Studies of the Holocaust: Lessons in Survivorship

It has been more than sixty years since the end of World War II and the liberation of the survivors of the Holocaust. Since then, many rich personal and historical accounts have been written of the horrific events of those times. Mental health workers have strived to give survivors solace for their loss, and help them return to a meaningful life. Meanwhile, scholars continue to ponder the inexplicable facts of genocide.

Yet Studies of the Holocaust: Lessons in Survivorship continues to be timely. Based on more than 100 interviews in nine U.S. locations, the book offers a powerful view of survivors’ hope, determination, and resilience. Study questions elicited survival strategies, and revealed how, following the war, survivors overcame the horrors of the Holocaust, formed families, built careers, and gave to their communities. Survivor quotes taken from these interviews illuminate how the survivors maintained competence into old age.

While memories of pain persist, accomplishments are acknowledged, and provide lessons for students of human development, mental health practitioners, and the general public.

This book was previously published as a special issue of Journal of Human Behaviour and the Social Environment.

Roberta R. Greene is Professor and the Louis and Ann Wolens Centennial Chair in Gerontology and Social Welfare at the School of Social Work University of Texas-Austin. She has served as a clinical social worker at the Jewish Family Service of Greater Washington where she counselled Holocaust survivors and their families. She also settled refugees who came to the U.S. from around world. Dr. Greene has numerous publications including: Social Work Practice: A Risk and Resilience Perspective (Brooks/Cole, 2007) and Resiliency Theory: An Integrated Framework for Practice, Research, and Policy (NASW Press, 2002).