NIOD Annual Lecture 2026: Omer Bartov
The NIOD Annual Lecture was established in 2025, on the institute’s 80th anniversary, as an annual occasion to reflect on current academic and societal discussions regarding war, mass violence, and genocide. NIOD cordially invites fellow scholars and others interested in these themes to attend the lecture and engage in discussion.
About the speaker
The speaker for the 2026 NIOD Annual Lecture is the Israeli-American scholar Omer Bartov. Bartov is an Israeli-American scholar and Dean’s Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University. He has written widely on war crimes, interethnic relations, and genocide. His recent books include Anatomy of a Genocide: The Life and Death of a Town Called Buczacz (2018), and Genocide, the Holocaust and Israel-Palestine: First-Person History in Times of Crisis (2023). Bartov’s essays and commentaries have been widely featured in national and international magazines and media outlets. His new book, Israel: What Went Wrong? was published in April 2026.
Following Bartov’s lecture, there will be an opportunity to ask him questions. Afterward, several researchers will engage in a discussion with him on topics such as the history of Zionism in the Netherlands, the use and misuse of Holocaust memory, and the future of Holocaust and genocide studies.
About the lecture
During the NIOD Annual Lecture 2026, Bartov will discuss his new book. Israel: What Went Wrong? ( April 2026). In the book, he sketches the transformation of Zionism, a movement that sought to emancipate European Jewry from oppression, into a state ideology of ethno-nationalism. How did a state founded in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust, find itself credibly accused of perpetrating large-scale war crimes? How do we come to terms with the fact that Israel’s war of destruction was conducted with the support, laced with denial and indifference, of so many of its Jewish citizens? Tracing the roots of the violent events currently unfolding in Israel and the occupied territories, Bartov will consider the origins of Zionism, the intertwining of Israel’s independence with Palestinian displacement, the politics of the Holocaust, controversies over the term "genocide," and the uncertain future.
Location: Het Trippenhuis, Kloveniersburgwal 29, Amsterdam
Start: 1:00 PM
Program
When registering for this event, please indicate whether you wish to attend only Omer Bartov’s lecture or also participate in the panel discussions. Both program segments will include an opportunity for questions from the audience.
12:30: Doors open
13:00: Lecture by Omer Bartov, with an introduction by NIOD Director Martijn Eickhoff
14:00–14:30: Coffee break
14:30–15:15: Panel discussion 1: The politicization and weaponization of the memory of the Holocaust
14:15–15:30: Break
15:30–16:15: Panel Discussion 2: The future of genocide studies and Holocaust studies in the light of present-day conflicts
Drinks afterwards.
Registration
Admission is free, but registration is required. You can register using this form. You must complete a separate registration form for each person in their own name. You will receive confirmation of your registration via email. Please bring this confirmation (on your phone or printed out) to the lecture.