Third Annual International WHISC Conference on Women in the Holocaust
The Third Annual International WHISC Conference on Women in the Holocaust, titled Lives Worth Living: The Untold Stories, was held from October 20–22, 2025, in Belgrade, Serbia, at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade. The conference was organized by WHISC – Women in the Holocaust International Study Center (Givat Haviva, Israel), in cooperation with ShoahLab – Holocaust Studies Laboratory, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade.
This international academic conference brought together scholars from Europe, Israel, and the United States to explore women’s lives, actions, and legacies during and after the Holocaust. Focusing particularly on East-Central Europe and the former Yugoslavia, the conference examined women’s experiences within complex historical contexts shaped by Nazi occupation, antisemitism, ethnic violence, shifting borders, and competing national narratives.
Lives Worth Living aimed to deepen scholarly understanding of women’s gendered experiences during the Holocaust while encouraging multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches. Contributions addressed historical research, gender and memory studies, literature, art, film, testimony, and ethical questions surrounding representation, victimhood, resistance, survival, and postwar memory. Special emphasis was placed on underrepresented stories, methodological challenges, and the intersection of gender, ethnicity, religion, and politics.
The conference featured plenary panels, moderated sessions, and extensive discussions, fostering dialogue between early-career researchers and established scholars. Selected papers will be published in a peer-reviewed academic volume, continuing the conference’s commitment to advancing research on women and the Holocaust.
Together, these materials document the intellectual scope of the conference and reflect its central goal: to uncover and honor women’s lives during the Holocaust—lives that were, indeed, worth living.