FASPE was founded in response to two distinct yet interrelated societal forces. The first was a growing concern over the rampant breakdown of ethical values in several of our most important and respected professions. The second was the challenge of memorialization and education as the Holocaust becomes more distant over time. How are the Holocaust and its ramifications to be taught and contemplated today, in the 21st century? It is FASPE’s challenge to draw contemporary meaning and currency from the increasingly distant Nazi period through the study of the ethical breakdown of the professions in Nazi Germany and what can be learned from this regarding the ethical responsibilities of professionals in our day.
A pilot program with FASPE Law and Medical Fellows was launched in Germany and Poland in the summer of 2009. The Seminary program was added in 2010, followed by the Journalism program in 2011, a program for Business fellows in 2015, and the Design and Technology program in 2021.