In Memory of Myrna Goodman, Ph.D.

May 4, 1942 – January 5, 2023

Myrna Goodman, Professor Emerita in Sociology, served as Executive Director of the Center for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide from 1997 to 2023. She was a graduate of Sonoma State University (B.A. Sociology, 1988) and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Sociology from the University of California, Davis. Her Ph.D. degree included a Designated Emphasis in Social Theory and Comparative History. Dr. Goodman assisted in the coordination of and gave frequent lectures in SSU’s Holocaust and Genocide Lecture Series and was instrumental in the awarding of the Holocaust and Genocide Memorial Grove’s Anne Frank Tree to the campus. She also contributed to the development and success of multiple academic programs on campus, including Sociology, the Jewish Studies minor, and Human Development. 

Dr. Goodman's Ph.D. dissertation ("Resistance and Rescue: German-Occupied Denmark 1940-1943: Ideology, Politics and Culture”) was an analysis of the contributions of ideology, culture, and political process in the formation of the Danish Resistance Movement and the rescue of the Jews in Denmark during World War II. During her doctoral studies, Professor Goodman made two research trips to Denmark to interview participants in the Danish Resistance Movement, Danish historians, and Jewish Danes who were evacuated to Sweden. Those visits sparked her ongoing interest in contemporary Scandinavian politics and social life. Dr. Goodman's teaching interests included courses in the sociology of consumption and the relationships between food, gender, and society. Her research interests included an investigation of the methodology and processes used in interviews with survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides.

Dr. Goodman’s legacy of service at SSU demonstrates her significance to our collective fabric. She was a solid champion for social justice. Her sharp mind and insights, sense of humor, compassion, and attention to the lessons of history will be sorely missed.