“It Just Permeated everything.” Third Generation Holocaust Survivor Perspectives Regarding the Genocide’s Impact on Family Functioning

ABSTRACT

Research into the intergenerational effects of the Holocaust has focused on traumatization of the survivors’ children, and has yet to explore adaptive responses in succeeding generations. In this study, 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Australian adult grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Interpretive phenomenological analysis identified six themes: connection and discomfort with the Holocaust’s salience, reckoning with a legacy of trauma, insecurity and survival strategies, the value of a strong education, family is everything, and valuing a communal outlook. These findings imply that the Holocaust’s traumatizing effects linger for multiple generations, but responding in adaptive ways benefits relationships within survivor families.

KEYWORDS:

• Holocaust
• intergenerational relationships
• family functioning
• trauma
• resilience

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Contribution to the field

Paper reveals how positive and negative intergenerational dynamics impact the parenting approaches of third generation descendants of trauma survivors.

Advances understanding of how the deleterious impacts of mass trauma may be felt for multiple generations.

Reveals a desire amongst third generation descendants to redress family dynamics perceived as being negatively influenced by their grandparents’ traumas.

Findings concurrently suggest there is potential for integrating traumatic legacies into family life in ways that are adaptive and respectful of the past.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship.