Ann Saltzman, professor emerita of psychology and director for the past five years of the Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study at Drew University, will “soft launch” her new book, co-authored with Robert Ready, professor emeritus of English, on Wednesday, April 6, at Mead Hall on the Drew campus from 1-3 p.m. The book, “From Generation to Generation, Essays by Children of Holocaust Survivors,” is the second on this topic published by the Center. The Center was created to commemorate those who perished in the Holocaust, celebrate those who survived, educate upcoming generations and to promote ongoing research and scholarship. According to Saltzman, the Center will publish a second printing of the books as popularity demands, and plans to distribute copies to schools and local libraries.
More than a traditional book launch, the gathering on April 6 will be “an opportunity for the writers, friends and family to celebrate the book together,” said Saltzman. However, others are welcome and encouraged to come, especially children of Holocaust survivors.
Saltzman was a psychology professor at Drew University for 28 years, has worked at the Drew University Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study since its inception 20 years ago, and was honored with the Sister Rose Thering Award in 2012. (Sister Rose Thering was a Roman Catholic nun and a professor at Seton Hall University who campaigned against antisemitism both within the Catholic community and globally.) The award, presented by the Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education, honors a person who initiates and supports educational and community programs to oppose bias, bigotry and intolerance, and enjoins people of different faiths to promote understanding of each other and Israel.
The Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study first offered writing workshops for survivors in 1998. They were co-taught by Jacqueline Berke, professor emerita of English/founding director of the Center, and Robert Ready, professor of English. The essays were compiled into a volume entitled “Moments in Time: A Collage of Holocaust Memories,” published in 2005.
With Berke’s passing in 2017, the Center’s board decided to honor her memory by conducting writing workshops for children of survivors. Ready joined Saltzman in co-facilitating the Jacqueline Berke Legacy Writing Workshops for Children of Holocaust Survivors from the fall of 2018 through spring 2019. The essays were compiled into a volume entitled “Second Generation: Seventeen Holocaust Essays.”
“The response to the announcement of that first workshop had been so strong that we offered a second series of ‘2G workshops’ in fall 2019,” explained Saltzman. The compilation of those essays are what became the recently published book, where the writings and photographs of 33 authors are presented. One of the contributing writers of the first volume is now co-chair of the Center’s Board of Associates.
On the importance of relating the stories of survivor children, Saltzman said: “The stories of the second generation are essential to understanding that the Holocaust did not end when the gates of the concentration camp were opened or people came out of hiding. Survivors carried their experiences with them, and some of the trauma of the Holocaust was transferred to their children. The stories of the children of Holocaust survivors teach us about the transference of trauma, but also the resilience of survivors and their children. The story of the Holocaust is a multi-generational one.
“The children of Holocaust survivors recognize that the first generation is passing, and that it is now their responsibility to assure the stories of their parents and others caught in the maelstrom of the Holocaust are told. Many are involved in Holocaust education; others are educators, social workers, and artists whose work is molded by the ‘2G’ status. Some related that it was actually hard to tell their own story as a child of Holocaust survivors; their parents’ stories so predominated in their lives. ”
Discussing the common perspective amongst children of Holocaust survivors, Saltzman noted several shared experiences, including, “either the silence of parents in the attempt to protect their children from the horrors they endured, or the over-sharing of their experiences, sometimes before their children were ready to hear. Either way there was a shadow over their home, some described as a cloud.”
Another common theme was finding one’s own identity, independent of one’s parents. Sometimes parents were overprotective, concerned that something bad would happen to their children.
Some parents would not let their children stray too far from home, not even to attend college. Parents were especially concerned when their children were late … after all, people disappeared during the Holocaust. Some children felt they needed to protect their parents from any more pain.
Some 2Gs learned that one or both of their parents had a “first family” that perished in the Holocaust, but were unable to learn more, and their parents didn’t want to talk about it.
“Despite these commonalities,” Saltzman said, “there are also vast differences in the 2G experience, relating to the degree of trauma their parents experienced during the Holocaust and how, post-Holocaust, they were able to maintain a psychological equilibrium. Other differences relate to the country where the 2G grew up. Yet other differences relate to the degree of Jewish identity: some are observant Jews, some are secular, and one is an Episcopalian priest who didn’t know as a child that her mother was Jewish.”
“Several months ago, the Holocaust Council, here at Federation, made the choice to change the signature ‘Survivor Speaks Program’ to be titled ‘Keeping the Stories Alive,'” said Ilyse Muser Shainbrown, director of the Holocaust Council of Greater MetroWest. “As time continues to race against the survival of Holocaust survivors, here in GMW we know that this cannot and will not be the end of sharing the stories of the Shoah. Because of second and third generations, we know that the Holocaust will never become just a memory but rather its memory will become a driving force into how we as Jews, and human beings, live a life that strives towards kindness, compassion, and care. We are so thrilled to have books like ‘From Generation to Generation: Essays by Children of Holocaust Survivors’ so that for years to come we can continue to share the stories of the Holocaust.”
Parking for the launch will be available on the edge of the Drew campus, closest to the Shakespeare Theater entrance. Limited copies of the books will be available for purchase, payable via check or cash. For more information, email [email protected] or call the Center at 973-408-3600 and ask for the Center coordinator, Angela West, or Joshua Kavaloski, director.
By Ellie Wolf
