Holocaust Survivor’s stories following the October 7th war in Israel
Yarin Cohen, Maryah Fram, Sue Levkoff

TL;DR
Holocaust survivors in Israel used their past experiences to cope with the trauma of the October 7th attack and rising antisemitism, showing resilience and deep psychological impacts from historical trauma.
Contribution
This study reveals how Holocaust survivors use narrative-based coping strategies to process contemporary trauma, offering insights for supporting older adults with historical trauma.
Findings
Survivors used historical narratives as coping tools during the October 7th crisis.
Participants shifted perspectives between being Jews, Israelis, and global citizens to process events.
Many survivors expressed anxiety about Israel’s future and rising antisemitism resembling pre-Holocaust conditions.
Abstract
Holocaust survivors (HS) have often developed narrative identities centered on Israel as both ensuring safety from atrocities and a place where Jewish communities can thrive into the future. The October 7th Hamas attack and subsequent war potentially challenged these resilience fostering narratives. This study explored how HS processed these events and subsequent antisemitism to better understand their meaning-making and support their well-being during late life. Researchers conducted 18 in-depth, semi-structured video interviews with Israeli HS(ages 81-95), analyzing transcripts through thematic and narrative approaches. Findings revealed survivors used their historical narratives as coping tools when processing October 7, drawing guidance from past coping experiences. As a coping mechanism, they shifted between multiple perspectives—viewing events as Jews, as Israelis, and within…
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Taxonomy
TopicsMigration, Health and Trauma · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration · Identity, Memory, and Therapy
