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Issue 10, Spring 2020

8 Transcending Victimization through Empowerment

By Myra Giberovitch The core experiences of psychological trauma are disempowerment and disconnection from others. J.L. Herman (1992) VICTIMIZATION Long-term victimization under a systematic and comprehensive program of genocide adversely affected the mental and emotional well-being of many survivors. ‘People who have endured horrible events suffer predictable psychological harm’ (Herman, 1992:3). Although survivors differ from…

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Issue 10, Spring 2020

Principles and Practices for Implementing Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed Care for Holocaust Survivors and Other Older Adults

Barbara Joyce Bedney, Ph.D., M.S.W., Leah Bergen Miller, B.A, and Shelley Rood Wernick, M.B.A. The Jewish Federations of North America Center for Advancing Holocaust Survivor Care Introduction It is currently estimated that close to 90% of American adults 18 and over have had at least one traumatic event in their lifetimes (Kilpatrick et al., 2013).…

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Issue 10, Spring 2020

The Tasty Travels Club for Holocaust Survivors at JFCS of Greater Philadelphia

Carly M. Bruski, LMSW, Assistant Director, Holocaust Survivor Support Program “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” – James Beard The Holocaust Survivor Support Program offers an array of social programming, but without a doubt one of the favorites is Tasty Travels Club. This exciting program began at JFCS’ Barbara and Harvey Brodsky Enrichment…

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Issue 8, Spring 2018 Spring 2018

Art Therapy With Holocaust Survivors: A Case Study

By Tatiana Kastner, MSW, RSW “Art is a powerful tool of communication,” as C.A. Malchiodi says in her Handbook of Art Therapy (2003, p. 3). Its therapeutic benefits for the person’s emotional well being have been reported for diverse populations (Canadian Art Therapy Association, 2017). The multi-faceted approach of Expressive Therapies can be very appropriate…

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Issue 8, Spring 2018 Spring 2018

Teaching About Trauma: Models for Training Service Providers in Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed Care

By Michael Andrew Eisinger, M.A., and Barbara Joyce Bedney, Ph.D., M.S.W. The Jewish Federations of North America Center for Advancing Holocaust Survivor Care December 29, 2017 According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2014), “individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by…

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Issue 8, Spring 2018

Music and Memory: Rekindling Joy Through Music

By Emily Kaplan Through the musical offerings at our monthly Café Europa social luncheon events, our Holocaust Survivor Support team quickly realized that music holds a special place in survivors’ hearts. Looking around the room when a performer plays Broadway tunes or sings Jewish music in Hebrew or Yiddish, it is easy to see the…

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Issue 8, Spring 2018

Client Outreach: Tales of a Wandering Jew

By Deb Kram I’m sitting in yet another airport terminal, waiting to board my flight after presenting to and meeting with local survivors of the Holocaust. With a soft fluttering of wings, I notice a bird perched, not far, on the back of one of the seats. Smiling, I wonder to myself, will the bird…

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Issue 6, Winter 2016

A Multidimensional Exploration of the Effects of Identity Ruptures in Israeli and North American Holocaust Survivors

Clinical, Policy, and Programmatic Implications written by: Yael Danieli Group Project for Holocaust Survivors and their Children, NY, USA Fran H. Norris Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA Author Note This study was supported by grants from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, the Anti-Defamation League and Richard Rockefeller, M.D.…

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Issue 5, Spring 2015

The Art of Storytelling

by Maureen DeLorenzo Case Manager, Holocaust Survivor’s Assistance Program Alpert Jewish Family & Children’s Service, West Palm Beach, Florida March 1, 2014 Nine months ago, I tied the knot with my newfound soul mate and best friend. The six months leading up to our nuptials were filled with excitement, anxiety and wonder about the family…

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Issue 5, Spring 2015

For Decades I was Silent: A Holocaust Survivor’s Journey Back to Faith – The Memoirs of Baruch G. Goldstein

A Book Review by Susan H. Sachs  MELABEV  –   מלב”ב מרכז לטיפול בקשיש בקהילה Jerusalem, Israel  Melabev was the very first organization in Jerusalem to provide safe, pleasant, caring day centers for older adults with declining memory or cognitive skills.  The staff of the Melabev day care centers also offers support and guidance to the…