Photo credit: Matthew Kraus
Sarah Crane
By Matthew Kraus
Head Department of Judaic Studies, University of Cincinnati
The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center and the Department of Judaic Studies at the University of Cincinnati are proud to announce the initiation of a scholar-in-residence program. This exciting new partnership expands current collaborations between UC and HHC to resource staff, faculty and students with a series of workshops and museum experiences that educate about the threat of antisemitism and how to address it today. The program has been inaugurated with the appointment of Dr. Sarah Crane as visiting professor in UC’s Department of Judaic Studies in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and as scholar-in-residence at the Holocaust & Humanity Center. In addition to her regular research and teaching assignments at UC, Dr. Crane will support HHC’s staff and resource its educational offerings with the most current scholarship in the field, create professional development opportunities for local educators, host public-learning seminars, lectures and other programs, and strengthen our partnership with the University during a time of great need. As students return to campus, this partnership between the Holocaust & Humanity Center and the University of Cincinnati is an essential component to addressing the threats of antisemitism, racism, and dehumanizing discourse that disrupts and divides our social fabric.
Dr. Crane completed her doctoral work at University of Notre Dame on “Inventing Postwar Justice: Nuremberg and the Holocaust’s Legal Legacy, 1945–1998.” Her research advances the field of Holocaust and Genocide Studies by demonstrating the impact of the after-life and memory of the Holocaust in the form of criminal trials. This traces the legacy of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg to the present day, including the proceedings of the International Criminal Court. Because her PhD is in Peace Studies and History from the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame, she brings a transnational, interdisciplinary, and broad approach to Holocaust and Genocide studies. Prior to her graduate studies, Dr. Crane worked at Holocaust museums in Houston and Seattle as a grants writer and educator which makes her especially well-suited for serving as scholar-in-residence at HHC. This Fall semester, she is teaching courses at UC on “Literature of the Holocaust” and “Religion and Genocide” and her Spring offerings are “Memorializing Trauma: Engraving the Mind and Remembrance” and “Holocaust and Film.” According to Dr. Crane, “Having spent much of my academic career in the Midwest, I am excited to return and join the vibrant intellectual community of Cincinnati. This position offers me the opportunity to continue my academic work in Holocaust and Genocide Studies in a setting that fosters public education about the Holocaust in dialogue with contemporary challenges.”
“The idea of a partnership has been part of the Department of Judaic Studies’s strategic plan for several years,” says Department Head Matthew Kraus. “The quality, unique character, and location of the Holocaust & Humanity Center as well as UC’s commitment to having positive impact on our local community make the connection obvious,” adds Kraus. Notes Jackie Congedo, Executive Director of the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, “events of the past year have generated an acute sense of urgency and we wanted to get someone in this role as soon as possible. Our investment and partnership in this position exemplifies our commitment to ensuring our offerings are grounded in and informed by deep scholarship in the field during a dynamic time.” Efforts are currently underway to ensure that the UC/HHC scholar-in-residence becomes a permanent position. Inquiries about these efforts should be directed to Jackie Congedo, Executive Director of the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center or Michael Zenz of the UC Foundation, or Matthew Kraus, Head of the Department of Judaic Studies.
