The LifeCyclist: Bar mitzvah honors late father’s wish, reflects son’s creativity

In his 2003 memoir “Lessons for Dylan,” Joel Siegel, the late film critic for ABC’s “Good Morning America,” asked that his young son someday sing the Shema prayer.

 “But, when you finish,” he wrote, “think about applauding on the inside.”

Siegel passed away in 2007 after a 10-year battle with cancer. Had he lived, he would have been applauding at the recent early Saturday evening service when his only child completed his nontraditional journey to becoming a bar mitzvah.

Survivors’ grandchildren feeling an obligation to share Holocaust memories

Grandchildren of Holocaust survivors -- often referred to as the Third Generation -- feel an obligation to share memories of the Shoah.

The bond that many in the Third Generation have with their grandparents has been noted by psychologists and researchers who have studied the effect of the Holocaust on families.

For many survivors, it was easier to share their experiences with their grandchildren than with their children.