2nd Generation Holocaust stories – videos about growing up after.

Children of Survivors is a section of Remember.org that grows smaller and smaller, yet the viewpoints and lessons continue to trickle through to new generations.

These 2 stories, one from a friend and one simply found online, share a rich viewpoint of 2nd Generation of survivors and insights that give a perspective on how the Holocaust is being integrated into the story today.

A conversation with artist Geoffrey Laurence & curator Simon Zalkind

NOTES

Geoffrey is a long time contributor with Remember.org.  His story of growing up with questions about his identity and being Jewish, stirs his art and this video at a recent exhibition.

“With regard to the inconceivable enormity of the Holocaust and its effects on the children of survivors – the generation of “post-memory” –  what role can art play in both the preservation of memory and the mediation of the trauma which they have inherited?”

 

VIDEO: Stories of Regeneration from the Second Generation: Experiences Growing up as a Child of Holocaust

NOTES

Esther Perel’s exploration of what to do with the story passed onto the 2nd generation. Growing up in post WWI Antwerp, she identifies 2 groups:

  1. “those who did not die
  2. those who came back to life”

The rule shared growing up – the vulnerable die.

  • Be strong or don’t make it.

Share some stories, leave others behind.

  • Break the legacy – give permission to my kids to be vulnerable.