Archived Site: Jonestown Survivor

Information Concerning this Archived Site

Source: https://jonestownsurvivor.com (Inactive)

This is the archive of a large website of articles and blogs published in conjunction with the book, Jonestown Survivor: An Insider’s Look. The book and all the material in this archive were written by Laura Johnston Kohl, a member of Peoples Temple who survived the tragedy in Jonestown by being in Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown on 18 November 1978.

Following the twentieth anniversary of the Jonestown tragedy, Ms. Johnston Kohl became a prolific writer and active public speaker, work she continued to do until shortly before her death on 19 November 2019. She also made herself available to family members of those who perished in Guyana and scholars who try to understand the calamity of the ending. Finally, she was a generous contributor of articles and remembrances for the Alternative Considerations site, all of which may be found here.

In the interest of preserving the information from her site for future generations of Jonestown scholars and researchers, the managers of this site obtained permission from Laura’s husband Ron Kohl to archive her work in its entirety. Both the archive and the book itself are published with his permission.

THE 2012 JONESTOWN REPORT – JONESTOWN SURVIVOR Articles

September 30, 2012in articles, by /

THE 2012 JONESTOWN REPORT – Published by The Jonestown Institute

This November 18, 2012  is the 34th Anniversary of Jonestown

                In the process of writing my book and articles for different other media and events, I have turned into a writer.  Some of it is journaling, and some of it has a bigger role in helping me explain different aspects of both Peoples Temple and my life since I survived.  Often, I seem to want to put my thoughts on paper and to use them to clarify a point or to organize my own thinking.  The newest Jonestown Report is due out in November, in time for the 34th Anniversary gathering at Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland.  The result is that I have written at least seven articles for this edition!

In this issue, I have written about a myriad of experiences and reflections.  I wrote memorials about two wonderful people in my life, and in Peoples Temple.  I wrote about Paula Adams and Rheaviana Beam.  I also wrote an update on my book, and my work posting and identifying 1,500 photos on www.flickr.com.  I wrote several more introspective pieces about myself – a response to a “hate” email I received, an article about finding my voice today, and another about where I go from here.  Another article I wrote addressed a frequent question about the deaths in Jonestown.  Why didn’t anyone stop them?  Who could have?

My final piece compares the role of women in both Peoples Temple and Synanon, with data I collected from both survivors and close friends of Peoples Temple and from ex-Synanon residents.  It is a very brief comparison of the two leaders, and the two communities.  This is a scholarly presentation that I will present at the Communal Studies Association Conference at the Oneida Community.  Along with the paper, I will present a power point presentation with photos.

I am delighted that I am able to write articles which might answer some of the nagging questions about Jonestown and Peoples Temple.

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