Child Survivors of the Holocaust in Israel: Social Dynamics and Post-War Experiences, Finding Their Voice

This is the first exploration into the experience of child survivors in Israel, focusing on the child survivors experience in telling their past to a wider audience and in publicly identifying themselves as Holocaust survivors. Whilst psychological research focuses on survivors personal inhibitions and motivations in retelling their past, the book attempts to understand the impact that the post-war environment has had on the individuals relationship to it. Using a qualitative narrative approach, this study examines the dynamics of ‘silence’ and ‘retelling’ in the post-war experience of child survivors. It demonstrates the ways in which social dynamics, as well as internal motivations, had an impact on the extent to which these people were likely to speak publicly about their war-time experience or whether they were more inclined to remain silent. The interviews with survivors are presented ‘using their own voice’, and can thereby be understood in their own unique context. The result is a unique work that synthesises social science fields as disparate as history and psychology.