As the son of a holocaust survivor in the most literal sense, I think the “holocaust survivor” tag is normally associated with people who were personally subjected to Nazi persecution, such as concentration camps, ghettos or under Nazi occupation. Epstein did suffer the loss of family members, but she was not personally subjected to Nazi persecution. The use of the label is misleading because it makes the person out to be a personal victim of brutality and thus, worthy of the greatest sympathy and deference in matters of injustice.
Thanks for your sharing your opinion on it. I was having a hard time knowing if she should be called a Holocaust survivor or not even though I was leaning toward not. What it brings to my mind is someone who was in a camp and lived to tell the tale.