Oren Baruch Stier

Oren Baruch Stier is a Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Florida International University (FIU), where he also serves as Director of the Holocaust Studies Initiative. His work focuses on Holocaust memory and representation, Jewish Cultural Studies, and the intersection of Religion and Violence. He has published extensively on these topics, including two seminal books: Committed to Memory: Cultural Mediations of the Holocaust (2003) and Holocaust Icons: Symbolizing the Shoah in History and Memory (2015).

Stier's research explores how symbols like the Auschwitz sign 'Arbeit Macht Frei,' the number six million, and the figure of Anne Frank shape collective Holocaust memory. He has also contributed to studies on Hasidism, South African Judaism, and interdisciplinary approaches to Violence and the Sacred.

At FIU, he has taught courses such as The Holocaust, Holocaust Cinema, Elie Wiesel, Jewish Mysticism, and World Religions. He directed the Graduate Program in Religious Studies from 2007 to 2016 and engages in community education through lectures at synagogues and cultural institutions like the Miami Art Museum.