Growing up in America with parents who were both Holocaust survivors has had varying effects on individuals, some very obvious and others more subtle, some potentially disturbing and frightening, and some strengthening and enlightening. Mine was a family in which only the vague outlines of loss were discussed, although the power of the unknown was never to be underestimated.Rosalie Greenberg, M.D. was born in the United States in 1950 to Holocaust survivor parents. Her older sister was born in a Displaced Persons' camp in Germany. Dr. Greenberg received a B.A. from New York University and an M.D. from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Her subsequent residency in General Psychiatry and Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry were also at Columbia. She maintains a private practice specializing in pediatric psychopharmacology in Summit, New Jersey, in addition to lecturing and writing many articles for professionals and the public.It wasn't until my mother took a senior writing class when she was 60, did she finally discover a means to confront the complex emotions and painful past with which she had grappled her entire life without an outlet. Although I had read a few of her stories, it was through pure serendipity that while furiously cleaning her basement in preparation for a renovation project on her home, my sister happened upon a long forgotten case full of our mother's writings. I was amazed by their quantity and depth. Reading them allowed me to fill in the missing pieces in my life. My mother's stories of survival and ability to love, despite the horrors and hatred of the past, experienced by her and her generation, is something I'm sharing on this special occasion as I believe it demonstrates the enormous power and triumph of love over hate.
This page designed by Max Heffler