The Life and Thought of Louis Lowy

Social Work Through the Holocaust

Author: Lorrie Gardella Series: Religion, Theology and the Holocaust

Drawing on Lowy's oral narrative and accounts from three other Holocaust survivors who witnessed his work in the Terez

The story of Lowys life and thought, as told in his own words and those of other survivors, is also a part of a larger story, the story of social work history, Jewish history, and the meaning of the Holocaust in the development of the social work profession.

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Summary

Drawing on Lowy's oral narrative and accounts from three other Holocaust survivors who witnessed his work in the Terez

Description

Louis Lowy (1920–1991), an international social worker and gerontologist, rarely spoke publicly about the Holocaust. During the last months of his life, however, he recorded an oral narrative that explores his activities during the Holocaust as the formative experiences of his career. Whether caring for youth in concentration camps, leading an escape from a death march, or forming the self-government of a Jewish displaced persons center, Lowy was guided by principles that would later inform his professional identity as a social worker, including the values of human worth and self-determination, the interdependence of generations, and the need for social participation and lifelong learning. Drawing on Lowy’s oral narrative and accounts from three other Holocaust survivors who witnessed his work in the Terezín ghetto and the Deggendorf Displaced Persons Center, Gardella offers a rich portrait of Lowy’s personal and professional legacy. In chronicling his life, Gardella also uncovers a larger story about Jewish history and the meaning of the Holocaust in the development of the social work profession.

Critic Reviews

“A captivating and important contribution to Holocaust memoir literature.”

[This] highly readable and well-researched historical gem should be required reading in all schools of social work. It captures the lived experience of social work philosophy through the life and work of Holocaust survivor and social work educator Louis Lowy.-- "Dorothy Van Soest, University of Washington"
-- "Diane L. Wolf, University of California, Davis"

About the Author

Lorrie Greenhouse Gardella is professor of social work and associate dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies at Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, Connecticut. She is coauthor of several books including A Dream and a Plan: A Woman’s Path to Leadership in Human Services and Adopting Children with Special Needs: A Resource Guidebook for Parents in Connecticut.