This weekend, as the world marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we hear from Omer Bartov, the Brown University historian who has written extensively about Nazi Germany and ethnic cleansing. His latest book, Anatomy of a Genocide, just published by Simon & Schuster, is an extraordinary story of how one small town in Eastern Europe descended into unspeakable atrocity in the first part of the 20th Century.

It begins with growing tensions between diverse groups – Jews, Poles and Ukrainians – who had long lived harmoniously. Then came the rise of nationalist and racist movements. Soon, neighbor was pitted against neighbor, friend against friend, and the seeds were sown for genocide. Could this have happened anywhere but during the time of Nazi Germany?

It could, and it has. Listen now to Bartov discuss how horrific events in a distant time and place have relevance for today.