Memorial Candles: Children CL

Jerusalem psychotherapist Wardi combines excerpts of group therapy sessions with a review of relevant literature to analyze dynamics in the lives of children of Holocaust survivors. Far more technical than Helen Epstein's journalistic exploration, Children of the Holocaust , this book should be useful for specialists. Wardi observes that survivor parents designate certain children as ``memorial candles'' to fill an emotional void and to continue a family history. Some ``memorial candles'' function well at work but poorly in human relationships; Wardi suggests that results from a combination of emotional deprivation and maternal overprotection. Children of those who actively struggled against the Nazis have a strong, sometimes compulsive, drive to achieve; children of more passive ``victims'' often choose professions that involve helping or protecting others. Only when ``memorial candles'' relax their rigid defense systems can they confront how their parents' humiliation influenced their distorted self-images and sexual identities. Wardi concludes that ``memorial candles'' must undergo several stages of psychotherapy in order to leave the role assigned by their parents and search for their roots. (June)