Indiana conference focuses on refugees who fled Holocaust

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - A Holocaust conference examining the plight of refugees will include remarks by the leader of a refugee group that challenged then-Gov. Mike Pence's order blocking state agencies from helping Syrian refugees move to Indiana.

The four-day Greater Lafayette Holocaust Remembrance Conference that begins Sunday at Purdue University will reflect on the Holocaust, its victims and survivors and modern refugee movements.

Speakers will include Exodus Refugee Immigration director Cole Varga. The Indianapolis-based group successfully fought in federal court to block Pence's attempt to ban Syrian refugees from coming to Indiana.

Sunday's sessions will also include a presentation on Jewish refugees who escaped the Holocaust.

West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis tells the (Lafayette) Journal and Courier (http://on.jconline.com/2pBEI0G ) refugees come to the U.S. seeking freedom and prosperity.

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Information from: Journal and Courier, http://www.jconline.com