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Father Patrick Desbois    

French Roman Catholic Priest; Former Head of the Commission for Relations with Judaism of the French Bishops' Conference & Consultant to the Vatican

Father Patrick Desbois is a university professor, historian, forensic detective, and globally recognized human-rights activist dedicated to combating the root causes of genocide and fostering understanding among different faiths. As the founder of Yahad - In Unum, a non-profit organization established in 2004, he has committed himself to uncovering genocidal practices worldwide, documenting crimes against humanity, and advocating for mass murder victims.

Initially, Yahad - In Unum focused on documenting the Holocaust by Bullets in Eastern Europe, pioneering the application of modern forensic research to the study of genocide. Over nearly two decades, the organization has identified more than 2,900 killing sites and documented over 7,000 witness testimonies related to the Nazi Death Squads, known as the Einsatzgruppen. Father Desbois' books, including "Holocaust by Bullets: A Priest’s Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews" and "In Broad Daylight: The Secret Procedures Behind the Holocaust by Bullets," are based on this groundbreaking work.

Building on its success, Yahad - In Unum has expanded its focus to address modern-day genocides, group hatred, and antisemitism. Since 2015, the organization has extended its research to Northern Iraq to uncover and expose the perpetrators behind the Yazidi Genocide of 2014. This work has evolved to include humanitarian and psychosocial support for Yazidi refugees, offering mental health programs, education, and aid packages to help them reintegrate into society.

Father Desbois' and Yahad - In Unum's findings have illuminated the dark mechanisms of mass hate crimes, giving voice to victims and exposing the common thread of violence and hatred across cultures and time. Today, his urgent message resonates: Resist Genocide in Our Time. His recent book, "The Terrorist Factory: ISIS, the Yazidi Genocide, and Exporting Terror," delves into the organization's ongoing efforts to collect evidence and support survivors of the Yazidi Genocide, shedding light on ISIS tactics and strategies.

More recently, Yahad - In Unum has extended its work to Ukraine, recording witness testimonies in a detailed investigation into war crimes committed by the Russian army and the FSB against innocent Ukrainian civilians. The evidence gathered is hoped to be used in criminal legal proceedings against the perpetrators.

Father Patrick Desbois and Yahad - In Unum are tireless advocates against genocide, employing forensic research to document historical and contemporary atrocities while actively working to bring justice and healing to the victims. The organization fights the spread of antisemitism, racism, and mass violence through a global educational program that trains students and educators in Europe, the United States, and Latin America, providing grassroots understanding of the horrific consequences of nefarious ideologies.

Speech Topics

Revealing the Secrets of ISIS

ISIS remains as the most heinous terrorist organization in the world. And they are growing their ranks with an army of children. Although ISIS is being challenged on the battlefield, they are manufacturing a new generation of terrorists through slavery, torture and brainwashing. Father Patrick Desbois, a world renowned expert on the history of genocide, author and human rights activist, has spent the last two years interviewing survivors of the Yazidi Massacres in Northern Iraq at the hands of ISIS. The work has resulted in hundreds of hours of eye-witness accounts of this modern day genocide and reveals the tactics and strategies ISIS utilizes to turn young Yazidi boys into brainwashed soldiers and terrorists. Father Desbois describes the ultraviolent daily lives of these enslaved young boys. How they are forced to accept the Koran, learn to fire automatic weapons and make their own bomb belts. He shows how the training camps have become machines that crush children until they forget their identity and become willing fighters for ISIS…to the death.This compelling research is covered extensively in his new book, “The Fabrication of Terrorists: Into the Secrets of ISIS.” Father Desbois offers a warning of this new army of radicalized children and how we need to hold individual ISIS terrorists accountable for their crimes against humanity.

Holocaust By Bullets

Between 1942 and 1944, more than 2 million Jews were massacred when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. In a period of two and half years, the Nazis killed nearly every Jew in the region. The mass murder was part of the Holocaust, Hitler’s genocide of the Jewish people. Until recently, this chapter of Holocaust history, referred to as the “Holocaust by Bullets,” was relatively unknown. It is estimated that in less than five years, the witnesses to the holocaust will be gone.

During his lecture, Father Desbois will review the findings of his decade-long investigation of the war crimes committed by Nazi death squads in Eastern Europe during the “Holocaust by Bullets.” Patrick Desbois will chronicle the lesser-known side of the Holocaust as he recounts his meetings with over 4,400 eyewitnesses. He will discuss how he and his organization, Yahad-In Unum has identified over 1700 mass killing sites previously lost for over 50 years.

News

Central America’s first Holocaust museum to open in Guatemala
The first museum in Central America dedicated to remembering the Holocaust will focus on a lesser-known side of the Nazi-led genocide: the “Holocaust by bullets”. This is the name given to the mass murder by shooting of Jewish and Roma communities in the Soviet Union during the 1940s. Due to open early in 2017, the permanent display at Holocaust Museum of Guatemala will memorialise these victims through the stories of local witnesses. Launched by the organisation Yahad-In Unum, a non-profit founded in 2004 by the French priest Patrick Desbois, the museum’s mission is to educate the local population—especially young people—about the horrors of the Shoah. Although the museum is not yet officially open, it is already hosting temporary exhibitions.
A genocide overlooked
Exposing the ISIS killing machine

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