Medicine and Morality: Lessons from the Holocaust and COVID-19

Click here to view “Medicine and Morality: Lessons from the Holocaust and COVID-19”, presented by The Miller Center for Community Protection & Resilience, Rutgers University, International March of the Living, Maimonides Institute for Medicine, Ethics and the Holocaust, and Teva Pharmaceuticals, in cooperation with the USC Shoah Foundation.  

This Holocaust Remembrance Program will feature internationally known scholars discussing the nexus between medicine, ethics, and the Holocaust and how lessons learned from the past have been incorporated into the handling of the current pandemic. The program will also include testimony from Holocaust survivors and stories of healthcare professionals whose lives have been shaped by the Holocaust.   

Dr. Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer and child of Holocaust survivors, will share his personal story and how the lessons of the Holocaust have shaped his life.  

The active participation of the medical community – those who took an oath to “first, do no harm,” – in the labeling, persecution, and mass murder of millions of those deemed unfit, represents one of the darkest periods not only in the history of medicine, but in the history of humankind.  

Yet, even in the darkest times, one can always find the light. Stories of physicians who remained dedicated to healing and saving lives prove that the power and privilege of medicine can be an inspiration to us all.  

The past year has found our society faced with unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19. The lessons of the Holocaust have informed our current situation as we struggle to meet this challenge in the most ethical manner possible. This Holocaust Remembrance Day, we look to medicine and morality as a way to reflect on the past and protect the future, while appreciating the miraculous work of our healthcare professionals during this global pandemic.   

We are proud to announce the presentation of the Moral Courage in Medicine Award to Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to US President Biden. Dr. Fauci, who exemplifies our themes of morality and medicine in times of crisis, will be offering his acceptance remarks as part of our program.  

This program will also feature a special performance by Miri Ben-Ari, a Grammy Award-Winning violinist/producer/humanitarian, “United Nations Goodwill Ambassador of Music” and third generation to Holocaust survivors. Originally from Israel, Miri has created her own unique music; a revolutionary fusion of classical, Hip-Hop, soul, and dance. Ben-Ari has helped sell millions of records by collaborating with other Grammy award-winning artists such as Kanye West, Jay Z, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Aventura, and Armin Van Buuren. She is the CEO and co-founder of Gedenk, an organization dedicated to promoting Holocaust education to youth.  

Learn more at https://www.motl.org/medicine​