Memorial ensemble at Salaspils, Latvia

 

As the population of Holocaust survivors diminishes and antisemitism across the globe surges, The Gross Family Center for the Study of Antisemitism and the Holocaust is on the front lines working to raise awareness of the Holocaust through powerful and educational public programming that addresses the history of the Holocaust, the singular most catastrophic genocide in history, and its consequences including the challenges of contemporary antisemitism.

The Gross Family Center for the Study of Antisemitism and the Holocaust is a program of the Gayle and Paul Gross Family Foundation.

Iran, Israel and the War That Will Define the Middle East

Sunday December 8, 2024 - 11:00 a.m.
Jonathan Schanzer
Florida Atlantic University
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Friedberg Auditorium
777 Glades Rd CEH 31D, Boca Raton, Florida 33431

Jonathan Schanzer is Vice President of Research for the Foundation for Defense Democracies. More than one year after the 10/7 attacks, the war between Israel and the Iranian Axis grinds on. What was once viewed as a war between Israel and Hamas is now very clearly a multi-front conflict that is directed, funded and armed by Iran. Israel has handled these challenges well from a tactical perspective. But is there an Israeli strategy? Noted Middle East expert Jonathan Schanzer explores. 

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More than one year after the 10/7 attacks, the war between Israel and the Iranian Axis grinds on. What was once viewed as a war between Israel and Hamas is now very clearly a multi-front conflict that is directed, funded and armed by Iran. Israel has handled these challenges well from a tactical perspective. But is there an Israeli strategy? Noted Middle East expert Jonathan Schanzer explores. 

Please register each attendee individually.

    Standing up for Israel: Challenges and Opportunities, With Veteran Israeli Diplomat Shahar Azani

    Sunday December 15, 2024 - 11:00 a.m.
    Shahar Azani
    Florida Atlantic University
    Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
    Friedberg Auditorium
    777 Glades Rd CEH 31D, Boca Raton, Florida 33431

    The tumultuous geopolitics of the Middle East presents many challenges for Israel, as do global diplomacy and public opinion. As the fight for hearts and minds rages on, what are the challenges we face in advocating for Israel and what could we do to make a difference? Join a stimulating conversation with Shahar Azani, veteran Israeli diplomat and thought leader, and a passionate advocate for Israel and the Jewish people for a look behind the scenes of one of the most meaningful battles of our lifetime. 

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    The tumultuous geopolitics of the Middle East presents many challenges for Israel, as do global diplomacy and public opinion. As the fight for hearts and minds rages on, what are the challenges we face in advocating for Israel and what could we do to make a difference? Join a stimulating conversation with Shahar Azani, veteran Israeli diplomat and thought leader, and a passionate advocate for Israel and the Jewish people for a look behind the scenes of one of the most meaningful battles of our lifetime. 

    Please register each attendee individually.

      Writing on the Wall: Antisemitism as a National Security Threat, Again

      Sunday January 5, 2025 - 11:00 a.m.
      Michal Cotler - Wunsh
      In Cooperation with FIDF
      Florida Atlantic University
      Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
      Friedberg Auditorium
      777 Glades Rd, CEH 31D, Boca Raton, Florida 33431

      Michal Cotler-Wunsh is an Israeli politician and diplomat. She served as a member of Israel’s 23rd Knesset for the Blue and White alliance from 2020 to 2021 and is currently a Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism for Israel. While serving in the Knesset, Cotler-Wunsh chaired the Special Committee on Drug and Alcohol Use and the Subcommittee on Israel-Diaspora Relations.

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      Michal Cotler-Wunsh is an Israeli politician and diplomat. She served as a member of Israel’s 23rd Knesset for the Blue and White alliance from 2020 to 2021 and is currently a Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism for Israel. While serving in the Knesset, Cotler-Wunsh chaired the Special Committee on Drug and Alcohol Use and the Subcommittee on Israel-Diaspora Relations. She also served as the first Knesset Liaison to the Issue of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and was co-chair of the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Friendship Group. Cotler-Wunsh co-founded the Interparliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism. Her speech at the UN delivered in the shadow of the October 7 massacre, has been viewed almost 1 million times on social media.

      Please register each attendee individually.

        Ignoring and Appeasing Evil Has Failed Throughout History – And It’s Failing Again

        Sunday January 12, 2025 - 11:00 a.m.
        Mort Klein
        Florida Atlantic University
        Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
        Friedberg Auditorium
        777 Glades Rd CEH 31D, Boca Raton, Florida 33431

        Mort Klein is the National President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA). Rewarding evil has never been a successful tactic. There should be negative consequences to terror…and nothing else. Why are we trying to appease the enemy and what should we be doing instead? Join us to find out.

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        Rewarding evil has never been a successful tactic. There should be negative consequences to terror…and nothing else. Why are we trying to appease the enemy and what should we be doing instead? Join us to find out.

        Please register each attendee individually.

          Jerusalem is Not Holy to Muslims – And Other Shocking Truths

          Monday January 13, 2025 - 7:00 p.m.
          Mort Klein
          Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens
          6100 PGA Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418

          Mort Klein is the National President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA). You have probably heard that Jerusalem is one of Islam’s holiest sites. This is simply a lie. Jerusalem is not and never was a holy place to the Muslims. Join us to break down this, and other surprising common misconceptions related to the Islamic Jihad against Israel.

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          You have probably heard that Jerusalem is one of Islam’s holiest sites. This is simply a lie. Jerusalem is not and never was a holy place to the Muslims. Join us to break down this, and other surprising common misconceptions related to the Islamic Jihad against Israel. 

          Please register each attendee individually.

            From Holocaust Denial to Holocaust Distortion: New Threat to the Memory and Commemoration of the Shoah in Poland and Beyond

            Sunday January 26, 2025 - 11:00 a.m.
            Jan Grabowski
            In Cooperation with The Ghetto Fighters’ House Museum
            Florida Atlantic University
            Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
            Friedberg Auditorium
            777 Glades Rd CEH 31D, Boca Raton, Florida 33431

            Jan Grabowski is a Professor of History at the University of Ottawa and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Looking at the case of Poland, the lecture discusses the new kinds of threats confronting the memory and the commemoration of the Shoah. Unlike Holocaust deniers of the past, people, institutions, and states engaging in Holocaust distortion do not deny the factuality of Jewish catastrophe. They freely admit that between 1939 and 1945 the Germans killed six million Jews.

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            Looking at the case of Poland, the lecture discusses the new kinds of threats confronting the memory and the commemoration of the Shoah. Unlike Holocaust deniers of the past, people, institutions, and states engaging in Holocaust distortion do not deny the factuality of Jewish catastrophe. They freely admit that between 1939 and 1945 the Germans killed six million Jews. What they vehemently deny, however, is that their nation, group, their people had anything to do with the event. This new and insidious kind of Holocaust denial has become a growing challenge to the memory of the Shoah, worldwide.

            Please register each attendee individually.

              From Holocaust Denial to Holocaust Distortion: New Threat to the Memory and Commemoration of the Shoah in Poland and Beyond

              Monday January 27, 2025 - 7 PM
              Jan Grabowski
              In Cooperation with The Ghetto Fighters’ House Museum
              Temple Beth-El
              2815 North Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, Florida 33407

              Jan Grabowski is a Professor of History at the University of Ottawa and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Looking at the case of Poland, the lecture discusses the new kinds of threats confronting the memory and the commemoration of the Shoah. Unlike Holocaust deniers of the past, people, institutions, and states engaging in Holocaust distortion do not deny the factuality of Jewish catastrophe. They freely admit that between 1939 and 1945 the Germans killed six million Jews.

              Read More

              Looking at the case of Poland, the lecture discusses the new kinds of threats confronting the memory and the commemoration of the Shoah. Unlike Holocaust deniers of the past, people, institutions, and states engaging in Holocaust distortion do not deny the factuality of Jewish catastrophe. They freely admit that between 1939 and 1945 the Germans killed six million Jews. What they vehemently deny, however, is that their nation, group, their people had anything to do with the event. This new and insidious kind of Holocaust denial has become a growing challenge to the memory of the Shoah, worldwide.

              Please register each attendee individually.

                Because It’s Just and Right: The Untold Back-Story of the US Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel and Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem

                Sunday February 2, 2025 - 11:00 a.m.
                Farley Weiss
                Florida Atlantic University
                Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
                Friedberg Auditorium
                777 Glades Rd CEH 31D, Boca Raton, Florida 33431

                Farley Weiss is a past President of the National Council of Young Israel. Riveting political drama of how the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 was first promulgated by Senator Jon Kyl, negotiated and then passed, on a bipartisan basis, by an overwhelming majority of Congress. It also describes the arduous process for over two decades that led to its finally being implemented. The Bible, Jewish History, International and US Law, as well as legal precedents are brought to life in a way that is both enlightening and entertaining.

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                A riveting political drama of how the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 was first promulgated by Senator Jon Kyl, negotiated and then passed, on a bipartisan basis, by an overwhelming majority of Congress. It also describes the arduous process for over two decades that led to its finally being implemented. The Bible, Jewish History, International and US Law, as well as legal precedents are brought to life in a way that is both enlightening and entertaining.

                Please register each attendee individually.

                  From Vicious Antisemite to Ardent Zionist

                  Monday February 10, 2025 - 7:00 p.m.
                  Kasim Hafeez
                  Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens
                  6100 PGA Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418

                  Kasim Hafeez is a British citizen of Pakistani Muslim heritage who grew up being exposed to radical anti-Western, antisemitic, and anti-Israel ideas daily. During his teenage years, Hafeez embraced a radical Islamist ideology and became very active in the anti-Israel movement. Thankfully, Alan Dershowitz’s book The Case for Israel challenged Hafeez’s fundamental beliefs and caused him to undertake a research and reflection period leading him to Israel in 2007.

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                  Kasim Hafeez is a British citizen of Pakistani Muslim heritage who grew up being exposed to radical anti-Western, antisemitic, and anti-Israel ideas daily. During his teenage years, Hafeez embraced a radical Islamist ideology and became very active in the anti-Israel movement. Thankfully, Alan Dershowitz’s book The Case for Israel challenged Hafeez’s fundamental beliefs and caused him to undertake a research and reflection period leading him to Israel in 2007.

                  Please register each attendee individually.

                    Is There A Future For The Abraham Accords?

                    Sunday February 23, 2025 - 11:00 a.m.
                    Ilan Berman
                    Florida Atlantic University
                    Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
                    Friedberg Auditorium
                    777 Glades Rd CEH 31D, Boca Raton, Florida 33431

                    Ilan Berman is Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Counsel in Washington D.C. Back in 2020, Israel ushered in a “new era” in the Middle East when it signed normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. A separate agreement with Morocco followed soon thereafter. But the tragic events of October 7th and Israel’s ensuing war against Hamas have profoundly roiled Jerusalem’s relations with the Arab world.

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                    Back in 2020, Israel ushered in a “new era” in the Middle East when it signed normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. A separate agreement with Morocco followed soon thereafter. But the tragic events of October 7th and Israel’s ensuing war against Hamas have profoundly roiled Jerusalem’s relations with the Arab world. Is there a future for the “Abraham Accords”? What other countries can be brought into the Accords, and why? And what does Israel need to do to solidify its new regional ties? Mr. Berman’s lecture will address these and related issues

                    Please register each attendee individually.

                      Woke Antisemitism: How a Progressive Ideology Harms Jews

                      Sunday March 9, 2025 - 11:00 a.m.
                      David Bernstein
                      Florida Atlantic University
                      Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
                      Friedberg Auditorium
                      777 Glades Rd CEH 31D, Boca Raton, Florida 33431

                      Mr. Bernstein, the Founder of the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values, will discuss how an oppressor/oppressed ideology took hold in American institutions, particularly higher education and K-12 schools, and conditioned a generation of young people to see Jews and Israel as white oppressors. 

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                      Mr. Bernstein will discuss how an oppressor/oppressed ideology took hold in American institutions, particularly higher education and K-12 schools, and conditioned a generation of young people to see Jews and Israel as white oppressors. 

                      Please register each attendee individually.

                        From Pain to Victory: Securing the National Homeland for the Jewish People In the Land of Israel

                        Sunday March 16, 2025 - 11:00 a.m.
                        Brigadier General Res. Amir Avivi
                        In Cooperation with CFNS
                        Florida Atlantic University
                        Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
                        Friedberg Auditorium
                        777 Glades Rd CEH 31D, Boca Raton, Florida 33431

                        Brigadier General Res. Amir Avivi is the Chairman of IDFF, Israel’s Defense and Security Forum. In this lecture he will discuss the lessons that he learned in 30 years of combat and leadership in the IDF. He reviews the historical, diplomatic and military background that led to the current war in Israel. Throughout his presentation, he shares many anecdotes and personal interactions with the top leaders of the State of Israel which shaped his worldview and honed his strong belief that the people of Israel need strong leadership rooted in common sense policies and national security.

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                        In this lecture he discusses the lessons that he learned in 30 years of combat and leadership in the IDF. He reviews the historical, diplomatic and military background that led to the current war in Israel. Throughout his presentation, he shares many anecdotes and personal interactions with the top leaders of the State of Israel which shaped his worldview and honed his strong belief,  that the people of Israel need strong leadership rooted in common sense policies and national security.

                        Please register each attendee individually.

                          From Washington to Jerusalem: Challenges and Opportunities in the US-Israel Relationship

                          Sunday March 23, 2025 - 11:00 a.m.
                          William Daroff
                          B’nai Torah Congregation
                          6261 SW 18th Street, Boca Raton, FL 33433

                          William Daroff became the Chief Executive Officer of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on February 1, 2020. In that capacity, he is the senior professional guiding the Conference’s agenda on behalf of the 50 national member organizations, which represent the wide mosaic of American Jewish life.

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                          William Daroff became the Chief Executive Officer of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on February 1, 2020. In that capacity, he is the senior professional guiding the Conference’s agenda on behalf of the 50 national member organizations, which represent the wide mosaic of American Jewish life. As CEO of the Conference, he builds consensus among all of its diverse membership to craft cohesive foreign policy goals for the American Jewish community. He advocates for a secure Israel, for strengthening the US-Israel relationship, and the protection and security of Jews worldwide. Daroff is an international leader fighting antisemitism in all its forms, both domestic and abroad.

                          Please register each attendee individually.

                            One Year After October 7

                            Sunday November 10, 2024 - 11:00 a.m.
                            Gregg Roman
                            Florida Atlantic University
                            Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
                            Friedberg Auditorium
                            777 Glades Rd CEH 31D, Boca Raton, Florida 33431

                            Gregg Roman, Chief Operations Officer for Middle East Forum, will reflect on Israel’s standing in the Middle East after a year marked by a seven-front war and the nation’s position in the aftermath of these (perhaps still ongoing) conflicts. Roman has assiduously followed tensions in the region during this time, including Israel’s border disputes with Lebanon, Houthi efforts to choke Western shipping through the Red Sea, Shi’ite militias attacking US troops in Iraq and Syria, ongoing strife in Gaza and the West Bank, and the continuing threat posed by the Iranian menace.

                            Countering Campus Antisemitism and BDS Deception: The Definitive Report

                            Thursday November 14, 2024 - 7:00 p.m.
                            David M. Litman
                            In Cooperation with CAMERA
                            Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens
                            6100 PGA Blvd Palm Beach Gardens, FL. 33418

                            First they broke the law and university policies. Then they lied to the University about nearly every aspect of their cause. Now the Brown (University) Divestment Coalition expects the university to harm its own interests and violate its own values in service of their bigoted demands against the state of Israel.

                            The Greatest Art Theft in Human History: A Discourse From A Pioneer of Nazi-Looted Art Recovery

                            Sunday November 17, 2024 - 11:00 a.m.
                            Howard Spiegler, Esq.
                            In Cooperation with YIVO
                            Florida Atlantic University
                            Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
                            Friedberg Auditorium
                            777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33431

                            Howard Spiegler is an Attorney who Specializes in the Art Litigation and Restitution. In the context of the Nazi art confiscation program, which is considered the greatest displacement of art in human history, Howard Spiegler will describe the facts and legal principles involved in the major cases he handled to recover Nazi-looted art for the families of victims of the Holocaust.

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