TCU social work professor presented research on Holocaust survivors' memories

Fort Worth, TX

10/5/2009

A TCU social work professor presented research on Holocaust survivors as part of the SMU Human Rights Education Program "Holocaust Legacies: Shoah as Turning Point" 2009 Fall Program series and a "Holocaust Survivors: Stories of Resilience" symposia series funded by the John Templeton Foundation. The presentation and panel "Forgiveness, Resiliency, and Survivorship Among Holocaust Survivors" took place at the SMU Perkins School of Theology - Prothro Great Hall. TCU co-sponsored the event along with SMU, Dallas Holocaust Museum and the University of Dallas.

Dr. Harriet Cohen, associate professor of social work at TCU, presented her research findings about Holocaust survivors, along with Dr. Roberta Greene, co-principal investigator of the study and professor of social work and endowed chair at the University of Texas at Austin. Panel participants included historians, mental health professions, and local Holocaust survivors who participated in the study. Dr. Joretta Marshall, professor of pastoral theology and care at Brite Divinity School, brought her expertise to the panel.

"We found that even people who endured the atrocities of the Holocaust developed the capacity to rebuild their lives. They remembered the losses they experienced, but they also remembered that they survived, which allowed them adapt to a new country, language and culture, rebuild their lives, create families, and live into older adulthood. Hopefully this research helps the current generation prepare and respond to the survivors of traumatic events like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and the Virginia Tech shooting," said Dr. Cohen.

"We have to choose to go on and to remember the past but also to have hope for the future," she continued.

The study, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, focused on a better understanding of resiliency and survivorship after trauma, whereas earlier Holocaust studies focused on problems and victimhood. The John Templeton Foundation is a philanthropic organization that funds scientific research in its mission to serve as a philanthropic catalyst for discovery in areas engaging life's biggest questions.

For more information about the research, contact Dr. Cohen h.cohen@tcu.edu 817-257-5230.

 

Read more from a TCU Daily Skiff story.

Media contact:
Shawn Kornegay
Associate director of communications
817-257-5061
s.kornegay@tcu.edu