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January 28, 2015 鈥� In honor of Holocaust Memorial Day, hosted 鈥淚ntergenerational Echoes of the Holocaust in Second and Third Generations,鈥� a free colloquium by Hadas Wiseman, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development at the University of Haifa.

Dr. Wiseman discussed her research, conducted with Derner Institute Dean Jacques P. Barber, Ph.D, on the central relationship themes and communication patterns of adult children of Holocaust survivors. Using the Interpersonal Theory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP) and the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) methods to analyze narratives of Holocaust survivors鈥� offspring, Dr. Wiseman and Dr. Barber found Holocaust traumas to have long-reaching interpersonal impacts for survivors as well as their children and grandchildren.

Specifically, second-generation Holocaust survivors described an experience of both 鈥渒nowing鈥� and 鈥渘ot knowing鈥� about their parents鈥� traumatic experiences. Children of survivors have a nonverbal awareness of their parents鈥� traumas without an experience of verbal communication about the facts. This 鈥渒nowing and not-knowing鈥� about trauma seems to leave the second generation with a sense of unfinished business that impacts their adult interpersonal relationships. In establishing relationships with their own children, the children of survivors often aspire to correct the parent-child relationship they experienced by maintaining close family ties and by working toward open communication.

Dr. Wiseman鈥檚 and Dr. Barber鈥檚 findings about intergenerational transmission of Holocaust trauma are presented in full in their recent book, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008).

Dr. Wiseman also presented her findings about the impact of Holocaust written memoirs on the memoir authors, their children and grandchildren. By analyzing interviews with memoir authors as well as family interviews, Dr. Wiseman and colleagues found the memoirs tended to bridge the silence between the generations and to strengthen connections to the survivor.

Dr. Wiseman suggests that such multigenerational impact on relational patterns is likely common to all massive traumas.