A Wreath for 2nd Gen

April 16, 2007 - 11:00 AM by Stephanie

2nd Generation Holocaust Survivors are the children of survivors who, in most cases, absorbed the trauma their parents endured.

Ex-Jersey-ite Shirley, a member of 2nd Generation Israel’s English speaking group, explained during a group meeting this winter:

Many children of survivors are survivors because we had to survive our parents. We were a completely different breed from my American friends. Growing up in a household with that energy is totally different than the energy of parents who didn’t go through that severe trauma.

After the way they were treated, they weren’t whole people and yet they were having children. They didn’t have time to rebuild after the war and nobody went to therapy. No therapist could have helped them anyway because who knew how to help people who had been what they went through?

They were torn down and treated like animals living in fear. Their body chemistry changed and that was passed on to us.

2nd Generation English Speakers in Israel organizers Tricia Wermuth and Nina Hecht – both of the UK – were granted permission to lay a wreath at Yad Vashem today honoring their parents and families. Congrats.

If you’re interested in reading more about the group, this link takes you to a San Francisco Chronicle story I wrote in February; this link takes you to info on the UK 2nd Generation Group – the sprinboard for Israel’s organization.

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