Brendan Murphy is a Catholic educator and the founder and director of the Bearing Witness Institute, an educational initiative dedicated to Holocaust education, the study of antisemitism, and interreligious dialogue. He teaches world history and Holocaust studies and has led students and educators on intensive study programs in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic examining the history and moral legacy of the Holocaust. Murphy works closely with Jewish, Christian, and Muslim partners to foster meaningful encounters grounded in historical truth, human dignity, and moral responsibility. His work is particularly focused on helping Christian communities grapple honestly with the legacy of Christian anti-Judaism and the theological significance of Nostra Aetate for contemporary faith and public life.
Murphy’s teaching has been widely recognized at the local, state, and national levels. He has received the Outstanding Educator Award from the Anne Frank Center in New York, as well as the Anti-Defamation League’s Abe Goldstein Human Relations Award and Unsung Hero Award. His work has also been recognized statewide twice with the Georgia Outstanding Educator of the Year Award from the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust.
He has been named Teacher of the Year by the University of Notre Dame. In addition to these honors, Murphy has participated in prestigious professional fellowships, including the Museum Teacher Fellowship at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Lerner Fellowship at the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous in New York City. He was recently selected as a member of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2025.
.png)
Date and Time
Thursday Apr 9, 2026
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM CDT
Thursday, April 9
7 p.m.
Location
DWU Sherman Center
1200 W University Ave
Mitchell, SD 57301
Fees/Admission
Free
Live at www.dwu.edu/live
.png&p[title]=DWU+Stark+Lecture+Presents+Brendan+Murphy){kind=link}