Beth Shalom, Oak Park, general
community, keynote address, "The
Eichmann Capture and Trial: A
Perspective on the Eve of its 50th
Anniversary."
Admission for the 7:45 p.m.
program at Beth Shalom is $10 for
tickets purchased in advance and
$15 for tickets purchased at the
door. For reservations, call Beth
Shalom, (248) 547-7970, or send
a check to: Reservations, Legacy
Event Beth Shalom, 14601 W.
Lincoln, Oak Park, MI 48237.
Campus
• Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan
Detroit
• Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
• Detroit Jewish News
Individual sponsorships are being solicited.
•What has happened to you and the
field of Holocaust denial since the end
of the trial and when your book came
out?
LIPSTADT: After the lawsuit, I didn't
change in any way. What I have to say
didn't change in any way. But people give
me more credence and listen more care-
fully to what I have to say. I went head-to-
head with the world's leading Holocaust
denier, and thanks to terrific lawyers and
a terrific research team and the support
of lots of people, we were able to expose
the lies and distortions in which he
engages — and by extension all Holocaust
deniers — either makes up the lies or
repeats the lies.
Have we solved the problems of
Holocaust denial? Of course not. We did
provide precise explanations by following
their footnotes. By tracking their sources,
we proved that what they said are lies and
Denying The Deniers on page B6
April 30 m 2009
B5