Tuesday, January 27 | Doors open at 6pm, event from 6:30-8pm
In recognition of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, join Congregation Beth Israel and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education for the 2026 Oseran Family Lecture featuring Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt.
As one of the world’s foremost historians of the Holocaust and a leading voice in confronting contemporary antisemitism, Ambassador Lipstadt will explore why remembering the Holocaust remains essential, not only as a matter of historical responsibility, but as a vital tool in combating denial, distortion, and the alarming rise of antisemitism around the world. In addition, she will address the urgent relevance of Holocaust education; the responsibilities of individuals and institutions in safeguarding truth; and the ways communities can rebuild trust, resilience, and connection across political and ideological divides.
Ambassador Lipstadt’s talk will be followed by a Q&A conversation with Eric Ward, Executive Vice President of Race Forward and Senior Fellow with the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The 2026 Oseran Family Lecture is made possible with additional support from Richard and Shirley Plotzker; Ruth and Gerald Cohen, in memory of Sarah Cohen-Doherty and her passion for Holocaust Education; and Sheldon Klapper and Sue Hickey.
This event is free and open to the public with registration. A livestream option will be available for those unable to join in person.
St. Mary’s Cathedral (1716 NW Davis Street) has opened its parking lot for our use during our 2026 Oseran Family Lecture.
Please respect their generosity by using their lot ONLY during this time.
Deborah E. Lipstadt was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 30, 2022, as the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, with the rank of Ambassador. In that position, from 2022-2025, Ambassador Lipstadt led efforts to advance U.S. foreign policy to counter antisemitism throughout the world. At Emory University, where she has taught for 30 years, she currently holds the position of Distinguished University Professor.
During her tenure at the state department, she spearheaded the effort to create the Global Guidelines to Combat Antisemitism. As of January 2025, those Guidelines have been endorsed by 39 nations and 4 multilateral organizations, including the European Union and the Organization for American States.
Ambassador Lipstadt has had a storied career as a historian, academic, and author. Prior to joining the State Department, she served as the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University’s Tam Institute for Jewish Studies, which she helped to found.
She has written seven books including: Golda Meir: Israel’s Matriarch; The Eichmann Trial; Denial: Holocaust History on Trial; Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory; Beyond Belief: The American Press and the Coming of the Holocaust, 1933-1945. She received the National Jewish Book Award three times, most recently in 2019 for Antisemitism: Here and Now.
She was named as one of TIME 100’s “Most Influential People” of 2023. In April 2024, Ambassador Lipstadt was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest learned societies in the United States.
She is known for having been sued for libel by David Irving, one of the world’s leading Holocaust deniers. The case, which lasted for six years and was heard in court in a twelve-week trial, resulted in Irving being declared by the court to be “a right-wing polemicist,” who engages in antisemitism, racism, and misogyny. That trial was depicted in the 2016 film Denial, which was based on her book Denial: Holocaust History on Trial.
Ambassador Lipstadt was a historical consultant to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and has held two Presidential appointments to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. She holds a BA from the City College of New York and an MA and PhD from Brandeis University.