WEST HARTFORD – Dr. Avinoam Patt, the Philip D. Feltman Professor of Modern Jewish History at the University of Hartford and assistant director of the university’s Maurice Greenberg Center of Judaic Studies recently delivered a presentation at the international conference in Rome, Italy that focused on the global refugee crisis.

Patt’s presentation, “No Place for the Displaced: The Jewish Refugee Crisis Before, During, and After Word War II,” examined the experiences of Jewish refugees, communities, and international organizations in addressing the refugee crisis before, during, and after the Holocaust.

The goal of the conference, which was organized by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and the Holy See (the Vatican), was to “examine what we can learn from the past to apply to the challenges of the present,” said Patt, who is an expert on the “displaced persons” of the post-Holocaust era.

“I suggested that one parallel we may want to consider is the experience of the refugees, and how the impact of statelessness and powerlessness shapes subsequent political actions and behavior,” he said. “Then, as today, we must be sensitive to the experience of displacement and the responsibilities we carry to protect the rights of all humans.”

CAP: Dr. Avinoam Patt (far right) presents his paper at the Rome conference on the refugee crisis, Feb. 17.