On Monday March 12, I had the honor and the pleasure of meeting with a large group of second generation. It is a unique experience to be present in the room with so many others who share the unique experience of having been raised by our Holocaust survivor parents and to discuss our experiences among ourselves. As could be expected, some of the experiences reported by the second generation are commonly shared and some are different, but the sense of comfort and mutual understanding that permeated the encounter made it possible to speak of all of them. I am profoundly moved by the opportunity to meet and speak to my “extended family” of second generation.
As we children of survivors read the Haggada on Passover, we bring our very personal meaning to the words that recount the suffering of our forefathers, but also much more recently, that of our own parents. We remember and celebrate the holiday of freedom for the Jewish people who were released from bondage in ancient Egypt, and we remember our parents’ miraculous deliverance from Nazi slavery and torture, and celebrate their victory in creating the lives they established and the families to which they gave new birth.
Happy Passover to all of you!
Irit Felsen
Happy Passover to you! Tonight in the bereavement group I talked about Pesach and our being slaves in Egypt, and then I told them that my own mother was a slave during WWll. There are a bunch of Italians in the group, and everyone listened quite intently to me and one man asked if he could come to my seder. I really like the group, we’re all around the same age. In one of the eight sessions they will bring in an art therapist. I’m looking forward to that.
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Dearest Irit:
Your presentation at the Weisman Center was so enlightening and most meaningful especially since you, a daughter of survivors, offered your personal experiences which we, as daughters and sons of survivors could identify with. Your research in confirming our experiences was impressive!
May the lights of Shabbat and Passover rekindle the light within each of us and release us from any residual ‘plagues’ of the past
Happy and Healthy Passover to you and your loved ones.🙂 Vera
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All the very best you are the best♥️❤️👍
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