Holocaust By Bullets: A Priest's Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews

Father Patrick Desbois, president of Yahad - In Unum, will visit Tufts University to share his historic undertaking of locating undiscovered mass graves of Jews killed during the Holocaust.  Free and open to the public, Father Desbois’ presentation will take place Tuesday, March 13 at 8:00 p.m. at Tufts University’s Cohen Auditorium. RSVPs are required, and may be made at cummings.hillel.tufts@gmail.com or 781-932-7072.

 Father Desbois’ rare visit to the Boston area is part of the annual lecture series offered by the Cummings/Hillel Program for Holocaust and Genocide Education at Tufts University. This year’s event is presented in partnership with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Introductory remarks will be made by Paul Shapiro, director of the Museum’s Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies.

A Catholic priest and the author of “The Holocaust by Bullets: A Priest’s Journey to Uncover the Truth behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews,” Father Desbois has devoted his life to confronting anti-Semitism and furthering Catholic-Jewish understanding. Since 2004, he and his team have crisscrossed the countryside in Eastern Europe, identifying 800 of an estimated 2,000 hidden mass graves from the Holocaust.

Father Desbois’ extraordinary work to advance understanding of crimes committed during the Holocaust has received international media attention, including coverage in Le Monde, The New York Times, TIME Magazine, and NBC Nightly News. Father Desbois serves as Director of the Episcopal Committee for Catholic-Jewish Relations, under the auspices of the French Conference of Bishops. He also advises the Cardinal Archbishop of Lyon, and is an advisor to the Vatican on the Jewish religion.

The Cummings/Hillel Program for Holocaust and Genocide Education at Tufts University was established by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester to help teach the next generation to recognize and be active in confronting societal conditions that might lead to genocide. In addition to lectures and panel discussions, the program offers travel-learning experiences, including a recent visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. and an annual summer trip for 20 undergraduate students to the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda, a village established for orphans of the Rwandan genocide.

Media wishing to attend the program or interview the participants should contact Joyce Vyriotes, Communications Director, Cummings Foundation at 617-932-7072.