Judy Stone is the author of the new book Resilience: One Family's Story of Hope and Triumph over Evil. It focuses on her family's history and the impact of the Holocaust on family members. She is an infectious disease physician, and has written the book Conducting Clinical Research. Her work has appeared in Forbes and Scientific American.
Q: You note that your parents didn't talk about the
Holocaust when you were growing up. At what point did you start to learn your
family's history, and when did you decide to write this book?
A: I learned a little bit about the Holocaust during junior
high but no details—it was more that something bad had happened during the war.
I began compiling pieces of our family history in about 2000 but not with any
intention of writing a book.
I began writing more about 10 years ago, after my mother
died. The intensive, serious writing and sense of urgency began when I saw the
divisiveness of the 2016 election.
Q: Why did you choose "Resilience" as the book's
title?
A: I wanted to convey that the Holocaust didn’t define my
family completely and to share the complexity of their relationships by showing
them throughout their lives and how they changed.
It is important to remember that they did survive. They were
not just victims but went on to create fulfilling, successful lives, careers,
and families.
Focusing on resilience came from the evolution of my
understanding of my family. As I learned more, I better appreciated what strong
people they were and what they had overcome.
Q: You've discussed
parallels between the rise of nationalism today and events during the 1930s.
What lessons would you draw?
A: There are so many similarities, it is frightening. Here
are just a few:
· Isolationism, which is now
translated as “America First.”
· Muzzling or silencing of the
press, including taking away press credentials and attacking journalists. Then,
the term used was “LugenPresse” (lying press); now, it is “Fake News.”
· Stripping away of
constraints on executive power.
· Growing racism and pitting
of one group against another. Jews were deprived of citizenship by 1935. Now we
hear chants of “Send them back” and suggestions that dissenters should leave
the country.
· Dehumanization and othering.
Then, Jews were referred to as pests, cockroaches, and disease ridden (and
therefore threats). Jews were the scapegoats for everything bad. Now, refugees
are referred to as “illegals” and their basic needs are ignored.
Q: What do your family members think of the book?
A: They have had very mixed reactions.
Most are very proud and happy that I have preserved our
family’s history and am trying to have something good come from their
experiences. They have been very generous with sharing stories and photos, and
even those who have had different perceptions have remained supportive of the
project.
Sadly, my few relatives in Hungary are very worried about
the rising fascism there and have felt the need to distance themselves from the
book.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: My marriage and being more attentive to my husband. He’s
had such patience through this!
But seriously, I’m busy writing for Forbes about medical
issues and would like to focus more on social justice issues. I have a new
blog, Legacies of the Holocaust, which will address some of these.
Children of survivors will need to step up and do more
Holocaust education as well, so I plan to learn more about that. I’m never
bored!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I’m hoping that people will stop the divisiveness and
hate-mongering and recognize that we all have the same needs and desires. More
“shiny things” won’t make us happy. Families, friends, and loving relationships
are the key.
We need to focus on being kinder to each other and to our
world. That will help us all survive bad times.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
No comments:
Post a Comment