- 8 Transcending Victimization through EmpowermentBy 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 … Read more
- A victory for father’s sakeBy David Boas The following article was published on May 2, 2019 in the Jerusalem Post. Courtesy of Jerusalem Post. Pictured above: The Boas family house in … Read more
- Principles and Practices for Implementing Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed Care for Holocaust Survivors and Other Older AdultsBarbara 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 … Read more
- The Tasty Travels Club for Holocaust Survivors at JFCS of Greater PhiladelphiaCarly M. Bruski, LMSW, Assistant Director, Holocaust Survivor Support Program “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” – James Beard The Holocaust Survivor Support Program … Read more
- Person-Centered Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy with Holocaust Survivors and their Family CaregiversAlyssa Reiner, MSW, LSW, RYT200 More than seventy years after the Holocaust, the complete impact of pervasive trauma on Survivors continues to be under investigation. An … Read more
- Resilience through Art: Art Therapy with Holocaust Survivors from the Former Soviet UnionBy Mariya Keselman, MA, ATR-BC, LPC “At root, a pearl is a ‘disturbance,’ a beauty caused by something that isn’t supposed to be there, about which … Read more
- For Just One DayBy Betyna Bock Dedication to My Father – Karel Bock “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell. A Hell … Read more
- Max, An Unconventional FatherBy Renee Symonds BA Dip. Ed., MA Psych. An unconventional father, I had, A confirmed Communist too And here in Australia A Socialist would do A lover … Read more
- Flashes of Memory: The Survivor Story of Irene Lewkowicz ShasharBy Maggie Leone, Boston University, College of Communication 2021 Preface The memories return in flashes. None of the events are contiguous or chronological. I know what … Read more
- Telling Your Children About the HolocaustBy Dr. Eva Fogelman, Ph.D. If you are a Holocaust survivor with a grandchild and you seek to fulfill the awesome responsibility of perpetuating the memory … Read more
- Collection of Poetry from Betyna BockBy Betyna Bock My Mother Tongue My mother tongue lies dormant,shipwrecked in dark childhood memorieslike a water damaged diaryof a past traveller. Once I spoke this language well,a … Read more
- The Long GoodbyeBy Renee Symonds My uncle is musing, “I remember the day she was born. I didn’t want to go to school. I was 7 years old. … Read more
- Holocaust Survivors As Participant Educators: Giving Space To Lived Experience Of Social Trauma in Collective MemoryBy Irit Felsen, Ph.D. and Elizabeth Edelstein This paper describes the Educators program at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in … Read more
- L’dor Vador: Holocaust Survivor Story Sharing ProjectBy Sara Zenlea, LCSW This article focuses on the interactions and feelings experienced between elementary level students and Holocaust survivors in school settings. Background Adults … Read more
- German Child Survivors in ActionBy Philipp Sonntag On 13 April 2001, the Association of Child Survivors in Germany (Child Survivors Deutschland, CSD) was established, nearly fifty-five years after the end … Read more
- Collection of Poetry from Betyna BockBy Betyna Bock Nora at the Fruit Shop In Theresienstadt you worked in the vegetable garden and stole fruit and vegetables. You defied death by disregarding the … Read more
- Teaching About Trauma: Models for Training Service Providers in Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed CareBy 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 … Read more
- Art Therapy With Holocaust Survivors: A Case StudyBy 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 … Read more
- Compassionate ResponsesBy Renée Symonds Sir Moses Montefiore Jewish Home (Board Member) Co-ordinator Holocaust Awareness Program The Sydney Jewish Museum (Consultant Psychologist) How does one transmit the history of the … Read more
- Music and Memory: Rekindling Joy Through MusicBy 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 … Read more
- Client Outreach: Tales of a Wandering JewBy 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. … Read more
- Dehumanization in the Treatment of Elderly Holocaust Survivors and Other Elderly Persons with Histories of Prior TraumatizationBy Irit Felsen, Ph.D. Abstract- This paper suggests that elderly trauma survivors are at elevated risk for re-traumatization in medical and long-term care settings. Findings from recent … Read more
- The Indestructible Jewish SoulAfter viewing a film about how the faith of Holocaust survivors kept them strong during the Shoah, I noticed very little spotlight shone on those survivors whose faith, in contrast, was shattered or conflicted.
- Jewish Hospice – An Idea Whose Time Has ComeHealing does not always mean curing. Healing a wounded soul and helping guide it through the challenges of terminal illness is a significant expression of caring. It is the implementation of Jewish values in the lives of real people at a time when they are most vulnerable. This is Jewish Hospice.
- Reflections from Son of Saul to Son of AliceViewing Son of Saul provided my mother and I with a unique, personalized confrontation with intimate moment-to-moment exposure to traumatic scenes on the screen, allowing us to witness the actors’ facial expressions, prosody and body gestures.
- Snoezelen Rooms: Preserving Memories of Holocaust Survivors with DementiaSnoezelen is a form of multi-sensory stimulation (MSS) that is used both to calm down Patients with Dementia (PwD) who are agitated, as well as to stimulate those that are disengaged from their surroundings
- Psychological Dynamics in Aging Survivors of the HolocaustAuthor: Dr. Eva Fogelman, Ph.D, Child Development Research The psychological dynamics of aging survivors of the Holocaust are worthy of inquiry because, indeed, their old age … Read more
- A Measure of Faith: Child Holocaust Survivors and their Spiritual DilemmaBy Robert Krell M.D. July 27, 2016 I am a child Holocaust survivor and must, therefore, begin with my own origins, including my struggle to develop … Read more
- How A Holocaust Survivor Incorporates Spirituality Into Her Life: A Case StudyBy Lois Griff Lillian was born in a small town in Germany on August 8, 1923. She describes her youth as wealthy and privileged. She had … Read more
- Witness Theater at the Berman Center for the Performing Arts in West Bloomfield, MichiganBy Charles Silow, PhD On April 8, 2013 at the Berman Center for the Performing Arts in West Bloomfield, Michigan, a group of six Holocaust survivors … Read more
- A Multidimensional Exploration of the Effects of Identity Ruptures in Israeli and North American Holocaust SurvivorsClinical, 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 … Read more
- Never Forget-Never Enoughby Chavie Brumer, LCSW-R “But my mother won’t go and I don’t know what else to do,” says the caregiver in the back row, clearly at … Read more
- Beshert – It was Meant to BeA book review by Dr. George Halasz There is a famous Chasidic saying, “In the end is the beginning,” which I had in mind as I read … Read more
- Encounters with Chronic Psychiatric Holocaust Survivors: Trauma, Psychosis and FunctionalityBy Irit Felsen, Ph.D. Part I Abstract This paper describes encounters with Jewish survivors of the Holocaust who were diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent decades in … Read more
- Witness Theater in New York: Transforming Holocaust Survivors, High School Students and Communities through Therapeutic Theaterby Adeena Horowitz, LMSW Administrative Director, Nazi Victim Services Program, Selfhelp Community Services, Inc. Witness Theater was conceived and initiated by Irit and Ezra Dagan, and … Read more
- “Recovering from Genocidal Trauma” by Myra Giberovitch: A Book ReviewAn Information and Practice Guide for Working with Holocaust Survivors by Myra Giberovitch Judith Hassan OBE Special Advisor Therapeutic Services for Survivors and Refugees of War Trauma … Read more
- The Art of Storytellingby 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 … Read more
- For Decades I was Silent: A Holocaust Survivor’s Journey Back to Faith – The Memoirs of Baruch G. GoldsteinA 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 … Read more
- Looking Back, Being Here and Glimpsing at the Future: Eleven Years in the Life of a Group of Women Survivors, Under the Auspices of AMCHAby Aviva Lion Introduction In March 2003, I arrived on the doorstep of Yoram Amit, director of Amcha in Rehovot. In a very unimposing office, here … Read more
- Scars of the Past – Group Work with Holocaust Survivors and DescendantsBy Halina Rosenkranz, M.S. Holocaust Program—Group Facilitator Westchester Jewish Community Services 141 N. Central Avenue Hartsdale, New York “We’re supposed to feel sorry for the children of … Read more
- DO WE HAVE FOCUS? – Supporting Holocaust Survivor Guides and Volunteers at The Sydney Jewish MuseumBy Renee Symonds BA Dip. Ed., MA Psych. and Rony Bognar Abstract This paper discusses the creation and development of the Survivor Focus Group at the … Read more
- Manifestations of Generational Trauma: What, Why, Where and How We Feel Dissociations from Holocaust TraumaPresentation Limmud Oz Sunday 24 November 2013 By Dr. George Halasz www.halasz.com.au With the rapid changes in our understanding of the ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘where’ and ‘how’ … Read more
- Life Beyond DespairExploring Holocaust Survivors’ Successful Coping and Adaption By Michelle Fishman “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” ―Friedrich Nietzsche On May 8, 1945, Germany faced … Read more
- Preparing for the Care of the Aging Child Survivor of the HolocaustBy Dr. Robert Krell Adult survivors of the Holocaust, age 17 years or older at the time of liberation, experience postwar life differently from those who … Read more
- “Food & Love” – On the Role of the “Coordinator of Services for Holocaust survivors” at the Loewenstein Hospital Rehabilitation Center in Israelby Naomi Shacham, MSW “And I was hungry For food And for love I was hungry To feel what it is like to belong to someone … Read more
- Ripples of Trauma and Resilience: Partner Relationships among Second-Generation Survivors of the HolocaustBy Eli Somer*1 and Moshe Nizri1 Many researchers assume that the continuing influences of the Holocaust on its survivors are long-term, and hypothesize that its stamp … Read more
- Caring for Holocaust Survivors With Sensitivity at End-of-Life MJHS Hospice and Palliative Care, August 2013When providing services to Holocaust survivors, it is important that we are particularly mindful of our words and actions, especially because we may be the last generation of caregivers and clinicians who have the honor, as well as the moral obligation, of delivering compassionate health services to survivors. Caring for Holocaust survivors at end of life is rewarding when it leads to a peaceful passage at the end of the natural life span of our patients, an experience denied to those who were murdered during the horrific years of the Nazi regime.
- Holocaust Survivors of Sexual ViolenceWe at Remember the Women Institute have been seeking for years to place the issue of sexual violence against Jewish women (and men) during the Holocaust in the narrative of Holocaust history. We believe that we have made some inroads, especially with our recent symposium in cooperation with USC Shoah Foundation.
- Trauma in a Residential SettingGoodnight, Irene… Welcome Home! Transforming Relational Trauma in a Residential Setting By George Halasz, Magalí Kaplan, Rod Myer “And so I learnt that the poet is … Read more
- Conference Presentation: End of LifeEnd-of-Life Issues for Holocaust Survivors A presentation given in October 2008 at an international conference in Frankfurt for professionals working with Holocaust survivors. By Judith Hassan, … Read more
- Wartime Experiences and Late Life CopingIn Their Own Words: Survivor Wartime and Late Life Coping Styles By Nancy Isserman, Bea Hollander-Goldfein and S. Nechama Horwitz The coping literature is quite extensive with … Read more
- Aging Child SurvivorsAging of Child Holocaust Survivors By Yoram Barak, MD, MHA Introduction Numerous studies focus on the influence of Holocaust experiences on child survivors more than 60 years … Read more
- Conference Presentation: Survivor ResilienceThe Resiliency of the Survivor: Views of a Child Holocaust Survivor/Psychiatrist A presentation given at the Pike Conference on “The Holocaust and Its Legacy: Resiliency, Fragility … Read more
- Healing Water: Guided Imagery and Music TherapyAssessing Trauma, Abuse and Loss via Guided Imagery and Music by Amy Clements-Cortés, Ph.D., MusM, MTA, Mt-BC, FAMI Abstract Holocaust survivors often face many psychological and … Read more
- Music TherapyMusic Therapy To Sever the Silence of a Childhood Holocaust Survivor By Amy Clements-Cortes Ph.D, MusM, MTA Introducing Manya Manya was a 72-year-old female widow, … Read more
- Early Trauma and ResilienceTheory Through the Eyes of Child Survivors of the Holocaust By Svetlana Shklarov MD, Ph.D, RSW Somehow, we children who were meant to die, have lived. … Read more
- What’s in a Name?Eight Variations on a Theme By Natan PF Kellermann Ph.D [DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are strictly the personal views of the … Read more
- Soviet Jewish Child SurvivorsIdentity and Resilience After Long Silence By Svetlana Shklarov MD, Ph.D, RSW Russian Jews have learned to overcome their fear, know how to make their silence … Read more
- An Alliance for the Mental Health of Holocaust SurvivorsTowards the Integration of Mental Health Services and Social Programs for Holocaust Survivors in New York City By Gary J. Kennedy MD Alessandra Scalmati MD, Ph.D … Read more
- Holocaust Survivors of Sexual AbuseAging Child Holocaust Survivors of Sexual Abuse By Carla Lessing LCSW Presented at the Selfhelp Conference in New York on March 29, 2011. The goal of … Read more
- Social Work with Holocaust Survivors in Isolated CommunitiesPractical Experience from the Jewish Community of Zagreb by Ana Hermanovic, MSW This article presents strategic and programmatic approaches to serving a diverse survivor community where the common thread is the past experience of personal trauma under the Ustasha and Nazi regime in wartime Croatia. The author emphasizes the fact that assistance is critical for a vulnerable population of “aging citizens in a country where age is identified as one of the highest risk factors in leading to social exclusion and poverty.”
- Small Things in the Morning that Bring Joyby Shmuel Reis MD, MHPE As a physician on a house call, Dr. Reis took a moment to listen to the recollections of a patient of who was a survivor. Drawn to her story, he set up regular meetings to learn more. Their visits together inspired the survivor to document her memories and share details of her life never before revealed. The therapeutic nature of their shared activity led her son to report, “These last ten years have been her best.”
- Hagibor Social Care Facilityby Dr. Radek Samuel Roule During its nearly 100-year history, Hagibor, a Jewish communal center in Prague, has had disparate uses since its initial founding in 1911, reverting once again to being a place of caring for elderly Jewish community members. Current programs serve to improve the quality of life for Nazi victims.
- Club Nissim – Every Member a Living Miracleby Simonne Beckeld Hirschhorn Club Nissim celebrates the miracles of survival for program participants while it provides essential services for those who embrace life well into their later years.
- Aging Holocaust Survivors: An Evolution of Understandingby Paula David, MSW, PhD This paper discusses the evolution of understanding of survivors in the aftermath of the Holocaust. In the author’s words: Since the literature on Holocaust survivors is confined to the period post 1945, there is a finite amount of material. The literature discussed in this article was accessed online through the Ovid, Scholars Portal and Proquest Research Library databases, while older articles and books not sourced online or out of print were hand sourced and acquired from the collections of various Toronto Jewish institutions and the personal collections of Holocaust scholars in Israel, the United States and Canada.
- A Partnership Model to Reduce Isolation and Enhance the Well-Being of Survivors in Palm Beach County’s Gated-CommunitiesA Partnership Model to Reduce Isolation and Enhance the Well-Being of Survivors in Palm Beach County’s Gated Communities by Jenni Frumer, LCSW Associate Executive Director and Eva Weiss, MEd Coordinator, Holocaust Program Unique challenges face survivors in Palm Beach County’s gated communities. The ‘resort lifestyle’ leads to social isolation as well as limited intergenerational interaction. With Cafe Europa as a successful model, AJFCS looked to provide additional regular opportunities for survivors to socialize. Partnering with area agencies and surveying participants in order to make suitable changes over the past year, AJFCS has created Eat and Shmooze, and has developed a model which has met with success.