Growing up with Holocaust Survivors: The Next Generation's Experiences

Background and Purpose:  The historical, cultural and individual trauma that resulted from the Holocaust continues to affect the survivors’ subsequent generations.  The multigenerational effects of the Holocaust among the children of Jewish survivors living in the US is largely unknown.  Previous studies have focused on secondary trauma symptomology, and strength perspectives among survivors and their descendants.  The experiences of growing up with parents who were Holocaust survivors, the intergenerational transmission of trauma, and the resiliency of the succeeding generations are under-researched. 

This retrospective pilot study examines the experiences of adult children of Holocaust survivors and explores their recollections of childhood with a survivor-parent or parents.  Narrative data about their parents’ disclosures, the hardship of the past realities, and the everyday life with exposure to the trauma are explored.  Coping mechanisms, sources of resilience and their subsequent intergenerational transmission are investigated.

Method: Fifteen interviews were conducted with children of Holocaust survivors.  The in-depth, semi-structured interviews included paper and pencil demographic questionnaires, followed in- open-ended questions.  Interviews were audiorecorded with permission.  Participants were recruited through the Holocaust Resource Center in Buffalo, NY.  From a list of 150 names, 52 were randomly selected to receive invitation letters about participation in the study.  Respondents (N=25) were screened by phone or e-mail to verify they met inclusion criteria (e.g., not experienced recent death of a parent).  Interview questions addressed participants’ experiences regarding the trauma of the Holocaust at home and in the community, including their initial memories, parents’ behaviors, reactions, expectations, attitudes, and coping mechanisms.  Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded using grounded theory methodology and an inductive approach to qualitative analysis.

Findings: Participants ages ranged between 57-82, and their parents’ prolonged traumatic experiences varied.  Eight participants were female and seven were male.  All identified as Jews and ranged between traditional to orthodox. Most participants were born in Europe, most had graduate level educational degrees, and all but one had children.

The analysis reveals common themes among the children of holocaust survivors.  Participants shared experiences of growing in quiet and sad homes, knowing and feeling their parents’ pain. Participants identified themselves as “memorial candles” for their parents’ losses, and were expected to behave and perform accordingly.  Participants’ parents shared the history of trauma with them in detail only when they became adults, and they experienced deep regrets about not having earlier awareness about their parents’ trauma.  Participants noted they felt responsible for their parents’ well being, protective, and wanted to please them.  Participants stated that throughout life they had not been asked about their own stories, only about their parents’ Holocaust histories. 

Conclusions and implications:  The findings illustrate the effect of living with the prolonged trauma and examine the implications for subsequent generations.  The results of this pilot study suggest that understanding the experiences of Holocaust survivors’ children can enable future developments of effective interventions for those who have experienced genocides and other prolonged traumatic events and for their children.