Seeking children of Holocaust survivors

avi0903

Tue, Dec 22 2009, 1:34 pm

Hi - I'm seeking children of Survivors who are willing to share their stories with me. I am working on an idea for a project, and at the moment I am not sure where it will lead. My father was an Auschwitz survivor (he was niftar 20 years ago). The awareness that he was a Survivor colored my life, my childhood, it colored my choice of marriage partner, colored how I raise my children.

I was always drawn to children of survivors in the friends that I chose. I was always interested in whether their parent/parents spoke of their experiences or not. My father, and his surviving cousins, never spoke of the war itself, only life before and after. My father married an American (my mother). I've noticed that children of two Survivors had different types of experiences than children of one Survivor.

So I am interested in anything you can tell me: What was your childhood like? How much did your parent/s tell you? How curious were you to hear their stories? Do you feel your experience as the child of a Survivor affects how you raise your children? How? Does it affect your marriage? How?

I'm interested in any and every detail you are generous enough to share with me. Consider this a chance to sit down and really think about your feelings, and please give as many details and supporting examples as possible.

What you write can remain anonymous at your request. I am asking for contact information in case I need to contact you with further questions. I am not sure where this idea will lead, and at the moment there is no compensation being offered, just the opportunity to share your feelings, and we'll see where it all leads. Thank you! Avi

Ruchel

Wed, Dec 23 2009, 6:53 am

Hi!
Too bad they deemed the Daughters of Survivor section "unneeded".

Anyway it had a good number of members, of all backgrounds (lite MO to shtark charedi) and ages (bubbies to a 22 yr old who's a child of 2 survivors, I wish I knew her sn), and I'm sure some will be willing to help (it's too bad I'm so far!).

GramaNewYork

Wed, Dec 23 2009, 7:04 am

Hi Avi. I will PM you. I was the one who asked for a Children-of-Survivors group, but unfortunately there was just enough controversy to keep it from becoming a reality. If I remember correctly, one person had a problem with it, so all the others who would've benefited from it because there is no other frum, safe place for it lost the opportunity.

avi0903

Wed, Dec 23 2009, 9:20 am

Hi all - Thank you for your responses. I haven't yet had a chance to check the usergroups, but I will. Thanks for the tip. What could possbily be controversial about discussing our experiences as children of Survivors? I feel like we have stories to tell, and there is something to be gained in discussing our childhoods.

In my house, my mother was American and my father was an Auschwitz survivor. He never discussed it. I asked from time to time, and he told me I wouldn't be able to handle the answers. One time, when I was in high school, I begged him. He told me there was one time in Auschwitz he, along with a few other men, were made to strip and march to a freezing lake and catch fish with their bare hands. The Nazis were shooting at them the entire time, just for laughs. My father was right, I couldn't handle it.

Other than that, there was a lot of effort that my parents put into making certain that nothing unpleasant was discussed in our house. I think they were overcompensating for their own hard childhoods (my mother grew up during the Depression).

I'd love to hear your stories, and how being brought up by Survivors affected you and continues to affect you.