1998

Daily Sparks Tribune
May 16, 1997

Holocaust Center Renews Hope For Peace

by Ben Shefftz

On the walls of the office that houses the Center for Holocaust, Genocide & Peace Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, are portraits of a number of seemingly unrelated historical figures.

In one corner is Albert Einstein; a few yards away is the poet Maya Angelou. On another wall John Lennon and Yoko Ono peer out from behind their trademark sunglasses. Nearby is a print brandishing the name of Pablo Picasso. By the door is a poster of Martin Luther King, Jr., proclaiming his dream.

As disparate as they may seem, those people share one common thread that is tied directly to the center's purpose: the eradication of violence and hate and the promotion of peace worldwide.

Those recognizable faces on the walls "reflect the multitude of issues we plan to address," said Viktoria Hertling, the center's director. "The primary concern of our mission is to find the reasons behind violence and hate and to pursue peaceful solutions - to analyze the causes of genocide but at the same time create hope."

Since the center was established three years ago by Hertling, a professor of German literature, it has taken a number of strides towards establishing itself as a resource serving the university and the general public. Through the two main pillars that support the center's mission - outreach and research - high-minded academic goals are wedded with community-oriented activities.

A big boost came when an interdisciplinary minor in Holocaust, Genocide and Peace Studies, consisting of courses taught through the center and related electives in other departments, was recently approved for the 1997/98 school year.

The potential impact of that minor status reaches beyond the students who choose to follow the new course of study: It also gives professors a new framework around which they can teach new classes.

"The avenues for creating new courses are much more open than before," said Dean Pierce, director of the School of Social Work at UNR and a member of the center's board of directors. "The very fact that we now have a academic minor on the books will get a process of thinking going - it's an invitation for some energy of the university to be refocused on more study of peaceful ways of interacting."

Since the academic minor is interdisciplinary, Hertling hopes students from any and all fields of study will be attracted to the classes.

Another boon to the center is its being awarded the 1997 Thornton Peace Prize, established in 1970 by UNR graduates William and Barbara Thornton and given annually to an individual or group who best promotes peace.

The center has found many ways to promote its agenda during its three years of existence. It has produced three documentaries, which have been shown locally on channel 5 and on SNCAT.

But the aspects of the center that its directors feel will make the most difference are their community outreach activities. Last spring, 500 Washoe County students participated in the center's Peace Festival - posters painted by the children still decorate the office walls.

This spring several forums and discussions on peace-related topics were be held, complementing the exhibit and displays the center puts together for the community to access.

The outreach programs broadens the impact of the message.

"We love to go to schools," said Hertling. "They have the minds uncluttered by hate and the empathy to respond."

The center's board of directors, who represent a diverse number of ethnic backgrounds and areas of expertise, open many doors into the community for outreach efforts.

The 14-member board has social and professional ties throughout the community, and ethnic and international ties to Uganda, Turkey, Poland and Chile.

Those who work with the center know that their efforts won't bring on a magical catharsis, after which citizens of the world will throw down their weapons to hold hands.

"We're not so naive to see that the whole world is organized to enjoy and sell violence," said Pierce.

But they do know that big changes start with smaller, individual efforts.

"One by one we all make a difference. If we don't start there we'll all drown in a morass of cynicism and hopelessness," said Hertling. "Never discount your own activities - pursue them with hope, since who knows how they could affect the entire picture."