There is no particular manual to objectively describe how a person is expected react after a traumatic event and how they are supposed to adapt. Lang (2009) divulges the complexities of analyzing the Holocaust by saying, ”Since the end of those days, millions were killed, and killed irrespective of whether they had act nobly or not, selflessly or selfishly, the very effort now to judge or analyze what they did and how, to weigh against that what they might have done that they didn’t do (or might have done that they did do), seems itself a violation.” (p.113) Survivor testimonies offer victims and outlet to express their thoughts about the Holocaust and hopefully gain a sense of closure by sharing their stories. Post-liberation adaption is perplexing
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Tobi Abelsky, the survivor spotlighted in my Holocaust research due to her stories post-liberation, personifies the strength of women and the challenges faced by individuals who have to uproot their lives. Tobi discussed when she had moved to Fontana in hopes of her husband finding a job and how she was frightened in the beginning because there were not jewish people around. Tobi specifically recalls seeing a man come up to her house and said, “Oh my gosh I got scared to death who knows what this man is going to do to us a Jewish family” (Abelsky, segment 20). Even after leaving the imminent danger she still constantly feared because the label her religion ensued on her and their family. Religion makes up a person’s identity, but so can there gender. Goldenberg (1996) reveals the role of women’s identities during the Holocaust and states, “Women’s memoirs yield anecdotes that demonstrate women’s resourcefulness in the hells of the ghetto and camps” (p.78) Although this is particularly referring to instances during the Holocaust it reigns true post-Holocaust as …show more content…
Females usually have a more nurturing quality than males, which was a useful resource during times of turmoil. During the Holocaust women bonded and later reflected on those friendships. Goldenberg claims, “Memoir’s describe the bonding that was the natural extension of women’s care taking roles in pre-hitler days.” (p.87) In other words it was an innate quality to care for one another. She also claimed that often “Women survivors recall that they created surrogate families when their own families had been separated” to fill the void. (Goldenberg, 1996, p. 87) Post-Liberation survivors struggled to adapt and gain new friendships out of fear of persecution because of their religion. Tobi Abelsky spent some time talking about her attempt to lay low when she arrived in Fontana, California when she happen to make friends with a couple who was her neighbors over a cup of coffee. Later in life Tobi said, “In those 45 years we spoke every single day. In the morning she called me to see if I’m okay and if I’m alive. In the evening she called to make sure I locked the windows” referring to the woman next door who became her best friend (segment 20). These women looked after one another especially after family members began to pass away. It is fascinating that these women were so close despite the fact that one of them experienced the horrors of discrimination and the other had not. It
Tobi Abelsky, the survivor spotlighted in my Holocaust research due to her stories post-liberation, personifies the strength of women and the challenges faced by individuals who have to uproot their lives. Tobi discussed when she had moved to Fontana in hopes of her husband finding a job and how she was frightened in the beginning because there were not jewish people around. Tobi specifically recalls seeing a man come up to her house and said, “Oh my gosh I got scared to death who knows what this man is going to do to us a Jewish family” (Abelsky, segment 20). Even after leaving the imminent danger she still constantly feared because the label her religion ensued on her and their family. Religion makes up a person’s identity, but so can there gender. Goldenberg (1996) reveals the role of women’s identities during the Holocaust and states, “Women’s memoirs yield anecdotes that demonstrate women’s resourcefulness in the hells of the ghetto and camps” (p.78) Although this is particularly referring to instances during the Holocaust it reigns true post-Holocaust as …show more content…
Females usually have a more nurturing quality than males, which was a useful resource during times of turmoil. During the Holocaust women bonded and later reflected on those friendships. Goldenberg claims, “Memoir’s describe the bonding that was the natural extension of women’s care taking roles in pre-hitler days.” (p.87) In other words it was an innate quality to care for one another. She also claimed that often “Women survivors recall that they created surrogate families when their own families had been separated” to fill the void. (Goldenberg, 1996, p. 87) Post-Liberation survivors struggled to adapt and gain new friendships out of fear of persecution because of their religion. Tobi Abelsky spent some time talking about her attempt to lay low when she arrived in Fontana, California when she happen to make friends with a couple who was her neighbors over a cup of coffee. Later in life Tobi said, “In those 45 years we spoke every single day. In the morning she called me to see if I’m okay and if I’m alive. In the evening she called to make sure I locked the windows” referring to the woman next door who became her best friend (segment 20). These women looked after one another especially after family members began to pass away. It is fascinating that these women were so close despite the fact that one of them experienced the horrors of discrimination and the other had not. It