sharon kangisser - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Uploads

Research activities by sharon kangisser

Research paper thumbnail of CFP Workshop Overcoming the Darkness. Holocaust Survivors' Emotional and Social Journeys in the Early Postwar Period

"I’m present in body, but very seldom in spirit. The spirit is elsewhere." Yehuda Bacon 22.IX... more "I’m present in body, but very seldom in spirit. The spirit is elsewhere."
Yehuda Bacon

22.IX.45

Emerging from the horror and ruins of the Shoah, survivors were confronted with many challenges, both physical and psychological. The destruction or loss of their homes required an often long and protracted search to find shelter and security. The physical abuse endured after long periods of starvation, deprivation, exposure and torture required careful medical attention so that survivors could gain physical strength and mobility in order to engage in the work of rebuilding. The loss of their loved ones and prolonged exposure to violence and suffering would leave an indelible mark on their minds and emotional worlds. Most survivors were able to regain a level of functionality and emotional stability so that they could engage in rebuilding their lives. However for some others, the emotional toll was too difficult to bear and they were unable to live an independent life and were housed in institutions for most of their lives. There were others who while at first managed to achieve a degree of emotional resilience, were not always able to maintain it; and there were survivors who chose to end their lives even after they had been back on their feet and had begun new families.

Papers by sharon kangisser

Research paper thumbnail of Survivors of the Holocaust and Their Children

Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, 2010

ABSTRACT Despite the importance given in their narratives to the birth of their children and gran... more ABSTRACT Despite the importance given in their narratives to the birth of their children and grandchildren, in most of the interviews I conducted with Holocaust survivors they do not discuss their children or family life in detail. Rather, for many of them, discussion is generally connected to how or what they have explained to their children about their experiences during the war. Survivors’ preoccupation with this issue could be understood as a response to the context in which they find themselves, in which a particular social discourse about survivors has developed. This discourse arguably engendered particular responses from survivors: it is a question that survivors expect to be asked, and it is seen as part of their prescribed role. Based on over 50 narrative interviews with survivors of the Holocaust, this article explores how survivors reflect and understand their parenting. It examines to what extent their behaviour has been influenced by their experiences during the war, or in reaction to a particular social discourse. Whilst literature on the second generation has been predominantly based on the responses of the children of survivors, this article provides important evidence of how survivors reflect on and understand their parenting.

Research paper thumbnail of The Experience of the Jewish Family in the Nazi Ghetto: Kovno--A Case Study

Journal of Family History, 2006

... In her testimony, Rachel L, who was a young adult during the war, recounts that “I wanted to ... more ... In her testimony, Rachel L, who was a young adult during the war, recounts that “I wanted to flee but my parents would not allow me to do so, as I had another smaller brother, I stayed with my family . . . . We only wanted to look ...

Research paper thumbnail of Survivors of the Holocaust and Their Children

Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, 2010

ABSTRACT Despite the importance given in their narratives to the birth of their children and gran... more ABSTRACT Despite the importance given in their narratives to the birth of their children and grandchildren, in most of the interviews I conducted with Holocaust survivors they do not discuss their children or family life in detail. Rather, for many of them, discussion is generally connected to how or what they have explained to their children about their experiences during the war. Survivors’ preoccupation with this issue could be understood as a response to the context in which they find themselves, in which a particular social discourse about survivors has developed. This discourse arguably engendered particular responses from survivors: it is a question that survivors expect to be asked, and it is seen as part of their prescribed role. Based on over 50 narrative interviews with survivors of the Holocaust, this article explores how survivors reflect and understand their parenting. It examines to what extent their behaviour has been influenced by their experiences during the war, or in reaction to a particular social discourse. Whilst literature on the second generation has been predominantly based on the responses of the children of survivors, this article provides important evidence of how survivors reflect on and understand their parenting.

Research paper thumbnail of CFP Workshop Overcoming the Darkness. Holocaust Survivors' Emotional and Social Journeys in the Early Postwar Period

"I’m present in body, but very seldom in spirit. The spirit is elsewhere." Yehuda Bacon 22.IX... more "I’m present in body, but very seldom in spirit. The spirit is elsewhere."
Yehuda Bacon

22.IX.45

Emerging from the horror and ruins of the Shoah, survivors were confronted with many challenges, both physical and psychological. The destruction or loss of their homes required an often long and protracted search to find shelter and security. The physical abuse endured after long periods of starvation, deprivation, exposure and torture required careful medical attention so that survivors could gain physical strength and mobility in order to engage in the work of rebuilding. The loss of their loved ones and prolonged exposure to violence and suffering would leave an indelible mark on their minds and emotional worlds. Most survivors were able to regain a level of functionality and emotional stability so that they could engage in rebuilding their lives. However for some others, the emotional toll was too difficult to bear and they were unable to live an independent life and were housed in institutions for most of their lives. There were others who while at first managed to achieve a degree of emotional resilience, were not always able to maintain it; and there were survivors who chose to end their lives even after they had been back on their feet and had begun new families.

Research paper thumbnail of Survivors of the Holocaust and Their Children

Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, 2010

ABSTRACT Despite the importance given in their narratives to the birth of their children and gran... more ABSTRACT Despite the importance given in their narratives to the birth of their children and grandchildren, in most of the interviews I conducted with Holocaust survivors they do not discuss their children or family life in detail. Rather, for many of them, discussion is generally connected to how or what they have explained to their children about their experiences during the war. Survivors’ preoccupation with this issue could be understood as a response to the context in which they find themselves, in which a particular social discourse about survivors has developed. This discourse arguably engendered particular responses from survivors: it is a question that survivors expect to be asked, and it is seen as part of their prescribed role. Based on over 50 narrative interviews with survivors of the Holocaust, this article explores how survivors reflect and understand their parenting. It examines to what extent their behaviour has been influenced by their experiences during the war, or in reaction to a particular social discourse. Whilst literature on the second generation has been predominantly based on the responses of the children of survivors, this article provides important evidence of how survivors reflect on and understand their parenting.

Research paper thumbnail of The Experience of the Jewish Family in the Nazi Ghetto: Kovno--A Case Study

Journal of Family History, 2006

... In her testimony, Rachel L, who was a young adult during the war, recounts that “I wanted to ... more ... In her testimony, Rachel L, who was a young adult during the war, recounts that “I wanted to flee but my parents would not allow me to do so, as I had another smaller brother, I stayed with my family . . . . We only wanted to look ...

Research paper thumbnail of Survivors of the Holocaust and Their Children

Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, 2010

ABSTRACT Despite the importance given in their narratives to the birth of their children and gran... more ABSTRACT Despite the importance given in their narratives to the birth of their children and grandchildren, in most of the interviews I conducted with Holocaust survivors they do not discuss their children or family life in detail. Rather, for many of them, discussion is generally connected to how or what they have explained to their children about their experiences during the war. Survivors’ preoccupation with this issue could be understood as a response to the context in which they find themselves, in which a particular social discourse about survivors has developed. This discourse arguably engendered particular responses from survivors: it is a question that survivors expect to be asked, and it is seen as part of their prescribed role. Based on over 50 narrative interviews with survivors of the Holocaust, this article explores how survivors reflect and understand their parenting. It examines to what extent their behaviour has been influenced by their experiences during the war, or in reaction to a particular social discourse. Whilst literature on the second generation has been predominantly based on the responses of the children of survivors, this article provides important evidence of how survivors reflect on and understand their parenting.