Sutured Identities in Jewish Holocaust Survivor Testimonies

Abstract

The Holocaust disrupted the foundations of identity for Jewish survivors: religious and social communities evaporated, families dwindled. This study explores the process of identity reconstruction within oral testimonies gathered through personal interviews with Jewish Holocaust survivors who immigrated to the United States. Thematically, their narratives confront three major forces that place conflicting demands on survivors: disclosure or nondisclosure of Holocaust experiences, autonomy and connection with religion and family, and the clash between stability and change in the transition to America. Each site of conflict exposes gaps in how identity becomes manifest through personal beliefs, observable behaviors, relationships with others, and communal affiliations. Attention to how narratives configure identity suggests ways that personal narratives illustrate the process of actively recrafting fractured selves.