Bruce & Lucy Gerstein Holocaust Education Travel Fund

Dr. David Gerstein has established an endowed fund, named in honor of his parents, at Butler University that will support travel and research related to the study of the Jewish Holocaust. This year’s award will support travel and research related to the study of the Jewish Holocaust and is open to undergraduate students of all majors. Dr. Gerstein personally expressed an enthusiasm for a variety of uses for the fund.

Learn more about the fund, the application process, and the requirements if selected on the Bruce and Lucy Gerstein Holocaust Education Travel Fund program page.

2024-2025 Recipients

Congratulations to Logan Goettemoeller, Sarah Miller, and Rebecca Kural for being the 2024-2025 recipients. The presentation to share their research was on Tuesday, October 14, 2025 from 7:00 – 8:15 PM in LFH 125. This event was a BCR.

  • Logan Goettemoeller (English & Music Industry Studies, ’26)
    • Project: Jewish Musicians & Artists During the Holocaust
      • How did Jewish artists and musicians in Germany persevere through the Holocaust and its aftermath, and what does their work reveal about the resilience of Jewish creativity in times of oppression?
    • Travel Component: Studied abroad on the Bulldogs to Berlin & Beyond program.
  • Sarah Miller (Web Design/Development & French, ’25)
    • Project: Moroccan Jews & the Holocaust: Exploring Memory & Identity
    • How did the experiences of Moroccan Jews during the Holocaust differ from those of European Jews, and how has their deep integration into Moroccan society shaped both their wartime experiences and the way their story is remembered in Morocco and global Holocaust narrative?
    • Travel Component: Independent travels to Morocco.
  • Rebecca Kural (Music Industry Studies, ’25)
    • Project: Preservation of Sephardic Vocal Music During the Holocaust: A Case Study in Toledo
    • How was Sephardic Jewish music preserved and revived in the early 20th century, and what does its survival reveal about cultural resilience in exile? Rebecca explores how, despite displacement after the 1492 Alhambra decree and the devastation of the Holocaust, composers like Alberto Hemsi reimagined Sephardic folk songs through a classical lens, preserving and renewing a rich musical heritage.
    • Travel Component: Independent travels to Toledo, Spain.

2023-2024 Recipients

Congratulations to Meghan Vibbert and Talia Sommer for being the 2023-2024 recipients. The presentation to share their research was on Monday, October 21, 2024 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM in LFH 125. This event was a BCR and had a short reception afterwards.

  • Meghan Vibbert (Anthropology, History, & Political Science, ’25)
    • Project: Memory & Morality: Remembering Kristallnacht in Germany and the United States
    • How do Germany and the United States differ in their remembrance and memorialization of Kristallnacht, and what do these differences reveal about each country’s approach to historical memory and their confrontation with their pasts?
    • Travel Component: Studied abroad on the Bulldogs to Berlin & Beyond program.
  • Talia Sommer (Neuroscience, ’25)
    • Project: Jewish in Costa Rica: How the Holocaust & October 7 Connect in a Small Jewish Community in Latin America
    • What is the link between Holocaust denial and the denial of the atrocities of October 7? How has antisemitism manifested itself through time in the denial of atrocities committed against the Jewish people, in the context of Costa Rica?
    • Travel Component: Independent travels to San José, Costa Rica.

2022-2023 Recipients

Congratulations to Astrid Ariana and Nick Chinn for being the 2022-2023 recipients. The presentation to share their research was on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM in LFH 123. This event was a BCR and had a short reception afterwards. Dr. Gerstein and other alumni/friends of Butler were in attendance.

  • Astrid Ariana (Dance Arts Administration, ’25)
    • Project: Jewish Art History and Jewish Art Management in Italy
    • Traveling abroad in Florence, Italy, opened my eyes to the resilient Jewish community that has overcome unimaginable challenges. The vibrant community there reflects both their Jewish and Italian identities.
    • Travel Component: Studied abroad on the Arts and Cultural Management in Italy program.
  • Nick Chinn (Political Science, ’25)
    • Project: Social Justice, Human Rights, and Genocide Awareness in Berlin & Munich
    • Staying in the Berlin neighborhood of Mitte, in the middle of so much World War II and Holocaust related history, introduced me to the world of Otto Weidt. My presentation will focus on his story and what it can tell us about these important events.
    • Travel Component: studied abroad on the Bulldogs to Berlin & Beyond program.

2019-2020 Recipient

Congratulations to Ali Kerby for being the 2019-2020 recipient.

  • Ali Kerby (Health Sciences ’22)
    • Project: From Madness to Medicine: How Nazi Medical Experimentation Morphed into Today’s Medical Field
    • Despite the pandemic (which denied her the opportunity to travel to Berlin), Ali produced an honors thesis that focused on Nazi medical experimentation and its impact on modern medicine: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ugtheses/639/

2018-2019 Recipient

Congratulations to Addy McKown for being the 2018-2019 recipient.

  • Addy McKown (College of Communications ’21)
    • After traveling to and studying in Berlin, Addy produced several projects looking at marginalized groups and individuals, both in Germany and the United States, which in turn helped inform her honors thesis:  https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ugtheses/570/

2017-2018 Recipients

Congratulations to Ben Kessler and Alea Rashid for being the 2017-2018 recipients. They both presented their research on Monday, October 29, 2018 from 7-8 pm in PB 156.

  • Ben Kessler (Health Sciences)
    • Ben produced a research paper based on Holocaust denial, centering on the case of David Irving’s claim of libel against Deborah Lipstadt.
  • Alea Rashid (Business)
    • After traveling to Berlin, Alea produced a research paper based on letters between a husband and wife separated by Nazis.

2016-2017 Recipient and Public Presentation

Congratulations to Isaac Warshawsky on being the 2016-2017 recipient.

  • Isaac Warshawsky (Pharmacy ’20)
    • Isaac worked on an ongoing research project related to the film Schindler’s List. He produced a final paper that dealt with the real Schindler compared to the cinematic Schindler.
    • Travel Component: Independent travel to Poland over spring break.

2015-2016 Recipient and Public Presentation

This was the first Gerstein award! Ellie gave a public presentation on both the trip, as well as her ongoing research, which deals with teaching the Holocaust to elementary school children, on September 29, 2016 from 6:15-7:00 PM in the Reilly Room, Atherton Union. The event was extremely well attended and open to the public.

Holocust survivor Eva Kor spoke at Clowes Hall in 2016 for the Diversity Series. Watch her entire presentation.