January 4-8, 2016, Washington, DC

Applications due October 11, 2015

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum invites applications for the seminar “A Research Introduction to the Holocaust in the Soviet Union.” This seminar will be held January 4–8, 2016, at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.

This seminar will acquaint advanced undergraduate, MA, and early PhD students with the central topics, issues, and sources related to the study of the Holocaust in the Soviet Union, including evacuation, mass shootings, rescue, forced labor, and issues of commemoration and memory. Mandel Center scholars will lead discussions, and the seminar will include group analysis of many of the types of primary source material available in the Museum’s collections. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to explore the Museum’s extensive library, archival, and other collections.

The Museum welcomes applications from advanced undergraduates, MA, or early PhD students who are enrolled in relevant academic disciplines at North American colleges and universities. Applications must be submitted in English and include:

• A confidential recommendation letter from a faculty member in the applicant’s department that addresses the applicant’s potential and relevant interests, background, training, and qualifications (including previous coursework, projects, publications, or language study)
• The online application form
• A letter of interest from the applicant discussing his/her interest in the Holocaust in the Soviet Union
• A current curriculum vitae that lists relevant coursework, research papers, and academic presentations.

The online application form is available at http://goo.gl/forms/PBx1VOn6UG.  The remaining application materials may be sent by email or fax to Dr. Elana Jakel, Program Manager of the Initiative for the Study of Ukrainian Jewry, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, ejakel@ushmm.org; Fax 202.479.9726. 

To preserve the confidentiality of recommendation letters, faculty recommenders must e-mail or fax their signed letters (on institutional letterhead) directly to Dr. Jakel; recommendation letters cannot be submitted by applicants.

All application materials must be received by Sunday, October 11, 2015. Applicants will be notified of selection decisions by November 2, 2015. 

Participants are required to attend the full duration of the seminar. At least 15 participants will be accepted. Awards include: (1) a stipend toward the cost of direct travel to and from each participant’s home institution and Washington, DC; (2) shared lodging for the seminar’s duration; and (3) $225 toward the cost of meals, local transit, luggage surcharges, and other incidental expenses, which will be disbursed after the seminar’s conclusion via direct deposit or wire transfer. Local participants from the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area will receive a stipend of $125 for the week. 

www.ushmm.org/soviet-union-seminar