A very special day commemorating the life and work of Benjamin “Ben” Ferencz, the last living Prosecutor of the Nuremberg Trials, took place in the Nuremberg Palace of Justice on 10 April 2024. The Nuremberg Academy actively participated in the memorial event by way of organising two workshops that ran concomitantly from 12 pm to 4 pm at the east side of the building. They aimed at assessing the contribution of Ben Ferencz to international criminal justice and to the German and European culture of remembrance, respectively.
Director Professor Dr Christoph Safferling moderated the workshop titled “Who is Ensuring Nuremberg’s Legacy Now? A Paradigm Shift in the Culture of Remembrance” (held in German), which was composed by Professor Dr Constantin Goschler (Ruhr University of Bochum) and Julia Reus (Bayreuth University). For its part, the workshop titled “The Contribution of Ben Ferencz to Contemporary International Criminal Law: An Advocate for Accountability and Justice” was moderated by Project Officer Dr Pablo Gavira Díaz, who participated in the discussion together with Professor John Q. Barrett (St. John’s University), Professor Gregory S. Gordon (The Chinese University of Hong-Kong) and Anja Listmann (Representative for Jewish Life in Fulda). Dr Viviane Dittrich, Deputy Director, and Klaus Rackwitz, former Director of the Nuremberg Academy, also participated in the workshop and both spoke about Ben’s special connection to Nuremberg and his meaningful and lasting contributions as friend of the Academy. The format of both workshops was that of a lively conversation among the speakers and participants, who shared anecdotes and memories about Mr Ferencz.
The workshops were followed by a street naming ceremony at Benjamin-Ferencz-Platz and by a remembrance event held at historic Courtroom 600 of the Nuremberg Palace of Justice. Director Professor Dr Christoph Safferling delivered a laudatory speech prior to the presentation of the results of the workshops, which was moderated by Dr Gavira Díaz. Previously, Dr Thomas Dickert (President of the Nuremberg Higher Regional Court) and Marcus König (Lord Mayor of the city of Nuremberg) gave the opening remarks and the greetings, respectively. The memorial event culminated with Mr Ferencz’s son, Donald M. Ferencz, introducing the audience to some photos of his father and with the unveiling of a bust by Bjørn Okholm Skaarup, the sculptor. (pg)
