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Chaim Shapiro

Understanding the Intergenerational Trauma of Jews

My daughter at the train gate to Auschwitz. My daughter’s great-great grandmother and her great-uncle (and probably many other relatives) went through that gate on their way to the gas chambers. (courtesy)

To my non-Jewish friends and colleagues; I wanted to explain the extreme trauma Jewish people (especially those of European extraction) are experiencing after the attacks in Israel

Sadly, horrible things happen in the world all of the time, but it is important to understand the intergenerational trauma experienced by the Jewish community

My generation grew up hearing the horrific personal stories about the Holocaust from our grandparents;

Who grew up hearing the horrific personal stories about massacres of Jews during centuries of pogroms;

Who grew up hearing the horrific personal stories about massacres of Jews during Khmelnytsky’s Uprising;

Who grew up hearing the horrific personal stories about the Spanish Inquisition;

Who grew up hearing the horrific personal stories about massacres of Jews during the Black Death;

Who grew up hearing the horrific personal stories about massacres of Jews during EACH of the Crusades.

Many of us hoped and prayed, that we are living in more modern times, and YET, my daughter will raise her future children and grandchildren telling stories about the massacre of Jews in 2023.

About the Author
Chaim Shapiro is the Executive Director of Undergraduate Career Services at Touro University, a freelance writer, public speaker, LinkedIn consultant and a Board Certified Coach specializing in career coaching Chaim was the Hillel Director at the University of California, Riverside between 1999-2003, fighting and advocating for Israel when the current anti-Israel campus campaign was in its infancy.
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