The annual Staenberg Lecture will launch on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at The Factory in Chesterfield, Mo. Made possible through a generous commitment to Maryville University from the Staenberg Family Foundation, the lecture will focus on contemporary social issues through the lens of the Holocaust, its lessons and its historical significance. Maryville will present this event in partnership with the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.
The featured speaker will be Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and National Director of ADL (Anti-Defamation League), the world’s leading anti-hate organization. Since becoming CEO in 2015, Greenblatt has modernized ADL while refocusing on its founding mission from over a century ago: to fight the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment for all.
Greenblatt recently released “It Could Happen Here: Why America is Tipping from Hate to the Unthinkable – And How We Can Stop It,” a powerful book on striking back against antisemitism.
“We are grateful to Michael and Carol Staenberg, and the Staenberg Family Foundation, for this opportunity to shine a light on the historical relevance of the Holocaust,” said Maryville University President Mark Lombardi, PhD. “As our nation reflects on its profound struggles with racism, there is no speaker more relevant than Jonathan Greenblatt to launch this lecture series. Maryville is committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive community on campus and across the St. Louis region.”
Prior to his current role with ADL, Greenblatt served in the White House as special assistant to President Barack Obama and director of the Office of Social Innovation.
In 2002 he co-founded Ethos Water (later acquired by Starbucks) to provide clean water access to children around the world. He is also the founder of All for Good (AFG) the largest database of volunteer opportunities on the internet.
Greenblatt is included by The NonProfit Times on its list of Top 50 Nonprofit leaders (2016–2020) and has been named one of the Top 50 Most Influential Leaders in the global Jewish community by The Jerusalem Post.
The annual Staenberg Lecture will also provide educational opportunities for students from Maryville, as well as students from area high schools and youth organizations, to attend the event.
The lecture is open to the public. Tickets are available now through Ticketmaster.
About Maryville University
Founded in 1872, Maryville University is a comprehensive and nationally ranked private institution with an enrollment of nearly 11,000 students. Maryville offers more than 90 programs at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels to students from 50 states and 58 countries. Among recent graduates, 98 percent are employed or attending graduate school.
About the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum
The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, a department of Jewish Federation of St. Louis, is an education and exhibition facility dedicated to using the history and lessons of the Holocaust to reject hatred, promote understanding, and inspire change. The museum currently provides virtual educational programming as it undergoes a $21 million expansion. The new world-class institution will open in mid-2022. Learn more at StlHolocaustMuseum.org.
About the Staenberg Family Foundation
The Staenberg Family Foundation was founded in 2005 by the Staenberg family as a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. As such, it supports projects and programs that meet the mission of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, which is to mobilize resources needed to preserve and enhance Jewish life in St. Louis, in Israel and around the world.