The Ackerman Center Podcast

In this episode of Voces en Español, we have the great pleasure of speaking with José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez, one of Mexico’s leading experts in international human rights law, international justice, and the fight against impunity. A graduate of Universidad Iberoamericana and holder of a doctorate in Fundamental Rights from the Carlos III University of Madrid, José Antonio has dedicated more tha...

In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Cantrell-Sutor speaks with historian Verena Meier about the persecution of Sinti and Roma under Nazi rule and the central role of the criminal police in implementing discriminatory policies, deportations, and genocide. Drawing on extensive archival research, Meier examines how systems of surveillance, data collection, and racial classification enabled persecution at t...

In this episode, Dr. Mehak Burza speaks with Tali Nates, founder and director of the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre in South Africa about Holocaust remembrance, genocide education, and role of museums in confronting difficult histories. Drawing from her work across the African continent, Tali reflects on how Holocaust memory is evolving as we move further from the survivor generation...

In this episode we speak with historian Knut Walter, a specialist in the political and social history of Central America. Throughout the interview, Walter offers an in-depth interpretation of violence in the region, arguing that it is not a recent phenomenon exclusively linked to the civil wars of the 20th century, but rather a long-standing historical reality rooted in the structural weaknesses o...

In this episode, we speak with Natacha María Koss, a distinguished researcher and professor of Theatre History at the University of Buenos Aires, about the power of theatre as a space for critical thinking, collective experience, and political action. Drawing on her academic trajectory and her work in one of the most dynamic theatrical scenes in the world, we explore fundamental questions: What is...

This special two-part episode brings together first-hand testimony and contemporary discussion to explore the experiences of Jewish families in Poland before, during and after the Nazis occupation. In Part I, Dr. Angie Simmons is joined by Dr. Nils Roemer, Dean of the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology and Director of the Ackerman Center. This segment highlights the exper...

In this episode, we have the great pleasure of speaking with the distinguished international lawyer and human rights advocate Almudena Bernabeu, whose work has been fundamental in rethinking justice beyond national borders and in advancing key accountability processes for crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes in multiple contexts. From the establishment of transnational justice mechani...

In this episode, Dr. Shilyh Warren, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and affiliate faculty of the Ackerman Center, and Dr. Paula Cuellar Cuellar, Assistant Professor of History and Fellow of the Jacqueline and Michael Wald Professorship at the Bass School, host UK-based filmmaker and researcher Lorena Cervera, whose documentary work has opened essential paths to understanding gender inequalities...

In this episode, Dr. Mehak Burza sits down with Maestro Murry Sidlin, the internationally acclaimed conductor, educator, and creator of Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín. As Founder and Artistic Director of The Defiant Requiem Foundation, Mr. Sidlin has spent decades illuminating one of the most extraordinary cultural stories to emerge from the Holocaust—the powerful act of spiritual and artistic...

In this episode, Martin Kimel talks about his book, "The Pessimist’s Son: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope" published in May 2025. He is hosted by Dr. David Patterson, who holds the Hillel A. Feinberg Distinguished Chair of Holocaust Studies at the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies. Their conversation moves through the heart of the story—its themes of family, identity, and the emotional le...

In this inaugural episode of the first Spanish-language podcast at UTD, Dr. Shilyh Warren, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and affiliate faculty of the Ackerman Center, and Dr. Paula Cuellar Cuellar, Assistant Professor of History and Fellow of the Jacqueline and Michael Wald Professorship at the Bass School, sit down with Ms. Ana Lorena Delgadillo, J.D., a leading international human rights la...

In this episode, Dr. Mehak Burza interviews Sabro Bengaro, a Ph. D. candidate at The University of Texas at Dallas, who will soon be defending his dissertation, "Germany, Jihad , and the Assyrian Genocide of 1915". Sabro discusses the motivations behind his research, his academic journey and his dedication to preserving Assyrian memory.

What happens when memory, scholarship and cutting-edge technology come together? In this episode, Dr. Nils Roemer and Dr. Mehak Burza sit down with Professor Jeffrey Price to discuss the creation of the Digital Twin of the Ackerman Center. The conversation explores how the collaboration between the Ackerman Center and the VAST Lab (Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Simulation Technology Research...

This episode concludes the special two-part series on the Kinder Doll Animation Project. Hosted by Dr. Mehak Burza, this conversation highlights the faculty's role as creators, thinkers and visionaries behind Kinder Doll Animation Project- UT Dallas' first-ever stop-motion puppet animation. The faculty share their perspectives on shaping a project that merges disciplines—animation, sculptu...

This episode is the first in a special two-part series on the Kinder Doll Animation Project- a groundbreaking collaboration between UT Dallas students and faculty that tells the story of the Kindertransport through stop-motion animation. In this episode, Dr. Mehak Burza sits down with Dr. Christine Veras, director of both the Experimental Lab and the Kinder Doll animation project, along with the t...

In this episode Dr. Nils Roemer and Dr. Mehak Burza sit down with filmmaker Anthony D’Ambrosio, director of the film Triumph of the Heart. Set to release on 12 September, this extraordinary film tell the true story of St. Maximilian Kolbe, the Polish Catholic priest who made the ultimate sacrifice at Auschwitz when he volunteered to die in place of another prisoner. The conversation dives into the...

In this episode, Dr. Mehak Burza speaks with Dr. Jerzy Wójcik, a distinguished scholar and guide born in Oświęcim (Auschwitz), Poland. A graduate of Jagiellonian University with a PhD in political science, Dr. Wójcik has dedicated his career to Holocaust education through his work with institutions such as the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and the Jagiellonian University Center for Holocaust Stu...

In this episode, Dr. Deborah Fripp, executive director of Teach the Shoah, joins Dr. Mehak Burza for a powerful conversation on the role of storytelling in Holocaust education. Together, they explore what it means to honor voices that are no longer with us, how to responsibly share survivors’ stories, and why storytelling continues to be one of the most moving tools for remembrance in a post-witne...

What happens when memory meets machine? In this episode, Dr. Mehak Burza speaks with Dr. Todd Presner, Chair of UCLA's Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies and author of "Ethics of the Algorithm: Digital Humanities and Holocaust Memory" (Princeton, 2024). Together they unpack the growing role of digital tools and artificial intelligence in shaping Holocaust reme...

This is a two-part series exploring the life and legacy of Rutka Laskier, through music, memory and family. Rutka, a 14 year old Jewish girl chronicled three months of her life in her diary in 1943. In Part I- Dr. Nils Roemer talks to Amy Langer and David Schwarz- the producers of "Rutka: A New Musical". They delve into the making of the musical- a moving adaptation of Rutka's diary...

In this episode, Dr. Mehak Burza interviews Mr. Maziar Bahari—acclaimed journalist, filmmaker, and author of "Then They Came for Me", a New York Times best seller. Mr. Bahari discusses the Sardari Project, an initiative shedding light on Abdol Hossein Sardari, an Iranian diplomat who saved Jews during the Holocaust. Mr. Bahari explores his pioneering work with IranWire, a platform for ci...

We had the honor of speaking with Dr. Suki John, a choreographer, scholar, and activist, about her powerful initiative "The Sh’ma Project". In this episode, Dr. Hanno Berger dives deep into the origins, meaning, and impact of this interdisciplinary work that blends dance, memory, and healing. The Sh’ma Project is more than a performance — it’s a journey through trauma, resilience, and cultural leg...

Join Julie Brill in an evocative conversation with Dr. Nils Roemer and Dr. Mehak Burza as they embark on a powerful journey through her new memoir, Hidden in Plain Sight: A Family Memoir and the Untold Story of the Holocaust in Serbia . Brill uncovers long-buried family secrets, tracing the harrowing experiences of her father in Nazi-occupied Serbia. Brill reflects on how these revelations not onl...

In this insightful 13 minute conversation, Dr. Mehak Burza sits down with Mr. Ron Schwarz, the author of "Quiet Strength of Resilience" who briefly discusses the book, sharing the inspiration behind it and the powerful story of his father's journey. He works in the information services area and owns two companies: one that publishes directories for the legal sector and another that p...

In this special episode, Dr. Shilyh Warren, Associate Professor of Film Studies and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in the Bass School at UTD, speaks with Professor Emerita, Dr. Irene Kacandes, The Dartmouth Professor of German and Comparative Literature at Dartmouth College until 2024, about her research trajectory and her commitment to extending the lessons and ambitions of the humanities to...