All the Horrors of War: A Jewish Girl, a British Doctor, and the Liberation of Bergen-Belsen

All the Horrors of War: A Jewish Girl, a British Doctor, and the Liberation of Bergen-Belsen
Presented by Dr. Bernice Lerner
Former Dean of Adult Learning, Hebrew College; Senior Scholar, Boston University’s Center for Character and Social Responsibility

On April 15, 1945, three weeks before World War II’s end, a unit of the British Second Army entered Bergen-Belsen. Hardened military men sickened at the sight—nothing they had seen in battle came close to the depravity at the then-largest Nazi concentration camp. Among the 60,000 desperate and emaciated inmates were 25,000 who would die if they did not receive immediate medical care. Brigadier Glyn Hughes, the army’s Deputy Director of Medical Services, committed himself to the complex and harrowing task of trying to save lives. Fifteen-year-old Rachel Genuth, who had lost her parents and four siblings in Auschwitz, was among those at death’s door.

In this author’s talk, Dr. Lerner will discuss events that led Rachel and Hughes to Bergen-Belsen, and why their narratives tell larger, little-known, stories—about the suffering of victims, the struggles of liberators, and about the human capacity for fortitude and redemption. She will also share how she went about researching and writing the life-changing chapters in the lives of Rachel Genuth (who became her mother) and Glyn Hughes.

Register here.

Dr. Bernice Lerner is the author of All the Horrors of War: A Jewish Girl, a British Doctor, and the Liberation of Bergen-Belsen, and other writings on the Holocaust and on virtue ethics. As director of Boston University’s Center for Character and Social Responsibility, Bernice lectured widely and taught courses on character education and on the Holocaust. As dean of adult learning at Hebrew College, she created innovative programs, including the acclaimed Meah, a two-year journey through Jewish history.

Bernice earned a bachelor’s from Stony Brook University, a master’s from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a doctorate from Boston University. Dr. Lerner is a senior scholar at Boston University’s Center for Character and Social Responsibility and an affiliate of the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue.