A Powerful, Life-Affirming New Perspective on the Holocaust
Almost ninety children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors—theologians, scholars, spiritual leaders, authors, artists, political and community leaders and media personalities—from sixteen countries on six continents reflect on how the memories transmitted to them have affected their lives. Profoundly personal stories explore faith, identity and legacy in the aftermath of the Holocaust as well as our role in ensuring that future genocides and similar atrocities never happen again.
There have been many books and studies about children of Holocaust survivors—the so-called second and third generations—with a psycho-social focus. This book is different. It is intended to reflect what they believe, who they are and how that informs what they have done and are doing with their lives.
From major religious or intellectual explorations to shorter commentaries on experiences, quandaries and cultural, political and personal affirmations, almost ninety contributors from sixteen countries respond to this question: how have your parents' and grandparents' experiences and examples helped shape your identity and your attitudes toward God, faith, Judaism, the Jewish people and the world as a whole?
For people of all faiths and backgrounds, these powerful and deeply moving statements will have a profound effect on the way our and future generations understand and shape their understanding of the Holocaust.
Praise from Pope Francis for Menachem Rosensaft's essay reconciling God's presence with the horrors of the Holocaust:
"When you, with humility, are telling us where God was in that moment, I felt within me that you had transcended all possible explanations and that, after a long pilgrimage—sometimes sad, tedious or dull—you came to discover a certain logic and it is from there that you were speaking to us; the logic of First Kings 19:12, the logic of that 'gentle breeze' (I know that it is a very poor translation of the rich Hebrew expression) that constitutes the only possible hermeneutic interpretation.
"Thank you from my heart. And, please, do not forget to pray for me. May the Lord bless you."
—
His Holiness Pope Francis
Contributors:
Justice
Rosalie Silberman Abella
of the Supreme Court of Canada
Historian
Ilya Altman
, cofounder and cochairman, Russian Research and Educational Holocaust Center, Moscow
New York Times
reporter and author
Joseph Berge
r, New York
Eleonora Bergman
, former director, Jewish Historical Institute, Warsaw
Vivian Glaser Bernstein
, former cochief, Group Programmes Unit, United Nations Department of Public Information, New York
Michael Brenner
, professor of Jewish history and culture, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich; chair in Israel studies, American University, Washington, DC
Novelist and poet
Lily Brett
, winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Award, New York
deputy national news editor and former Jerusalem bureau chief
Ethan Bronner
, New York
Stephanie Butnick
, associate editor,
Tablet Magazine
Rabbi
Chaim Zev Citron
, Ahavas Yisroel Synagogue and Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad, Los Angeles
Dr.
Stephen L. Comite
, assistant clinical professor of dermatology, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Elaine Culbertson
, director of a program taking American high school teachers to study Holocaust sites, New York
Former Israeli Minister of Internal Security and Shin Bet director
Avi Dichter
, Israel
Lawrence S. Elbaum
, attorney, New York
Alexis Fishman
, Australian actor and singer
Shimon Koffler Fogel
, CEO, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Ottawa
Eva Fogelman
, psychologist and author, New York
Associate Judge
Karen "Chaya" Friedman
of the Circuit Court of Maryland
Natalie Friedman
, dean of studies and senior class dean, Barnard College, New York
Michael W. Grunberger
, director of collections, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC
David Harris
, executive director, American Jewish Committee, New York
Author
Eva Hoffman
, recipient of the Jean Stein Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, London
Abie Ingber
, executive director, Center for Interfaith Community Engagement, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH
Josef Joffe
, editor-publisher,
Die Zeit
, Germany
Lody B. van de Kamp
, author; former member of the Chief Rabbinate of Holland and the Conference of European Rabbis, Holland
Lilly Kaufman
, Torah Fund director, The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York
Filmmaker
Aviva Kempner
, Washington, DC
Cardiologist Dr.
David N. Kenigsberg
, Plantation, FL
Author and Shalom Hartman Institute fellow
Yossi Klein Halevi
Attorney
Faina Kukliansky
, chairperson, Jewish Community of Lithuania, Vilnius
Benny Lau
, Ramban Synagogue, Jerusalem
Amichai Lau-Lavie
, founding director, Storahtelling, Israel/New York
Philanthropist
Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer
, Philadelphia
Hariete Levy
, insurance actuary, Paris
Annette Lévy-Willard
, journalist and author, Paris
Mordechai Liebling
, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Philadelphia
Knesset member Rabbi
Dov Lipman
Michael Marmur
, provost, Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, Jerusalem
International banker
Julius Meinl
, president, Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Prague
Knesset member and former journalist
Merav Michaeli
The Right Honourable
David Miliband
, former foreign secretary, United Kingdom; president, International Rescue Committee, New York
Tali Nates
, director, Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre, South Africa
Eric Nelson
, professor of government, Harvard University
Eddy Neumann
, esq., Sydney, Australia
Mathew S. Nosanchuk
, Director for Outreach, National Security Council, the White House, Washington, DC
Artist and author
Aliza Olmert
, Jerusalem
Couples therapist
Esther Perel
Sylvia Posner
, administrative executive to the Board of Governors, Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, New York
Joseph Potasnik
, executive vice president, New York Board of Rabbis
Richard Prasquier
, past president, Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions), Paris
Richard Primus
, professor of law, University of Michigan Law School
Professor
Shulamit Reinharz
, director, the Women’s Studies Research Center and the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, Brandeis University, MA
Chaim Reiss
, CFO, World Jewish Congress
Jochi (Jochevet) Ritz-Olewski
, former vice dean of academic studies, The Open University of Israel
Moshe Ronen
, vice president, World Jewish Congress; former president, Canadian Jewish Congress, Toronto
Novelist and Fordham Universitylaw professor
Thane Rosenbaum
Rabbi Dr.
Bernhard H. Rosenberg
, Congregation Beth-El, Edison, NJ
Art historian and museum director
Jean Bloch Rosensaft
Menachem Z. Rosensaft
, general counsel, World Jewish Congress and professor of law, New York
Hannah Rosenthal
, former U.S. State Department special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism, Wisconsin
Judith Schindler
, Temple Beth El, Charlotte, NC
Clarence Schwab
, equity investor, New York
Cantor
Azi Schwartz
, Park Avenue Synagogue, New York
Ghita Schwarz
, senior attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights, New York
Psychologist Dr.
David Senesh
, Tel Aviv
Florence Shapiro
, former mayor, Plano, Texas, and former state senator, Texas
Kinneret Shiryon
, Kehillat YOZMA, Modi’in, Israel
David Silberklang
, senior historian,Yad Vashem, Israel
Documentary film maker and author
André Singer
, London
Peter Singer
, professor of bioethics, Princeton University
Robert Singer
, CEO and executive vice president, World Jewish Congress
Yaffa Singer
Sam Sokol
, reporter,
The Jerusalem Post
Alexander Soros
Elie Kaplan Spitz
, Congregation B’nai Israel, Tustin, CA
Michael Ashley Stein
, executive director, Harvard Law School Project on Disability
Kenneth A. Stern
, Congregation Gesher Shalom, Fort Lee, NJ
Maram Stern
, associate CEO for diplomacy, World Jewish Congress, Brussels
Carol Kahn Strauss
, international director, Leo Baeck Institute, New York
Aviva Tal
, lecturer in Yiddish literature, Bar Ilan University, Israel
Katrin Tenenbaum
, scholar on modern Jewish culture and philosophical thought, University of Rome
Mark L. Tykocinski
, dean, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia
Moshe Waldoks
, Temple Beth Zion, Brookline, MA
Psychologist
Diana Wang
, president, Generaciones de la Shoá en Argentina, Buenos Aires
Ilana Weiser-Senesh
Jeffrey S. Wiesenfeld
, former senior aide to New York Governor George Pataki and U.S. Senator Alfonse D’Amato
U.S. Senator
Ron Wyden
, Oregon
Sociologist
Tali Zelkowicz
, Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles