A scholar, William Helmreich, who made a study of the subject in his book Against All Odds, provides a list of the character traits he believes were held in common by Holocaust survivors who successfully adapted to life in America.

In some combination, they exhibited: flexibility, assertiveness, tenacity, optimism, intelligence, distancing ability, group consciousness, assimilating the knowledge that they survived, finding meaning in their life, and courage. 

You will notice that many of Helmreich's success factors are the same survival skills I noted earlier, which leads me to the conclusion that Holocaust survivors like me who went on to substantial success did so by applying the same skills and strategies we used to outwit the Nazis.

Those of my generation who made it through had within us the tools to accomplish exceptional things