Second | Third Gen Holocaust Survivor
Writing Workshops

Our workshops provide a confidential and safe space for Holocaust survivors’ children and grandchildren, known as the Second and Third Gen, to discuss and document their family’s story and explore how the Holocaust has shaped their own lives.

To the Second and Third Gen:

It is not necessary for you to write to attend. Your presence is what’s important. However, you are encouraged to write. Share your parents’ stories and your own upbringing stories.

I hope to see you in the fall workshop. In the meantime, just write!

Stacey Goldring,
SFI Writing Workshop Facilitator

“This workshop is so revelatory, psychoanalytical, and healing too. It allows us to glimpse inside our psyche and find answers that eluded us for so long. Sharing our stories forges strong bonds. I appreciate our virtual connection to the entire world. Our group is diverse in terms of birthplace, education, religiosity etc., yet our mission is identical. We need to tell what hasn’t been told by our parents.“

— Anna Osztreicher daughter
of Salamon and Friderika (Klein) Lebovics, pictured

2024-25 Workshop Registration

Children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors are invited to register. Our next writing workshop season begins in the fall. Questions?  Contact info@searchingforidentity.org

  • “My legacy is to share the righteousness of my parents’ lives, heal others in my daily deeds and educate others about the human spirit’s potential power. I honor my mother and father every day of my life.”

    -Shoshana Volkas, Second Gen

  • “The workshop provided an opportunity for me to put into concrete form what has been in my head for many years and understanding the connection with where I am today. ”

    -Helen M., Second Gen

  • “As my father’s memory fades, so do the tattooed numbers on his arm, but as a Second-Generation Holocaust Survivor, I am here to pick up the torch, keep his memories alive and share our story.”

    -Lisa U., Second Gen

  • “The workshop has brought to reality many things I didn’t realize about myself and has given me an opportunity to use my writing abilities to share my thoughts in a fruitful and worthwhile venue. Let me not forget Stacey's contribution. Her encouragement and enthusiasm have been major catalysts for me and, I would venture to say, for the others who attend the workshop.”

    -Ethel H., Second Gen

  • "These unknowns brewed stress and fear. The pressure from withholding knowledge would explode emotionally, like pipes bursting, causing a flood. Although, as a child, I couldn’t articulate the pain and fear caused by secrets, I felt it."

    -Jarred S., Third Gen

  • "The writers' workshop makes me think, stop, and put thoughts to paper. Most of the things I've written, I feel will be valuable for my family to have when I'm gone. The prompts that Stacey gives us make me do this, something I wouldn't do on my own."

    -Molly K., Second Gen