Postmemories of joy? Children of Holocaust survivors and alternative family memories

Abstract

Substantial research in multiple disciplines on Jewish Holocaust survivors and their postwar offspring has been dominated by the discourse of trauma, focusing on the intergenerational transmission of trauma. Based on the narratives of 35 children of Holocaust survivors in the United States, my research counters and nuances this over-determined “paradigm of trauma” by illuminating their more diverse cache of family memories. Some parents transmitted their Holocaust experiences in lively and colorful ways,as an exciting adventure, as a fairy tale, or as a humorous story. The narratives suggest that for these children of survivors, the postmemories of their parents’ history and trauma are embedded in other positive family memories, including the way in which the stories were told. Thus, postmemories of trauma do not necessarily elide or dominate other more positive family memories, including memories of joy.