Olga Horak, a Holocaust survivor, passed away just shy of her 98th birthday, leaving behind a rich legacy of Holocaust education. Just before her death, she shared her survival story at a Jewish day school, reiterating the importance of remembrance and kindness. Despite her frailty, she remained an inspiring figure who connected deeply with those around her. The author reflects on the complex feelings of postmemory, revealing how her grandmother's experiences shaped their family’s understanding of trauma, identity, and the ever-present shadow of the Holocaust.
To carry on her legacy is a heavy burden and one fraught with vicarious trauma. Postmemory ripples and reverberates.
I had grown up with the subliminal expectation of catastrophe, and the received memory of mass death in my very bones.
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