Sustaining Memories

Together we initiated changes in care, developed models of individualized approaches to support and services, and taught doctors, nurses and allied health professionals some of the unique needs of elderly Holocaust survivors. Each Survivor had a unique and miraculous story of survival and I learned the importance of the personal story, quickly recognizing that within each telling new understanding, new friendship and new perspectives evolved. I heard bone chilling stories, I heard heart rending stories, I heard life affirming stories, I heard stories I wished I had never heard, and I heard stories I knew I had to tell others. All of these stories had a profound effect on me.

One week in 2011 I heard from two colleagues, both working in different contexts but sharing my passion for working with older adults. I had previously partnered with Sandra Kerr, the Director of Ryerson University’s Programs for 50+, and while I knew of the Azrieli Memoirs, I had not met staff member Elin Beaumont. The Survivors that I worked with were well beyond 50+ and most would not have been able to write their own beautifully produced memoirs that the Azrieli Holocaust Memoir Project was publishing.

What I didn’t know, was that the staff at the Memoirs Project was looking at new initiatives to reach out to those Survivors who did not fit the profile of the memoir writers being published. Elin and Sandra had already talked together about partnering to form the Sustaining Memories Program and invited me to join them to build a model that would allow the Azrieli Foundation to gather the stories of survivors who were unable to write their own. It to me less than a second to agree and our adventure began! With the full support of the existing Memoir Project, under the leadership of Elin Beaumont’s tireless commitment to reaching out to Survivors and volunteers from all corners of the city, combined with the enthusiasm of Ryerson’s and Sandra Kerr’s 50+ students, this Project was born. Brainstorming with these two women and their colleagues was challenging, exciting, stimulating and always produced some creative and original ideas.

The concept of using “writing partners” to work 1:1 with Holocaust Survivors was unique. I had witnessed and experienced the inner resources necessary for a Survivor to share her story and I knew the toll that the telling might take on an individual. I also knew of the rewards and the benefits. At the time I did not appreciate the learning curve that a writing partner would embark on, even though we were blessed with many educated, committed, creative and sensitive volunteers. We required them to participate in several hours of training that included Holocaust history, an understanding of the range of social and psychological challenges that many older Survivors experience, an awareness of the potential impact of post traumatic stress reactions and a basic concept of the symptoms of various age related illnesses that complicate both the remembering and physical strains involved in sharing memories and stories. We also stressed the importance of making their shared time together (often several visits adding up to several hours) as positive and enjoyable as possible. This part of the training was my responsibility and we began working with our first team of writing partners. The importance of building trusting relationships was underlined and discussed and we looked for people who had the capacity for compassion, understanding, patience and talent! We hoped it would be possible!

This intense work was just the first stage of their training. Next came sessions with the Azrieli teams of editors and tech people. Once a writing partner had hours of digital recording and her Survivor partner had told what she needed to tell, the transcribing process began. It was usually a long and onerous process that included checking spelling, grammar, geography and historical facts for accuracy. Our volunteers were committed to producing a quality product on behalf of the Survivor sharing her story and invested their energy and time to bring their words together in a form that would create compelling reading. Once this process was complete, the professional Azrieli editors stepped in to polish the manuscripts, do some fact checking and make the final product shine…while still maintaining the voice of the Survivor.

I had originally thought the rewards of this Project would come from the production of a new group of memoirs that I previously believed would never happen. I had no idea of the amazing people I would meet who volunteered to become writing partners. In preparation for their training we tried to anticipate the challenges and the workload, but their passion and promise elevated the entire process and enabled a new dimension of narratives to be added to the existing and remarkable collection of Azrieli memoirs. It was challenging and often tedious work, but so important in order to ensure that the final ‘story’ would contain the voice, the perspective and the heart of the survivor. It was this commitment that from the beginning placed the Sustaining Memories Program apart from other collections of assisted Survivor narratives. From its inception 31 years ago, the Sustaining Memories survivor memoirs have produced an astounding body of work.

Suddenly there was an opportunity within the Survivor community for people who couldn’t bring themselves to write a whole book, for people who had missed the opportunity of attaining an education, for people who were suffering with age related illnesses that prevented them from embarking on a large self-sustaining project and for people who had been too traumatized to tell their story until they thought they were too old and frail to do so. So many who had been unable to participate in various opportunities to share their narrative responded so positively when realizing that they were being offered a new and different window of opportunity. It was very gratifying to offer an approach that could break the isolation of silence that had compounded the isolation many were experiencing through age related changes and challenges. Now the Sustaining Memories Team reached out, wanted to see their stories written down and offered an approach that made it possible. These were some of the Survivors that I had been working with and theirs’ were the stories that I knew were missing from the legacy of personal memoirs of Holocaust survivors. These were the people that were most vulnerable and most under-represented in the international treasure trove of Survivor memoirs.

Elin Beaumont was in charge of reaching out to the Survivors, explaining the approach, reassuring them that they would be the central focus of the process and nothing would be written without their consent. The Sustaining Memories Project would enable their full participation based on what they were ready to disclose and discuss. Their writing partner would work closely with them to ensure they were satisfied with the results. We understood we had fears to allay and trust to build, but were constantly reminded of the courage and resilience of so many Holocaust survivors as they embarked on creating their memoirs. Assigning Survivors to a compatible writing partner was a sensitive and central component of the success of the finished product.

Where relationships with writing partners were established successfully, remarkable things happened. Survivors, who had been reticent to speak or had been too traumatized to want to remember, willingly shared stories that now will further illuminate our understanding of the impact and the history of the Holocaust. Survivors who couldn’t bring themselves to trust ‘outsiders’ or ‘strangers’ formed caring relationships with their writing partners; many that continued well beyond completion of the memoir.

Not only were the writing partners essential members of the memoir-creation team, in many instances families also participated. They were some participants who faced major and critical physical health barriers to participation and families committed to supporting them so they would be ready and able to do so. At times Survivors experienced cognitive changes and challenges during the writing process, and families stepped in to fill in the gaps. Regardless of what supports were offered, it remained the choice of the Survivor when to utilize offers of help. We witnessed instances where Survivors requested family presence and then we received feedback from family members of the life changing impact of being part of the process.

From the onset of the Sustaining Memories Project, our primary goal was to provide Survivors with a written story, as a legacy for their families; to ensure their words weren’t lost. Whether within their personal communities or well beyond current boundaries and times, everyone involved understood that we working within a valuable time-limited window of opportunity.

The Survivor participants made it clear that for whatever reason they hadn’t done so yet, the rationale for doing so now was advanced age and the desire to leave something for future generations. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren were often the main reasons to face the trauma of re-telling and remembering. Survivors, regardless of their personal experiences during the War, which country they had come from and the challenges they faced in rebuilding their lives, all recognized the need to name, describe and honour the families they lost. It was important that future generations of their families should know their history. This was an act of love but there was also an understanding of the importance of their eyewitness memoirs being available to future generations who didn’t grow up coping with the immediate familial aftermath. Everyone involved was acutely aware of an obligation to both the past and the future. Without the assistance and support of the Sustaining Memories Project, this would have been an impossible achievement for this particular cohort. In many ways, these circumstances make this particular collection of ‘stories’ very unusual and particularly poignant. They were almost never told!

I will never forget the first book launch for the first group of Sustaining Memories authors. I was moved to tears and so proud to have been part of the process. The Survivor authors, their writing partners, their family members, connected volunteers and staff were all present. In order to accommodate several frail Survivors, the room was accessible and our ‘authors’ arrived with a variety of assistive devices that allowed everyone to participate. In spite of physical challenges, everyone seemed to stand taller and straighter that evening, and the vision of so many mechanical aids and so much assistance was dimmed by the glow of pride and excitement coming from participants’ eyes. Small grandchildren stopped squirming in their seats and paid close attention to the various speeches and accolades their grandparents were receiving. Adult children, chatting amongst themselves became suddenly silent when the program began. There was a central aisle, where one-by-one, a Survivor and her writing partner would walk down the aisle where each was presented with a copy of the finished and bound memoir. Their dignity, excitement, pride and confidence was palpable. The import and the impact were similar to that of a marriage ceremony, and for many of the authors was almost as significant!

As we have all realized in the post-Holocaust years, historical facts and lessons learned can be twisted, ignored, denied and pushed aside as time passes and new crises arise. However, first person memoirs tend to pass the test of time and get told and re-told within families, communities and classrooms. The stories in this collection range from short and to the point while others are more comprehensive and lengthy. Some stories contain just a few memory fragments of early childhood years, while others describe in depth the loss of teenage or young adult lives. Regardless of their age during the War or how they were personally impacted by the Holocaust, all of the stories in this collection represent the emotion, the trauma, the resilience and the legacy of a unique group of elderly Survivors.

People have often asked how and why I continue to do this challenging work for so many years. The simple answer is that it’s become very personal and the rewards are immeasurable. My need to know and understand has deep roots that have grown exponentially as I spend more time with Survivors. My children, on their father’s side, are the third generation of a survivor family and much of their family history on both sides’ lies lost and buried in various parts of Europe. Not only has my quest for understanding enriched my life and my sense of family, I firmly believe that that our hope for the future will find its strengths from the lessons of the past. Many of the life lessons so important to humanity can be found within these stories. This collection is a treasure for its richness of diversity and its unifying theme of survival in spite of impossible odds. It demonstrates the power of the “story”, convinces me of the potential of a better future and fills me with hope.