Educational and Occupational Achievement of Adult Children of Holocaust Survivors

The authors explore the educational and occupational achievements of adult children of Jewish Holocaust survivors, compared to those of two control groups (children of immigrant parents who did not experience the Holocaust, and children of native-born parents). The three groups were Montreal-born Ashkenazi Jews, aged 19-36 years. The authors found that any problems of status attainment experienced by survivors of the Holocaust themselves were overcome by their North American offspring. These adult children achieved at levels comparable to those of children whose parents had not directly experienced the Holocaust. They conclude that Holocaust survivor parents seem to have coped with their post-war physical and mental distress in a way which prevented negative consequences for their children's educational and occupational achievement.

Jewish Population Studies (Papers in Jewish Demography)

Vol. 19

357-367

1985

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