ABSTRACT

In a letter to me from the preeminent psychoanalyst, Jacob Arlow, he emphatically stated that the subject of the Holocaust was better dealt with by artists and poets than by analysts (Arlow, 1997, personal communication). The occasion which prompted his making this stunning declaration, a paraphrasing of the judges’ opinion after the Eichman trial (see the chapter on “Analyst as Historical Witness”) was his acknowledgment of having received the book I had sent to him. The Last Witness: The Child Survivor of The Holocaust was co-authored by Judith Kestenberg and me back in 1996. At that time in my career, I craved the recognition and approval of my esteemed elders, and Arlow fit the profile perfectly. Knowing that he and Kestenberg were colleagues and that he was on the board of her foundation, I was expecting, at the very least, a supportive congratulations for this groundbreaking book that we had published. I was, therefore, rather stunned and stung by his response.