Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / Transcending Terror is a study of eight Holocaust survivors who earned advanced degrees and became professors. As Jews trapped in Nazi-occupied Europe from 1939 to 1945 they endured terror and, in many cases, torture. For each, the postwar adaptation to normality included studying a subject that interested him or her, and which afforded a means of interpreting the world. Each narrative chapter describes the social background and circumstances that partly shaped a survivor's destiny. Also portrayed are the ind ividual's particular characteristics, perspectives, predilections, and aspirations. Michael Klein, from Janoshalma, Hungary, encountered Auschwitz at age fifteen. After the war, with great effort, he became a physicist. Jerzy Ogurek, from Upper Silesia, Poland, was ten when torn from his parents in Auschwitz. With time he settled into a "normal" life, also becoming a physicist. Ruth Anna Putnam was a half-Jewish German girl who lived with her non-Jewish grandparents, in Gotha. She eventually became a philosopher. Samuel Stern spent his early childhood in Ravensbruck and Bergen-Belsen. Later educated in the United States, he became a biologist. Zvi Griliches, from Kovno, Lithuania, survived a Dachau subsidiary camp. He achieved prominence as an economist. Maurice Vanderpol spent years in hiding, in Amsterdam. He resumed medical school after the war, becoming a psychiatrist. Halina Nelken grew up in Krakow, survived Auschwitz, and fulfilled her dream of becoming an art historian. Farmers in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, France, sheltered Micheline Federman, then a young child from Paris. Micheline loved science, and became a pathologist. I analyzed data gathered in conversations, through observation, and from relevant writings, and arrived at a plausible set of conclusions. Knowledge of the breadth of human capacities and of evil may have contributed to these thoughtful individuals' ethical stance; to their belief in the unique dignity of humanness and to their commitment to engage in activities that benefit humankind. In accepting responsibility and in exercising personal choice, these survivors gave their lives meaning. The survivor, psychiatrist, and philosopher Viktor Frankl explored the human potential to realize such positive values. His work serves as a sensitizing and conceptual framework for this qualitative study. / 2999-01-01

Dissertation (Ph.D.) -- The Institute for Clinical Social Work , 1995. / A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Institute of Clinical Social Work in partial fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

This is a study of survival and the 'Final Solution', taking its perspective from over One hundred-and-fifty eyewitness Jewish testimonies from the Wiener Library Archive. The importance of the victims' perspective is clear in that the majority of historiography uses a Nazi perspective in its analysis, leaving the Jews to tell of their experiences in separate autobiographies. In this way, the archive has largely been ignored by historians, yet provides some challenging insights into the three central aspects of the Holocaust of emigration, deportation, and forced labour. These aspects serve as the framework for analysis and focus on four key themes of survival. Firstly, the awareness of Jews as to the true nature of the Nazi regime. Secondly, how these Jews were treated by European non-Jews who have often been criticized in secondary literature for being anti-Semitic. Thirdly, how the various German regions were inconsistent in dealing with European Jews; sometimes indifferent to the low status of Jews in the Nazi hierarchy and other times imposing extensive and vicious procedures to further the policy of making Germany Judenfrei. Fourthly, the extent of pure luck in saving many Jews from the death centres. Ultimately, this study sets out both to analyse these four key themes individually and to discover how they influenced survival in combination. This will demonstrate the complexity of everyday existence in the Holocaust and how adapting to it often required more than just a single moment of adjustment to its severity.

A qualitative study was conducted to determine if Holocaust survivors’ food attitudes are influenced by their earlier experiences. The 25 survivor interviewees (14 males, 11 females) ranged in age from 71 to 85 years and resided in Miami-Dade and Broward, Florida counties. Most (56%) were interned in concentration camps during the Holocaust. Interviews were tape-recorded and later transcribed. Results showed earlier experiences influenced food attitudes. The most common themes were: 1) Difficulty throwing food away - even when spoiled; 2) Storing excess food; 3) Craving a certain food; 4) Difficulty standing in line for food; and 5) Anxiety when food is not readily available. Sub-themes included healthy eating and empathy for those currently suffering from hunger. Fourteen (56%) fast for religious holidays, but 7 (28%) said they already had “fasted enough.” Dietitians and others are encouraged to evaluate food service programs to minimize uncomfortable food-related situations for Holocaust survivors.

This study examined the narratives and stories of 13 daughters of Jewish women Holocaust survivors. A qualitative multi-methodological integrative approach that incorporated feminist standpoint epistemologies and elements oF grounded theory was used. Mechanisms such as the use of an auditor and judges were utilized to address the researcher's reflexive stance and subjective frame. Participants' data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Interviews were subjected to extensive qualitative analyses and were compared to find recursive themes and sub-themes. The results oF this study indicated that Holocaust survivor mothers were conceptualized by their daughters as being either strong, challenged or both. Participants described the lessons they learned from their mothers' survivor narratives and stories in terms of strength, resilience, transcendency and Jewish identity. Participants considered these lessons to be vital aspects of their lives and strategies for living.

Thesis (Ph.D.). / Written for the Dept. of Educational and Counselling Psychology. Title from title page of PDF (viewed 2008/08/04). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2008. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A. in history)--Washington State University, August 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Aug. 10, 2009). "Department of History." Includes bibliographical references (p. 92-95).

This phenomenological study explores the needs of community dwelling Holocaust survivors and proposes a framework for social work practice with this population. Data from qualitative interviews with Holocaust survivors and family caregivers of Holocaust survivors suggest that there are at least two different cohorts of Holocaust survivors in this study. These cohorts, referred to as classic and contemporary survivors in this dissertation, differ with regard to their age as well as the extent to which they are affected by numerous barriers relating to their health and physical ability as well as to language, education, and work background. A small number of respondents demonstrated characteristics belonging to both of the cohorts. A continuum, with classic survivors on one end of the scale and contemporary survivors on the other is therefore suggested as the best way to understand the differences between the two cohorts of Holocaust survivors in this study. Research findings compare and contrast these two ends of the continuum, as well as the cases which fit somewhere in the middle, and suggest the following five themes: 1. There are important similarities and differences between classic and contemporary survivors, 2. Individual Holocaust survivors, their family members and the larger community have all been affected by the Holocaust, 3. Identities and values have been impacted by the trauma associated with the Holocaust, 4. Survivor characteristics can be classified as characteristics of resiliency and/or vulnerability, (The sub-themes uncovered in this study relating to resiliency include fierce independence, a “never give up” mentality and a strong social conscience. The sub-themes relating to vulnerability include guarded trust, a “going without” mentality, increased vulnerability to loss, and loss of secure identity), and 5. The needs of the study population can be better understood by considering resiliency and vulnerability characteristics. The life course framework and individual and community trauma theories are applied to understand these research findings which inform the proposed framework for social work practice.