How did Holocaust survivors go on with their lives after the end of the war? Was it even possible? There is certainly not one accurate answer to these difficult questions. However, it would seem that for some, leaving the traumatic experience in the past and focusing on the present was the way forward, working hard and establishing a new life with families and careers, often far away from the villages or cities they once called home. But is it possible to entirely leave the past behind, a past with loved ones and friends that are no longer with us? What happens when the children and grandchildren of a survivor enter the picture? This chapter uncovers reflections of Ron Grunstein and his son Joel Grunstein, who share intimate moments of how they address the topic of the Holocaust and bridge the complicated family past with the new present.

Music by Di Gasn Trio.

Cover by @annet_bad

The interview of John Grunstein is from the archive of the USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education. For more information: http://sfi.usc.edu/