Ms. Solomon, you are 73 and therefore two years younger than the State of Israel. They have already had to survive a number of wars. How do you experience the situation on site? It is terrible. Many of us have lost family members, friends, or are friends with people who have lost someone. You know, Israel is a very small country, the bonds between people are strong. We went to school together, later to the army, and our friendships lasted 70 or 80 years. We are a tight-knit society. Hamas’ terror shocks us all. It is like a stone that has fallen into the water and is now making ever wider circles.
The attack by Hamas is perceived by many as the most serious traumatization of the Jewish population since the founding of the State of Israel. Definitely. Our history is so fragile, it doesn’t take much to stir up memories and shake our sense of security.
You research trauma, particularly the psychological consequences of stress reactions in combat, in captivity and in the Holocaust. In this context, you describe Israel as a “natural stress laboratory”. What do you mean? We have experienced several wars and terrorist attacks. For us, trauma is not an academic topic, but part of everyday life. And in this environment, I researched the effects of traumatic stress on soldiers and civilians and studied collective trauma.
What is the difference between collective and individual trauma? Let’s say someone has a very bad experience and their family is there to pick them up. Maybe he can find support in a self-help group. Experts are at his side to help him process what he has experienced. His community is there and stabilizes him. In a collective trauma, everyone is affected and this leads to the collapse of an entire society. Everyone experiences themselves as potential victims and feels existentially threatened.
Is that the stone you were talking about at the beginning, the one that continues to spread? Exactly. Even if it is an individual trauma such as post-traumatic stress disorder, it runs in circles, at least within the family. But the trauma that war brings affects us all. As a society.
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