For survivors, healing is process that continues

By Suzanne Johnson, On-Line Forty-Niner

Monday, November 23, 1998

From former cult members to Holocaust survivors, they are all united by one common element - suffering.

Thursday's panel discussion at the Faculty Development Center by those forced to reconstruct themselves after being deconstructed by society was the final presentation of this semester's Odyssey series.

Calvin Kwan, a Cal State Long Beach alumnus, was involved in a cult known as the International Churches of Christ for more than four years. Although he never experienced any physical abuse, he did suffer emotional and psychological abuse, he said.

Kwan said people often underestimate their naiveté, believing they can withstand pressure from such groups.

Kwan currently works for Reveal, an organization that offers support and alternatives to cult members seeking to escape.

CSULB business major Kirry Poeun lived in Cambodia during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Despite her young age, Poeun vividly recalls the horrors of the time.

Poeun remembers the death of her grandmother, too weak to survive after eating a poisonous plant. She also witnessed the death of her malnourished mother and newborn sibling.

Upon arriving to the United States, Poeun had to deal with the struggle of fitting into an unfamiliar society, completely ignorant of the language.

Dedication and hard work were crucial to the success she has achieved today, Poeun said.

According to Polish-born Joseph Freeman, five-and-one-half years of his life were a living hell.

During World War II, Freeman was placed in a concentration camp. He was one of the few Jewish prisoners who survived the Nazi death march of 1945.

"We have hearts which are bleeding, wounds which never heal," Freeman said of the panelists and other Holocaust survivors.

Freeman said that by sharing his experiences, he is attempting to build bridges of understanding for a better future.

Freeman is the author of "Job: The Story of a Holocaust Survivor" and "The Road to Hell." Reliving his pain and suffering turned his writing into a laborious 10-year process, he said.

Yoshio Montonaga was denied his freedom in 1940 when he was relocated to a Japanese internment camp in Wyoming.

"The trauma stays with you," he said.

"One must not judge people by color or form. You must live with them and learn to appreciate their character," Montonaga said.

The panel advocated education, awareness and speaking out when one witnesses injustice.