The Transmission of Memory and Experience from Survivors to the Third Generation after the Holocaust.

Abstract:

Oral narratives have played an integral role in the transmission of experiences. Transmission of traumatic experiences through generations can have a variety of impacts upon those who are told of these personal histories. This appears to be the case with the families of Holocaust survivors. Currently, the third generation after the Holocaust, the are grandchildren of survivors, is in flux as to what role their grandparents’ Holocaust narratives have contributed to their own identity development. Interviews of nine grandchildren of Holocaust survivors were conducted to explore how they learned of their grandparents’ experiences and their views pertaining to being a third generation survivor.