Trauma, Memory and Art: An interdisciplinary virtual conference with Ori Z. Soltes, Larry R. Squire, Natan P.F. Kellermann and Eva Fogelman

In this interdisciplinary conference, four experts discuss the transmission of Holocaust trauma and memory against the backdrop of art. The starting point of the discussion is the art of Holocaust survivor Alice Lok Cahana and how artistic sensibilities, traumatic memory—and a sense of obligation to improve the world—have been expressed through three generations of her family—both in who her children and grandchildren are and in how they express themselves artistically.

The discussion will amplify this layered issue from other angles: what have recent biological and psychological investigations offered, regarding what memory is and how it works, if and how trauma can be carried in the DNA—and the implications of all of this for understanding the impact of catastrophes like the Holocaust beyond the generation of those who experienced them directly.

This conference discusses topics which are explored more deeply in the book “Immortality, Memory, Creativity, and Survival: The Arts of Alice Lok Cahana, Ronnie Cahana and Kitra Cahana,” which is edited by Ori Z. Soltes, Teaching Professor at Georgetown University, Washington DC, and will be published in December 2020 by The Fritz Ascher Society.

Generously sponsored by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in New York.

Greetings

Hon. David Gill, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in New York.

Panelists

Ori Z. Soltes PhD, Teaching Professor at Georgetown University in Washington D.C.: “The art of Alice Lok Cahana, Ronnie Cahana, and Kitra Cahana”.

Larry R. Squire PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Neurosciences, and Psychology at the University of California in San Diego CA: “Remembering”.

Natan P. F. Kellermann PhD, Psychologist and Psychodramatist in Jerusalem, Israel: “Major Variables of Holocaust Trauma Transmission”.

Eva Fogelman PhD, Social Psychologist and Psychotherapist in New York, NY: “Descendants of Holocaust Survivors: Myths and Realities”.

Moderator

Rachel Stern, Executive Director of The Fritz Ascher Society in New York, NY.

Watch Eva Fogelman’s presentation in this video:

See also: