April 4-5 2016, Jerusalem

From the time they assumed power – and even beforehand – the Nazi regime's policy towards the Jews drew responses from both the Jewish and the non-Jewish world. Many aspects of the Nazi influence outside the areas over which they ruled have been addressed by scholars, but very little attention has been given to aspects related to the Middle East (aside from the Jewish settlement in the land of Israel and the Mufti of Jerusalem). The aim of this conference is to address various aspects of this neglected issue.

The organisers call for papers based on original research about the following issues:

• The attitude of the colonial powers active in the Middle East to the fate of the Jew under Nazi rule, 1933 – 1945 in general, and to the role of the territories administered by them in serving as a haven for refugees in particular.
• Official and secret activities of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy regarding the Jews in the Middle East (such as diplomacy, intelligence, the Auslandorganisation of the NSDAP, etc.).
• The responses of the Jewish communities in the Middle East to the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis and their allies – assistance given, reports issued, the way this is reflected in literature etc. Special attention should be given the response to the information about the systematic killing of the Jews – the Final Solution.
• The response of the local non-Jewish societies, communities and organizations to the persecution of the Jews – leaders, movements, the Arab League etc.
• Jews in German military and diplomatic reports from the Middle East.
• The memory of the Holocaust in the Jewish communities and in public discourse in the Middle East from 1945 until the present

Proposals in English must be accompanied by a one-page abstract and a brief CV. Submissions will be reviewed by the conference's Academic Committee; the committee will also review proposals which do not directly address one of the topics listed above.

Please note that papers must introduce new studies and research; submissions based on previously published papers will not be considered.

The deadline for the submission of proposals is December 31, 2015.

Please send proposals simultaneously to

The Documentation Center for North Africa Jewry during WWII, The Ben-Zvi Institute, tamarf@ybz.org.il

and to

The International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad Vashem, research.institute@yadvashem.org.il

Members of the Steering Committee: Prof. Eyal Ginio, Dr. Judith Loebenstein-Witztum, Prof. Dan Michman, Dr. Iael Nidam-Orvieto, Dr Haim Saadoun, Prof. Dina Porat, Ms. Tamar Fuks