The Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights (CLIHHR, pronounced 'clear') is a leading global center for the study, teaching and promotion of human rights. CLIHHR strengthens laws, norms and institutions to prevent mass atrocities, protect affected populations and rebuild societies in the wake of atrocities. Originally founded in 2005 by Professor Richard Weisberg, CLIHHR began under the leadership of Professor Sheri P. Rosenberg as the Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Program, engaging in education, publication and advocacy to remember and learn from the Holocaust in order to respond to the human rights challenges of our time. 

Maturing from a scholarly program into an institute and human rights clinic with practical tools, today CLIHHR is led by Professor Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum and responds to the growing global need for scholarly, policy and advocacy work to prevent atrocities and promote human security.  An innovative “think tank,” CLIHHR furthers the theory and scholarship of human rights and atrocity prevention, while its “action arm”—the Benjamin B. Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic—trains law students in human rights and atrocity prevention practice. CLIHHR has developed a three-part framework to guide its work: prevent, protect and rebuild. 

Collectively, Cardozo’s human-rights programs provide students with opportunities for active engagement in the most pressing issues at the intersection of law and human rights.