Israeli writer presents effects of Holocaust in a new light by Sara Levin Assistant News Savyon Liebrecht, one of Israel’s most admired contemporary writers, spoke at the University last Thursday about growing up as the child of Holocaust survivors. Like other contemporary Israeli writers, Liebrecht strays from the traditional Israeli focuses of war and politics and illustrates the more universal human condition. Liebrecht is one of the many children of Holocaust survivors who grew up in a “silent home” – one in which her parents did not mention their experience in concentration camps. She said that the mystery behind her parents’ silence sparked her desire to explore the Holocaust in much of her own work. “I didn’t have grandparents, aunts or uncles to tell me stories, this is a way of filling in my history,” she said. Her first novel, “A Man and A Woman and a Man,” which was published in English last year, is about the relationship between a dying mother who survived the Holocaust and her daughter who takes care of her. According to Leibrecht, this story is probably the one that most closely resembles her own experience. Contrary to the well-known motto “write what you know,” Liebrecht said she usually writes about things she doesn’t know much about. “I need a big distance from stories and characters,” she said. One of her short stories, “Strawberry Girl” is about a Jewish girl in Auschwitz who finds a place to grow strawberries, something Liebrecht said she saw as fantastical. The story also delves into a controversial friendship between this young girl and a German woman who works at the camp. It received considerable backlash from the survivor community for being unrealistic and too kind in light of the German woman. Liebrecht said many survivors angrily told her that her descriptions were inaccurate. “I was hesitant to publish it. I was afraid it might hurt feelings of survivors,” Liebrecht said. “But no matter how far you go with your imagination in terms of the Shoah (Holocaust), what really happened there goes even further.” One day, however, she said she got a call from a woman who told her that she actually did grow strawberries for Germans during the war and that the story reflected much of her experience. “The more you learn about the Shoah, the less you understand,” Liebrecht said. Discovering the complexity of the Holocaust has inspired her to keep writing about different stories within the topic. She said that she does this by emphasizing relationships and psychology and not always describing the war, but showing its effects. One of her stories is about a girl who goes home and tells her grandmother she has lice. Because of her past experience in the holocaust the grandmother immediately takes out scissors and chops off all her granddaughter’s hair, infuriating the rest of the family and confusing the girl. Liebrecht also reverses general stereotypes, not always glorifying Jews and vilifying Germans, but writing about a “good German” and a “bad Jew.” In 1988 she traveled to Germany, her birthplace, for a writers conference where for the first time she heard stories about WWII from the German perspective. “I heard about Russian soldiers raping German women when they occupied Germany. This confused me because to us Russians were heroes; they were our liberators,” she said. Liebrecht also said she heard German writers discuss growing up in “silent homes” like her own. This prompted her to continue imagining stories that involved the Holocaust. Liebrecht said that she often asks herself “When will I be done writing about the Holocaust?” Liebrecht also has a collection of stories about other subjects. One of her stories, “A Room on a Roof,” tells of the relationship between a woman and Palestinians she employs to build her a new room. At times, the main character leaves her baby in the Palestinians’ care. Liebrecht said the story illustrates an innate tension that arises whenever Palestinians and Israelis come together. “It’s sad to think how far we’ve come from there today,” she said. “Today you wouldn’t even trust a Palestinian with your dog, not to mention your baby.” “I sense that in facing inner conflict at home Liebrecht has become attuned to social discord and has found powerful words that can heal,” said Director of Jewish and Israel Studies Jeremy Zwelling. “I thought she was really great,” said Jessica Firshein ’05. “It’s amazing that her stories are so universal that they prompt people to call her and tell her she’s telling their story.” Many students who attended the meeting were religion or Hebrew students. Liebrecht won the Alterman Award in 1987 for her first publication, a collection of short stories called “Apples From the Desert.” She is the latest speaker in the lecture series “Contemporary Israeli Voices: Women Writers,” organized by Zwelling who said that her stories cover universal themes, but are unique due to their Israeli setting. The next lectures being held in the series will showcase Shifra Horn who will be speaking on Oct. 30 and Orly Castel-Bloom on Nov. 6.

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