Maria and Lola: Stories of Survival Book launch

We are honoured to launch a new book by Carol Gordon and Gregoria Boursinos, which recounts the experiences of two sisters who survived the Holocaust under differing circumstances. Maria and Lola Seror were the sole survivors of their family, and their stories - told 70 years after the war - are a testament to their courage and resistance in the face of unendurable hardship. Carol and Gregoria will join Dr Simon Holloway in conversation, as they discuss the circumstances of Maria and Lola's survival, and the Holocaust in Thessaloniki.

Carol Gordon is a Melbourne-based writer, filmmaker, and Holocaust educator. 

Training as a film editor in South Africa and working in the film and television industry there for many years, Carol moved to Australia with her family in 1995. With a Degree in Teaching and an Honours Degree in Communication (Media Studies), Carol has completed several courses through the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Devoting more than twenty five years to the research of the history of Greece’s Jewish communities and their near-destruction during the Holocaust, Carol continues on her mission to present The Shira’s Journey Project to local and international audiences of all ages, and sharing the all too unknown history of these once vibrant and dynamic communities.

Carol has written a screenplay which has been self-published as a book. The book, Shira’s Journey, is fiction but based on fact and real events.

Another element of The Shira’s Journey Project is a photographic exhibition for which Carol has written all the accompanying text. Working as a volunteer guide and Holocaust educator at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, Carol has also helped to transcribe Survivor testimonies for the museum.

Gregoria Boursinos is a Greek Australian and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Diploma in Education from La Trobe University. Boursinos majored in World War II History and has always had a strong interest in Holocaust studies. She has completed a Holocaust course at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum and at the Yad Vashem School in Jerusalem. Gregoria met Maria and Lola at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum and knew immediately that she wanted to record their stories. Gregoria spent countless hours with the sisters, interviewing them, documenting their stories and doing research. When that was all done, Gregoria approached Carol Gordon to co-author the book with her.