Amy Simon
Assistant Professor
Amy Simon's research focuses on questions of victim/perpetrator relationships during the Holocaust.
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Professor Simon is the William and Audrey Farber Family Chair in Holocaust Studies and European Jewish History. She holds a joint appointment with James Madison College and the Department of History in the College of Social Science and is a core faculty member of the Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel.
Dr. Simon is a former fellow and researcher at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Her research focuses on questions of victim/perpetrator relationships
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during the Holocaust, the so called “grey zones” of behavior that characterized that time, the world of Holocaust victim perceptions and emotions, and issues of representation and language within Holocaust studies.
She participates in international workshops and conferences hosted by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Yad Vashem, the Association for Jewish Studies and the Holocaust Educational Foundation. Dr. Simon has also published articles on the topics of Holocaust literature, diaries, and perpetrators and pedagogy. She especially uses the lens of empathic history to better understand Jewish experiences and perceptions in the Nazi ghettos.
She is the recipient of a Saul Kagan Claims Conference Fellowship as well as the Leon Milman Memorial Fellowship at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. where she also worked as a researcher on a digital humanities project. Her teaching focuses on a holistic and inter-disciplinary approach to history that incorporates a variety of areas, including historiography, film, literature, public history and testimony. Simon has published articles on the topics of Holocaust literature, diaries, perpetrators and pedagogy.
Education
Indiana University: Ph.D., History and Jewish Studies | 2015
UCL: M.A., Holocaust Studies | 2004
The University of Texas at Austin: B.A., English | 2001
Selected Press
MSU Jewish community members navigate overlaps between Passover and final exams
The State News | 2024-02-23
Amy Simon, a professor in the Serling Institute of Jewish Studies and Modern Israel, said the first two and last two days of Passover are non-work days for many Jewish people, that are spent with family.
Mid-Michigan Matters: Amy Simon - Holocaust Remembrance
WILX 10 News | 2024-01-26
Joining Mid-Michigan Matters is Amy Simon, a Michigan State University Professor who is greatly involved in Jewish Studies. She tells us how people can honor the victims and show respect towards the Jewish community.
MSU Jewish community faces grief, antisemitism as turmoil continues in the Middle East
The State News | 2023-11-24
Amy Simon, a professor in MSU’s Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel, said the institute feels in some way connected to Israel. Simon researches Holocaust diaries and teaches a course on antisemitism.
Victory for MSU: Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel Celebrates Three Decades of Success
The Jewish News | 2022-09-01
Dr. Amy Simon, a professor of Holocaust Studies and European Jewish History who started at MSU’s Serling Institute in the fall of 2016, says they’ve doubled their number of Jewish Studies minors in the last handful of years, and added more programming around antisemitism, with additional programs when an event in the country calls for it.
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