Holocaust Survivors and the Long Shadow of Trauma

For survivors, their life is forever divided-before the Holocaust and after. Many lost family, friends, and entire communities. They also mourn their stolen youth and dreams for the future.
Long after the war ended, the physical and psychological stresses followed them. It took decades for some survivors to speak about what they endured. Some never did.
By their very presence, survivors exist in defiance of those who attempted to wipe them out. But their lives have never been the same. Join us on World Mental Health Day to hear how some survivors have managed to live with their ever-present trauma.
Guest
Dr. Margaret Polizos Peterson, Facilitator, Echoes of Memory, the writing workshop for Holocaust survivors who volunteer at the Museum; Executive Director, Maryland Initiative for Literacy and Equity
Host
Dr. Edna Friedberg, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Read Holocaust survivor Joan Da Silva’s 2022 Echoes of Memory reflection, describing the painful loss of her mother during the Holocaust and Joan’s ever-present sadness:
www.ushmm.org/...
Read the writings of other Holocaust survivors who volunteer at our Museum:
www.ushmm.org/...
Check out this resource for teachers that demonstrates the unique experiences of survivors and the trauma and resilience they exhibit:
www.ushmm.org/...
Learn about an early effort to measure the traumatic experiences of Holocaust survivors by sociologist David Boder in 1946:
perspectives.u...
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