The Lifelong Process of Holocaust Survival: How Miriam Reich Rebuilt her Life

Abstract

The overarching theme of this article is that the personal is historical and vice versa. The subject of this article, Miriam Brahms Reich, literally lived through the pages of history, from her birth in Lithuania until the end of her life in Canada. As a Holocaust survivor, Miriam left behind a memoir and an interview which shed light on different details and experiences in her life. Composed with secondary source historical research and personal interviews, this article paints the broadest possible picture of Miriam’s life through all available materials. The mere fact that Miriam was able to put her memories and thoughts to paper and screen in the latter half of her life leads us to think about the production of history as a personal process—the weight of history bears intimate relevance to the individual's life and legacy.