While I was visiting my parents recently I took a few minutes to look at the bookshelf in their living room. There is a section on sailing for dad and The Complete Works of Shakespeare. There are atlases and dictionaries and several art books of the great masters. And then there is The Holocaust shelf.Continue reading “Under My Nose the Whole Time”
Category Archives: Memory
A Storyteller’s Plight
Last week I had lunch with 98-year-old Kurt R. at his home. I brought my mother along as she has fond memories of visits with him over the years and Kurt’s daughter joined us as well. Who is Kurt R. you might ask? Mr. R worked in the same firm as my grandfather. They firstContinue reading “A Storyteller’s Plight”
Psychologist as Educator
My academic training is in psychology. My “therapist skills” have been very useful while researching and writing Scraps of Hope. My most important tool as a psychologist is listening, and while working on this book, I have listened a lot. I have listened carefully to my mother’s stories and thought about what was most importantContinue reading “Psychologist as Educator”
“How will we know it’s us without our past?”*
This morning I packed Popje in the car and took her for a ride. It wasn’t quite the same as putting a child in a car seat, but I did put her in her archival quality acid-free box and carefully put her on the passenger seat in such a way that I knew she wouldn’tContinue reading ““How will we know it’s us without our past?”*”
Perseverence in Research: Update
I found the daughter of the man who obtained the passports. She was very happy to hear from me as she had lost touch with our family after about 1950. She had a 1000 questions about my grandparents and mother and uncle. Now it is time to send her my 1000 questions about her fatherContinue reading “Perseverence in Research: Update”
Perseverance in Research or the Importance of Good Spelling
One of the leads that I have not found an answer to in my research has been how my grandfather was able to get a falsified passport that helped to save his family. What my mother has told me is that someone who my grandfather did business with in Switzerland somehow obtained two dozen copiesContinue reading “Perseverance in Research or the Importance of Good Spelling”
The Most Important Critic – One Year Later
I printed off a copy of my manuscript and sent it to my mom. She has spent the better part of yesterday and today reading it, interrupting herself occasionally to call me with a question or email with a comment. A few minutes ago, this is what she sent: You are able to put yourselfContinue reading “The Most Important Critic – One Year Later”
Stuck
Like many writers, I have hit a spot where I am stuck. This isn’t writer’s block. It isn’t due to a lack of imagination or time or effort. I am stuck because I can’t quite fit together the pieces of history that I have unearthed. I have my mother’s memories and the stories she hasContinue reading “Stuck”
Laying the Stumbling Stones
January 17, 2014 we gathered at the church in Tilburg again. Coffee, tea and cookies were available along with the usual friendly atmosphere that the Dutch seem to delight in. Once everyone had gathered, about 50 people, we all put on our coats and wandered over to Bobby and Tineke’s old house. I noticed thatContinue reading “Laying the Stumbling Stones”
Why Bobby?
On the evening of January 16, 2014 I arrived in Tilburg. This small city in the southern province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands is home to a little over 206,000 people, more than 60% of whom are Roman Catholic. The next largest “religious” group are the atheists who make up about 20% of the population.Continue reading “Why Bobby?”
K Heidi Fishman (Popje and Me) 