The Holocaust: Three Generations: Recent Episodes
Galina Lochekhina
This is the Holocaust: Three Generations, a podcast that explores the impact of the past in the lives of children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. In this new series, three generations born across different decades sit down with hosts Galina Lochekhina and Eli Mikulinser, to describe their relationship with each other, offer their insights into the impact of the Holocaust on their families, and share intimate memories and reflections they have never spoken about in public. This podcast was produced thanks to our courageous participants and dedicated scholars. Music by Di Gasn Trio.
After the Second World War, some survivors were faced with isolation, loneliness, and mistrust of society. Not only were their stories not of interest to the broader public, but their accounts were too horrifying for most people to listen to or even believe. Their past remained in their present, existing as a shadow inside of them, kept away from the light. Living between a desperate desire to forget and, at the same time, the need to tell and memorialize, some survivors remained silent for a great part of their lives. Only in recent decades, as survivors are rapidly leaving us and with them the last chance to take part in their stories, have some of them begun to speak about their difficult experiences openly… In the last chapter of this series, you will encounter Laura Kaye and her son Paul Kaye who talk about the challenging task of re-discovering their family history.
Music by Di Gasn Trio.
Cover by @annet_bad
Behar, Eva. Interview 52102. Interviewed by Bernice Krantz. Visual History Archive, USC Shoah Foundation, 26 July 2012.
Sometimes, in post-war homes of Holocaust survivors anger and profound grief were dominant. The images and stories about the Holocaust were heavily present in the daily lives of such families and resulted in various behavioral patterns among its members such as overprotection, irritability, and even rejection. Among the succeeding generations, this often led to having to deal with insecurities about their own competence and feelings of being alienated from their peers. Listen to the voices of Molly Hofacre and her daughter Jess Hooks telling about their relationships with the outside world and the challenges that accompany their lives.
Music by Di Gasn Trio.
Cover by @annet_bad
Yager, Betty. Interview 11064. Interviewed by Stella Eliezrie. Visual History Archive, USC Shoah Foundation, 19 January 1996.
How did Holocaust survivors go on with their lives after the end of the war? Was it even possible? There is certainly not one accurate answer to these difficult questions. However, it would seem that for some, leaving the traumatic experience in the past and focusing on the present was the way forward, working hard and establishing a new life with families and careers, often far away from the villages or cities they once called home. But is it really possible to fully leave the past behind, a past with loved ones and friends that are no longer with us? What happens when the children and grandchildren of a survivor enter the picture? This chapter uncovers reflections of Ron Grunstein and his son Joel Grunstein, who share intimate moments of how they address the topic of the Holocaust and bridge the difficult family past with the new present.
Music by Di Gasn Trio.
Cover by @annet_bad
Grunstein, John. Interview 16976. Interviewed by Anna Berger. Visual History Archive, USC Shoah Foundation, 28 June 1996.
When a terrible adverse event such as the Holocaust occurs, people find that their world no longer makes sense and their fundamental assumptions about the meaning of life are challenged. In an attempt to cope with such negative circumstances, people engage in meaning-making. For some, creating a new life out of the ashes of the past became an imperative, demonstrating resilience towards their devastating experience and emphasizing an intense drive to build and achieve. But do the offspring of survivors mirror the attitudes of their parents and grandparents? In the second chapter of this series, Johnny Weiss and his son Rami Weiss will share how their upbringing, influenced by the Holocaust survivors, guides them through everyday challenges.
Music by Di Gasn Trio.
Cover by @annet_bad
Weiss, Lotte. Interview 1327. Interviewed by Jason Spinak. Visual History Archive, USC Shoah Foundation, 01 March 1995.
Being aware of and exposed to the difficult past of close relatives can cause different reactions. Some people seek to avoid the horrors of the past while others feel a sore need not only to face this past but also to understand it further. Open the first chapter of this series to encounter reflections of our guests, Linda Rosenblatt and her son Mark Rosenblatt, about how to integrate old wounds into current lives and work through the difficult family history.
Music by Di Gasn Trio.
Cover by @annet_bad