2005 Frank Church Conference at Boise State Examines 'Clash of Cultures'

Samuel Pisar, a world-renowned international lawyer and one of the youngest survivors of the Holocaust, will be the keynote speaker at the 22^nd annual Frank Church

Samuel Pisar click on image for full size view

Conference on Public Affairs. This year’s conference, “Global Flash Points: Clash of Cultures,” will be Thursday, Nov. 3, in the Boise State University Jordan Ballroom. The daylong conference runs from 8:30 a.m-4 p.m.; Pisar will speak at 7 p.m. The conference is free and open to the public.

Pisar was 10 years old when Hitler and Stalin invaded his native Poland. After two years of Soviet captivity and four years in Auschwitz and other death camps, he emerged at age 16 as the only survivor of his family and his school.

Pisar resumed his education in Australia, and later earned doctorates from Harvard and the Sorbonne. In 1961 he was made a U.S. citizen by an act of Congress. Today, he practices international law in New York, London and Paris, where he lives with his wife, Judith.

Pisar is the founder-president of Yad Vashem France, administrator of the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah, and a trustee of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. He has lectured extensively throughout the world, including the Economic Forum in Davos, the Council of Foreign Relations in New York, and the Commission on Human Rights in Paris. His books, including “Of Blood and Hope” and “Coexistence and Commerce,” have been published in 20 languages.

Other principal conference speakers include:

There will also be two presentations. A morning panel will examine America’s position following the Iraqi situation, while an afternoon panel will look at Idaho’s Basque legacy.

This year’s conference is presented in partnership with the Cenarussa Center for Basque Studies at Boise State and the Boise Independent School District.

For more information about the Frank Church Conference, contact Garry Wenske, executive director of the Frank Church Institute, at (208) 426-2941 or e-mail GarryWenske@boisestate.edu.

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Contact: Garry Wenske, Frank Church Institute, (208) 426-2941, GarryWenske@boisesetate.edu 

Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, University Communications, (208) 426-3275, kcraven@boisestate.edu