WHISC - Women in the Holocaust - International Study Center

WHISC is the only comprehensive International Study Center devoted to Women in the Holocaust.  

Our vision is to widen the interdisciplinary, intersectional, and multicultural research that is being done separately in Holocaust Studies and Gender Studies, by focusing on the unique fate of women during the Holocaust. This covers women who were victims, survivors, rescuers, resisters, bystanders, or perpetrators. 

Our activities aim to bring together and enhance the work of Israeli and international researchers and educators, from academia to high school, in academic conferences, research workshops, fellowships, and database management.

Our pioneering center will house an extensive archive for researchers and be a premier source of innovative educational materials.

Sons & Mothers
01/09/2025

Join us on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at 20:00 (Israel Time) via Zoom for Sons & Mothers—an evening of academic presentations and personal reflections, moderated by Prof. Lily Zamir, with talks by DPM, MS Alex Kor, Prof. Arnon Karnieli, and Prof. Yoel Yaari exploring resilience, memory, and healing across generations.

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Watch the full panel recordings from July 31, 2025 – now available online!
04/08/2025

Explore the complex roles of women in Nazi crimes and postwar justice. Three powerful lectures by Prof. Nils Roemer, Dr. Mehak Burza, and Dr. Batya Brutin. History, law, and art come together to challenge familiar narratives.

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Women as Perpetrators
02/07/2025

Date: July 31, 2025 | Time: 20:00 (Israel Time) | Location: Online via Zoom >< Join us for a compelling evening exploring the complex roles of women in the context of Nazi crimes and postwar justice. Through historical, legal, and artistic lenses, three leading scholars will shed light on the often-overlooked involvement of women as perpetrators, witnesses, and observers.

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Women Educators during the Holocaust | 29.5.25
18/05/2025

This panel highlights the courageous work of women educators during the Holocaust, focusing on their roles as teachers, caregivers, and sources of hope in the ghettos and camps. Through the stories of Luba Bielicka-Blum, Stefania Wilczyńska, and Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, we explore education as resistance and memory. A moving academic tribute to resilience, legacy, and the power of teaching in the darkest of times.

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Reflections on the Fate of Hungarian Women in the Holocaust: 81 Years Since the Mass Deportation of Hungarian Jewry | 19.6.2025
18/05/2025

This panel explores the unique experiences of Hungarian Jewish women during the Holocaust, focusing on their resilience in Nazi camps, the untold story of deportation to Allendorf, and the horrific sterilization experiments in Birkenau. Leading scholars and researchers shed light on gendered trauma, survival, and memory. A powerful conversation about history, silence, and the enduring strength of women.

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Call for Papers | Third Annual International WHISC Conference on Women in the Holocaust
30/03/2025

The Women in the Holocaust International Study Center (WHISC), Givat Haviva, in collaboration with ShoahLab – the Holocaust Studies Laboratory of the University of Belgrade, is pleased to invite proposals for the upcoming international conference

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Women in different forms of unarmed resistance
18/02/2025

Join us for an engaging and insightful academic panel moderated by Prof. Lily Zamir, exploring the diverse ways in which women resisted oppression during the Holocaust through unarmed resistance—art, storytelling, and historical defiance.

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