A panel of refugee and immigration experts sit in a row in a large auditorium, with Executive Director of the IRC in Atlanta, Justin Howell, on the far left. Around them are stage lights, film cameras, and a projection of 'The US and the Holocaust' promotion card.
The IRC in Atlanta’s Executive Director, Justin Howell, was invited to speak as part of an important panel discussion following a screening of 'The U.S. and the Holocaust.'
Photo: IRC Atlanta

On the evening of September 28, the IRC in Atlanta’s Executive Director, Justin Howell, was invited to speak as part of an important panel discussion following a screening of The U.S. and the Holocaust, a new three-part documentary by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein that examines America’s response to one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the twentieth century. 

WATCH: The U.S. and the Holocaust: GPB Panel Discussion Recording 

Hosted by Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) and moderated by Dr. Edward Queen, Emory University Center of Ethics, the panel featured distinguished leaders Sally Levine, Georgia Commission on the Holocaust, Dov Wilker, American Jewish Committee, and Adina Langer, Museum of History and Holocaust Education.

“It was an honor to join prominent members of the Jewish community to discuss the lessons learned from the U.S.’s anemic response to our Jewish brothers and sisters seeking protections from Nazi atrocities,” shared Justin. “In the U.S. during the 1930s and 1940s there was a general animus towards Jews in particular and immigrants broadly, U.S. immigration policies were unwelcoming to those fleeing persecution, and examples abound of dehumanization and intentionally stoking fear towards Jews and other immigrants—this xenophobia and scapegoating of immigrants draws chilling parallels with our current cultural and political climate. I hope that this discussion will help us all better understand the human cost of inaction in the face of oppression and leads to a recommitment among communities throughout this country to actualize the American ideals of freedom and hope for all who seek the protections and opportunity that this country claims to offer the world.” 

We are so grateful to GPB and Emory University Center for Ethics for hosting this urgent and important discussion. Watch the recording of the panel discussion on the Georgia Public Broadcasting YouTube below and watch all three parts of ‘The U.S. and the Holocaust’ on the Georgia Public Broadcasting website here.

 

To learn more about the work of the IRC in Atlanta and for information on how you can get involved with the IRC as a donor or volunteer, please contact Development Director, Heloise Ahoure, at [email protected] or 678-636-8941.  

Stay connected to the IRC in Atlanta! Sign up for our monthly newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram for announcements and upcoming events!