KavodTheory 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. We have survived even our survival. And in our various stages of continued hiding many have carved out substantive lives with careers and family. And some have even broken…
Identity 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 heard as a means of action; theirs is a courage of defiance. … Desperate, you? Your capacity for hope does not date from today. Feeble, you? You have more…
Towards 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 Debra Greenberg MSW, Ph.D Introduction Novel social support programs developed for Holocaust survivors show promise as avenues to reduce disability in late life associated with dementia and other mental…
Aging 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 this presentation is that we, the mental health professionals and caretakers of the now elderly victims, will be alert to the possibility that the aging former hidden children, men,…
Practical 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.”
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 celebrates the miracles of survival for program participants while it provides essential services for those who embrace life well into their later years.