October 8, 2021—From October 12-15, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum and the Roosevelt Institute will host a virtual conference examining current scholarship on the Holocaust, emphasizing digital research surrounding Holocaust studies. The 15-session conference is free and open to the public; however, it is limited to 500 participants.

Senior Fellow and Resident Historian at the Roosevelt Institute, and Professor of History at Marist College, Dr. David Woolner, will be speaking on “FDR, Ibn Saud, and the question of Israel” during the second day of the conference. Woolner will be joined by lecture moderator and Director of FDR Presidential Library and Museum, Paul Sparrow.

Woolner’s lecture covers the meeting between then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Saudi Arabian King Ibn Saud on the future of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This marks the first attempt by an American president to “. . .foster reconciliation between the Arabs and the Jews in the region - a move that would be repeated by numerous other presidents in the decades that followed,” Woolner said.

The four-day event is a culmination of lectures, workshops, panels, a film screening, and roundtable discussions leading into the Keynote presentation, “Auschwitz - What we know now, what we knew then” by noted Holocaust scholar, Michael Berenbaum. Throughout the conference, lecturers will discuss the increasing importance of digital research to understand the Holocaust accurately and communicate findings.

“The special focus on digital humanities stems from the growing realization that the field of digital humanities and the use of digital research provides scholars, students, and the public new ways to understand, interpret, and disseminate information about this tragic period in American and world history,” Woolner said.

The conference will consist of live-streamed sessions, viewable for non-participants, both during and after the event through the FDR library’s YouTube page. Register for the live sessions here: accelevents.com/e/mhcp-conference.

About Marist

Located on the banks of the historic Hudson River and at its Florence, Italy campus, Marist College is a comprehensive, independent institution grounded in the liberal arts. Its mission is to “help students develop the intellect, character, and skills required for enlightened, ethical, and productive lives in the global community of the 21st century.” Marist educates approximately 5,000 traditional-age undergraduate students and 1,200 adult and graduate students in 47 undergraduate majors and numerous graduate programs, including fully online MBA, MPA, MS, and MA degrees, and also Doctor of Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant programs. Additionally, our graduates go on to great success; 97% over the last five years are employed or in graduate school within six months of graduating. Marist is consistently ranked among the best colleges and universities in America by The Princeton Review (Colleges That Create Futures and The Best 386 Colleges), U.S. News & World Report (2nd Most Innovative School/North), Kiplinger’s Personal Finance (“Best College Values”), and others. Marist’s study abroad program is ranked #3 in the nation by the U.S. State Department and includes unique first-year programs in Florence and Dublin. At Marist, approximately 50% of graduates study abroad during their undergraduate experience. Its 30-year Joint Study partnership with IBM has brought the College the kind of world-class technology platform typically found at leading research institutions. Marist’s academic centers of excellence include the nationally-known Marist Poll, Center for Civic Engagement and Leadership, Hudson River Valley Institute, Center for Sports Communication, and Institute for Data Center Professionals. The College also hosts the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library’s digital archives, making it one of only six colleges or universities in the nation affiliated with a presidential library.

About the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Designed by Franklin Roosevelt and dedicated on June 30, 1941, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is the nation's first presidential library and the only one used by a sitting president. Administered by the National Archives and Records Administration since 1941, the Library preserves and makes accessible to the American people the records of FDR's presidency. The Roosevelt Library's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of the lives and times of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and their continuing impact on contemporary life. This work is carried out through the Library's archives and research room, museum collections and exhibitions, innovative educational programs, and engaging public programming. For more information about the Library or its programs call (800) 337-8474 or visit www.fdrlibrary.org.