Videorecording of My Presentation and Conversation with Members of the World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust and Descendants

I am happy to be able to share the link to the videorecording on Vimeo of my presentation on November 7, 2021 to the World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust and Descendants. More information about the event can be found at this link and the videorecording can be found by clicking on the image below.

My presentation was followed by a conversation with the attendees. The WFJCHD is the organization of those who were children and youth during the Holocaust, and they have been meeting annually since 32 years ago, finding mutual understanding, support and a sense of belonging with others who share the horrific histories of a childhood under a daily threat to life, and the catastrophic losses they endured. The inability to hold the annual meeting last year, due to COVID-19, was particularly painful for this unique ‘substitute family’ of aging child survivors of the Holocaust. It is for this reason that gathering online, via Zoom, was such a valuable means of re-connecting with one another.

Recently, on Sunday January 16, 2022, we had a follow-up Zoom meeting, in which the attendees were invited to express their wishes regarding future activities and programs. Many great suggestions were made and noted by the organizing committee. The overwhelmingly unanimous suggestion expressed was a wish for more regular Zoom meetings,  as well as the creation of specific smaller gatherings around particular topics, geographic locales, etc. The importance and meaningfulness of the gatherings with others who share the same legacy, especially at this trying time, was very evident.  This willingness to adapt to unusual circumstances and creatively utilize novel ways of finding community and connection reflect the life-long resilience of the child survivors. Please join the organization if you are interested (see the Membership link at https://www.holocaustchild.org/), and participate in the online meetings until face-to-face gatherings are possible again, and perhaps even then.

I shared with the participants my recent paper, entitled “Web-Based, Second-Best Togetherness”, addressing the value of novel ways of getting together, and their meaning for Holocaust survivors and for their descendants. You can access and read the paper for free at this link.

                    Irit Felsen