On the Origins of “Genocide” and “Crimes Against Humanity”

Defendants (in the two central rows) at the Nuremberg war crimes trials in 1946, including Hans Frank (front, fifth from right) ©Getty

Defendants (in the two central rows) at the Nuremberg war crimes trials in 1946, including Hans Frank (front, fifth from right) ©Getty

On October 14, a multimedia presentation titled East West Street, created by renowned human-rights jurist Philippe Sands, will have its North American premiere in New York at the 92nd Street Y.

With readings, projections, staging, and music (Bach, Ravel, Leonard Cohen, and more), East West Street tells the true story of a landmark in global justice: the effort to bring Hans Frank, an architect of Hitler’s Final Solution, to justice at the Nuremberg trials.

In the course of doing so, lawyers Raphael Lemkin and Hersch Lauterpacht originated the concepts of genocide and crimes against humanity. East West Street is a powerful meditation on moral accountability and has already been presented in Australia, France, Germany, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, and the UK.

If you wish to register, click here.