in: Clio’s Psyche: Understanding the “Why” of Culture, Current Events, History, and Society
Special Issue on Psychology and the Holocaust: Part II
Meeting Report, Volume 21, Number 2, New York, September 2014, Pages 210 ff
excerpt:
Tomi, my grandfather is dead, but you are alive,” I say. Tomi agrees with a sense of relief as we hold on to each other, somewhat lost and yet not alone. We still have a long way to go in order to come to terms with a past that is haunting most of us up to this day. Sharing this experience with Tomi was the right thing to do. My daughter and the film team were with us and wrapped us in cotton wool, supporting us in our shared sorrow. We weren’t alone at all. Dan Bar-On once said to me “Alexandra, you might lose some of your family over working through the past, but you will find others to fill their place.” “It couldn’t be truer,” I think gratefully, as Tomi and I leave the cemetery arm in arm, nestled by a cocoon. In the face of the rising populist, right-winged develop-ments in Europe, I wonder though if all our efforts are too late.»
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Category Archives: Biographical Work
«The Transmission of a Troubled Past: Between the Personal and Professional»
Introduction to an event at the University College of London, May 2014:
«The Transmission of a Troubled Past: Between the Personal and Professional –
Alexandra Senfft, author: In conversation with Stephanie Bird, UCL»
by Dr. Julia Wagner, University College of London, Germany
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Silence is Such Sorrow – Schweigen tut weh
Despite the fact that Germans, both academically and politically, have taken great strides towards exposing the crimes committed during the National Socialist period, silence still continues to rule with respect to the biographical handling of the past. Not only within the context of families, but also in society more generally, the perpetrators are always »others«.
JMB Journal 6 »Generationen«, July 2012
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The Photographer Judah Passow – An Eye for the Tragedy of the Conflict
The photographer Judah Passow, four times awarded with the World Press Award, abhors religious fervour and works towards social tolerance. Alexandra Senfft met with Passow in London and offers us a portrait of the man.
Qantara, 08.04.2010
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Palestinian-British Author Samir El-Youssef – The Language of a Lost Youth
The Palestinian writer Samir El-Youssef has found his identity in exile in London.
Yet the idea of a homeland has always been alien to him. A portrait by Alexandra Senfft
Qantara, 06.11.2009
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Dan Bar-On – Dialogue against Walls of Silence and Hostility
Obituary by Alexandra Senfft
The Israeli psychologist and author Dan Bar-On died in Tel Aviv on 4 September. Bar-On was a leading force in the field of intercultural conflict management between Israelis and Palestinians.
Qantara, 12.09.2008
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The Grand Old Man of Gaza
Obituary by Alexandra Senfft: Haidar Abdel Shafi
His life was inextricably linked with the history of Palestine over the past century, from the end of the Ottoman occupation of Palestine to the collapse of the Middle East peace talks. Haidar Abdel Shafi died on 25 September.
Qantara, 28.09.2007
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