Erna Furman
Encyclopedia
Erna Furman was an Austria
n-born American
child psychoanalyst, psychologist and teacher.
Erna Mary Popper was educated at the Academy of Commerce in Prague
. As a little girl she had been to Montessori nursery school in Vienna. When the Germans came in on March the thirteen's 1938 she visited the gymnasium, and suddenly most of the children yelled 'Get out of here, you Jew.' In 1938, after Germany's annexation of Austria
, when she was twelve years old, her family having Czech citizenship fled to the region formerly known as Czechoslovakia to escape the Nazis. Unfortunately this move provided only temporary safety. In spring 1939 her father left for Belgium and England. They were to meet again only at the end of the summer of '46.
Four years later, in October 1942, she and her mother were sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp
, near Prague, and later on also aunts and grandmother. While living there she has been put twice on the list for being transported to Auschwitz and both times she managed her name to be removed from that list. In January 1943 she asked the Jewish Elder to take her out of the transport. Edelstein took her out of the transport because her mother had died that morning and she'd acquired different status by her mother's death.
She came to Terezin from Prague in October 1942, and left in May 1945 (when the Russians took over Terezin), from age 16 to almost 19 years, and worked the entire time as 'Betreuerin' (caregiver) in a children's home, L 318. L 318 was one of the orphan houses in the ghetto. Later in 1945 in Olesovice - in the Poemysl Pitter, Children's Rehabilitation Center, situated in a castle of baron von Ringhoffer not far from Prague - she was a tutor for a group of children who survived Terezin and other camps.
In 1945 Anna Freud took a small group of Terezin children to England, they were taken care of under Anna Freud's supervision. Some of the children's recollections were published with their permission. Anna Freud has written an article about them, and Gyömrői
has written an analysis of one of the children survivors. At that time Anna Freud often called Erna Furman to ask her about things that came up with the children from camp, hoping that Erna could clarify them.
Erna Furman's Terezin drawings were demonstrated at the Friedl Dicker-Brandeis
's exhibit series in Japan in April–October 2002. They were included in the exhibit and on display for the first time, the drawings and diaries of Erna Furman, "a survivor of Terezin and pupil of Friedl." Her materials were taken in a special corner of the exhibition, called 'Erna's Room'. She and Friedl Dicker-Brandeis had been close friends when they were both interned in the ghetto of Terezin during the Second World War.
A graduate of the Child Therapy Training Program offered by Anna Freud
in Hampstead
following World War II
, Erna Furman was a child psychoanalyst, a licensed psychologist, and a teacher. She emigrated to the United States
with the help of Anny Katan in the 1950s.
She married Robert Furman, had two daughters, Lydia and Tanya, and lived in Cleveland, Ohio
with her husband. Both were prominent and respected psychoanalysts. Erna Furman specialized in children and how children process grief. Of particular importance was her evidence that children as young as three essentially process grief no differently than adults and her insistence that children not be misled or deceived when a parent dies. She wrote:
She practiced at the Hanna Perkins Center for Child Development and also saw patients in her Cleveland Heights home. She was a prolific writer; over the years she received extensive accolades for her contributions to psychoanalysis
. She was made an honorary member of the American Psychoanalytic Association
in 1999.
Erna Furman and her husband Robert both died in 2002, one month apart.
Erna Furman died on August 9 (aged 76) and Robert Furman died on September 21.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
child psychoanalyst, psychologist and teacher.
Erna Mary Popper was educated at the Academy of Commerce in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. As a little girl she had been to Montessori nursery school in Vienna. When the Germans came in on March the thirteen's 1938 she visited the gymnasium, and suddenly most of the children yelled 'Get out of here, you Jew.' In 1938, after Germany's annexation of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, when she was twelve years old, her family having Czech citizenship fled to the region formerly known as Czechoslovakia to escape the Nazis. Unfortunately this move provided only temporary safety. In spring 1939 her father left for Belgium and England. They were to meet again only at the end of the summer of '46.
Four years later, in October 1942, she and her mother were sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp
Theresienstadt concentration camp
Theresienstadt concentration camp was a Nazi German ghetto during World War II. It was established by the Gestapo in the fortress and garrison city of Terezín , located in what is now the Czech Republic.-History:The fortress of Terezín was constructed between the years 1780 and 1790 by the orders...
, near Prague, and later on also aunts and grandmother. While living there she has been put twice on the list for being transported to Auschwitz and both times she managed her name to be removed from that list. In January 1943 she asked the Jewish Elder to take her out of the transport. Edelstein took her out of the transport because her mother had died that morning and she'd acquired different status by her mother's death.
She came to Terezin from Prague in October 1942, and left in May 1945 (when the Russians took over Terezin), from age 16 to almost 19 years, and worked the entire time as 'Betreuerin' (caregiver) in a children's home, L 318. L 318 was one of the orphan houses in the ghetto. Later in 1945 in Olesovice - in the Poemysl Pitter, Children's Rehabilitation Center, situated in a castle of baron von Ringhoffer not far from Prague - she was a tutor for a group of children who survived Terezin and other camps.
In 1945 Anna Freud took a small group of Terezin children to England, they were taken care of under Anna Freud's supervision. Some of the children's recollections were published with their permission. Anna Freud has written an article about them, and Gyömrői
Edith Gyömrői Ludowyk
Edith Gyömrői Ludowyk was a Hungarian Jewish psychotherapist, poet and communist. She was one of the handful of European Radicals in Sri Lanka....
has written an analysis of one of the children survivors. At that time Anna Freud often called Erna Furman to ask her about things that came up with the children from camp, hoping that Erna could clarify them.
Erna Furman's Terezin drawings were demonstrated at the Friedl Dicker-Brandeis
Friedl Dicker-Brandeis
Frederika "Friedl" Dicker-Brandeis , was an Austrian artist murdered by the Nazi's in their extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau....
's exhibit series in Japan in April–October 2002. They were included in the exhibit and on display for the first time, the drawings and diaries of Erna Furman, "a survivor of Terezin and pupil of Friedl." Her materials were taken in a special corner of the exhibition, called 'Erna's Room'. She and Friedl Dicker-Brandeis had been close friends when they were both interned in the ghetto of Terezin during the Second World War.
A graduate of the Child Therapy Training Program offered by Anna Freud
Anna Freud
Anna Freud was the sixth and last child of Sigmund and Martha Freud. Born in Vienna, she followed the path of her father and contributed to the newly born field of psychoanalysis...
in Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Erna Furman was a child psychoanalyst, a licensed psychologist, and a teacher. She emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with the help of Anny Katan in the 1950s.
She married Robert Furman, had two daughters, Lydia and Tanya, and lived in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
with her husband. Both were prominent and respected psychoanalysts. Erna Furman specialized in children and how children process grief. Of particular importance was her evidence that children as young as three essentially process grief no differently than adults and her insistence that children not be misled or deceived when a parent dies. She wrote:
In all bereavement, it is extraordinarily important that all of the realities of the death be known and appreciated by the survivor, particularly the cause of the death.
She practiced at the Hanna Perkins Center for Child Development and also saw patients in her Cleveland Heights home. She was a prolific writer; over the years she received extensive accolades for her contributions to psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
. She was made an honorary member of the American Psychoanalytic Association
American Psychoanalytic Association
American Psychoanalytic Association is an association of psychoanalysts in the United States. It was founded in 1911, and forms part of the International Psychoanalytical Association.-External links:**...
in 1999.
Erna Furman and her husband Robert both died in 2002, one month apart.
Erna Furman died on August 9 (aged 76) and Robert Furman died on September 21.
Quotes by Erna Furman
Published work
- A Child's Parent Dies. Studies in Childhood Bereavement (1974)
- What Nursery School Teachers Ask Us About: Psychoanalytic Consultations in Preschools (Emotions and Behavior Monographs) (1986)
- The teacher's guide to Helping young children grow: The Teacher's Manual (1987)
- Helping Young Children Grow: I Never Knew Parents Did So Much (1988)
- Toddlers and Their Mothers: A Study in Early Personality Development (1992)
- Toddlers and Their Mothers: Abridged Version for Parents and Educators (1993)
- Preschoolers: Questions and Answers: Psychoanalytic Consultations With Parents, Teachers, and Caregivers (1995)
- Needs, Urges and Feelings in Early Childhood: Helping Young Children Grow (1997)
- Relationships in Early Childhood: Helping Young Children Grow (1998)
- Self-Control and Mastery in Early Childhood: Helping Young Children Grow (1998)
- On Being and Having a Mother (2001), a collection of papers written by Erna Furman collecting her various papers on mothering into one volume.
Literature
- ERNA FURMAN 1926-2002 , Text & Interviews ELENA MAKAROVA, ways of growing up, ISBN 978-90-9022076-5
External links
- In Memory of Erna Furman Psychoanalysis in Cleveland, September 2002 (P. 6 from 12)
- Erna Furman, 76, Expert on Grief in Children The New York Times, Published: September 30, 2002