To Whom It May Concern:

Rebecca Kraus has contacted us with her Fulbright proposal and we are writing to express our support of this project. Generations of the Shoah in Argentina is an association that brings together survivors of the Shoah, their children, grandchildren, family members and all those who are interested in the subject. Bearing a legacy that must be transmitted, we meet to share our experiences and to reflect and bring new meaning to them. With that goal in mind, we devote ourselves to many activities: conferences, workshops, films, publications and lectures. Past, present and future are intertwined: The past viewed in the context of the present with an eye towards the future. Only education can build a better tomorrow, a society whose basic values are dignity, ethics, and mutual respect.

Once a month, each of the groups –survivors and second-generation survivors – meet to discuss common issues of interest or to share a lecture or film on a particular theme. The warm environment of our meetings allows us to share experiences and feelings common to all, followed by commentaries and rich reflection. In addition to our monthly meetings, we offer workshops and educational activities for schools and other institutions that are both inspiring and enlightening.  We have also organized events for the public. These would all be excellent opportunities for Rebecca to conduct her research and form a relationship with the community of Holocaust survivors and their children in Buenos Aires.

Rebecca’s project, which seeks to compare the way that trauma is transferred and processed by the second generation raised in different cultures, is one that we are very interested in.  It would not only promote education on these issues, but would also foster cross-cultural understanding. She has done extensive research on second-generation survivors in the United States, and we would love to have her speak on this topic.  We would be happy to give her access to all of our resources, and in turn she would be able to contribute her knowledge and experience to our organization.  She has expressed interest in translating my work on second-generation survivors in order to make it available to English-speakers.  I would be willing to work with her on this endeavor, and I think it would be an excellent way to break the barrier between the communities of Holocaust descendents in Argentina and the United States.

All of my communication with Rebecca has been in Spanish, and she has shown that she has the language skills both to translate and conduct interviews.  I think her project is very interesting and important, and hope to have the opportunity to welcome her into our community.           

Sincerely,

Diana Wang