Catastrophic Grief, Trauma, and Resilience in Child Concentration Camp Survivors: A Retrospective View of Their Holocaust Experiences

Tracey Rori Farber; Gillian Eagle; Cora Smith

Published by Academic Studies Press 2023

Catastrophic Grief, Trauma, and Resilience in Child Concentration Camp Survivors

A Retrospective View of Their Holocaust Experiences

Tracey Rori Farber , Gillian Eagle and Cora Smith

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781644696354

Overview
Contents

About this book

Nine child concentration camp survivors were interviewed in their old age, evidencing enduring effects related to their traumatic experiences. All participants retained vivid recollections of internment and experienced catastrophic grief in relation to loss of parents and siblings. While resilience was evident, negotiation of life meaning was shaped by Holocaust-related memories and existential loneliness in old age.

Author / Editor information

Farber Tracey Rori :

Tracey Farber worked full time as a clinical psychologist, supervisor, and trainer in private practice for 24 years in Johannesburg, where she specialized in treating traumatized adults, adolescents and children. After completing her PhD in 2019, she moved to Israel. At present, she works as a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist at the Tel Aviv University Psychological Services, Student Success Centre and in private practice in Tel Aviv. She developed a psychoeducational program called “Understanding Trauma and Building Resilience” that was developed from her PhD research. This program has been taught to mental health workers, students, teachers, and parents as well as employees and managers.

Eagle Gillian :

Gill Eagle is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand. She lectures primarily on the master's program in Clinical Psychology and is also a core member of the doctoral team overseeing research work. Her research interests lie in the field of psychosocial studies, with a particular focus on traumatic stress and gender and issues. She runs a small private practice, working primarily within a relational psychoanalytic psychotherapy framework.

Smith Cora :

Cora Smith is Adjunct Professor in the Division of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of the Witwatersrand. She also holds a joint appointment post as the Chief Clinical Psychologist at the Child, Adolescent and Family Unit at Johannesburg Hospital. Her interests are in the development of personality pathology through the life cycle with a particular focus on attachment. She has a keen interest in the ethical dilemmas that emerge in clinical practice.

Tracey Farber worked full time as a clinical psychologist, supervisor, and trainer in private practice for 24 years in Johannesburg, where she specialized in treating traumatized adults, adolescents and children. After completing her PhD in 2019, she moved to Israel. At present she works as a clinical psychologist at Psychological Services, Student Success Centre, Tel Aviv University, and as a psychotherapist in private practice in Tel Aviv. She developed a psychoeducational program called “Understanding Trauma and Building Resilience” that was developed from her PhD research. This program has been taught to mental health workers, students, teachers, and parents as well as employees and managers.

Gill Eagle is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand. She lectures primarily on the master's program in Clinical Psychology and is also a core member of the doctoral team overseeing research work. Her research interests lie in the field of psychosocial studies, with a particular focus on traumatic stress and gender and issues. She runs a small private practice, working primarily within a relational psychoanalytic psychotherapy framework.

Cora Smith is Adjunct Professor in the Division of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of the Witwatersrand. She also holds a joint appointment post as the Chief Clinical Psychologist at the Child, Adolescent and Family Unit at Johannesburg Hospital. Her interests are in the development of personality pathology through the life cycle with a particular focus on attachment. She has a keen interest in the ethical dilemmas that emerge in clinical practice.

Reviews

“A must-read for those interested in a rich combination of unique perspectives on theories of childhood development and trauma, including the impact on aging for those who were children during the Holocaust. The Survivor narratives are gripping and haunting, and command the reader to pause in honor of their testimonies. Be prepared to be inspired by their resilience. This book contributes to a deeper understanding of the experiences of grief and hope among those who survived the atrocities of the Holocaust as children.”

— Jenni Frumer, Ph.D., LCSW, MSEd; Director, NOW for Holocaust Survivors Initiative/MorseLife Health System USA

“This important book adds many layers and considerable clarity to our understanding of child concentration camp Holocaust survivors’ experiences as they age. South Africa was always on the margins of the history of the Second World War and the Holocaust; only about 350 Holocaust survivors settled in the country after the war, many of whom were children and adolescents who were not interviewed about their experiences until the 1990s. It is seldom that a group of survivors trust and feel so comfortable with a researcher such as these nine survivors have been with Tracey Farber. They have known her for years and have benefitted from her visible care and generosity of spirit. Through her research, she does not only study the topic but also makes important steps to make sure they are cared for through the establishment of Holocaust survivors services in South Africa. This book is a testament to the many years of dedication and real care she has displayed, of which we are all grateful beneficiaries. I encourage all to read this important book, which includes not only the cases of these survivors and analysis of their experiences, but also excellent suggested steps forward that can be implemented widely.”

— Tali Nates, Founder and Director, Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre

“A book, raw in the visceral descriptions of the effects of the Holocaust provided by ageing child survivors as they painfully and courageously re-visit their experiences in the camps, the death marches and beyond. A book of inspiration in the warmth and compassion of the interviewer who listened and cared and whose personal resonances with the survivors shone through.

A hugely informative book in all authors’ scholarly research on complex trauma, complicated bereavement, ageing, resilience and existential loneliness. A remarkable, must read book in contemporary times not only for its collection of rare testimonies of ageing survivors of the holocaust but for its insights into the very long term but individual effects of massive collective trauma, which continue to dog the twenty first century. It is a testimony to despair and hope, trauma and resilience, and a must read for those who at least wish to try to understand.”

— Gillian Straker, Clinical Professor, University Of Sydney; Visiting Research Professor, University Witwatersrand

"This book captures the voices of some of the last living survivors of the Holocaust. These in-depth interviews provide valuable testimony to how the catastrophic losses and trauma suffered by children and youth in the context of a genocide shaped their life trajectories, and how these early experiences impact their engagement with the final developmental challenges of the late years in life. Moreover, Tracey Farber was one of the few practitioners who braved doing home visits during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her book brings a unique contribution since the interviews took place during a historical time that changed life for all, and exposed aging child survivors of the Holocaust to the most severe pandemic of the last 100 years, forcing them to endure isolation, loneliness and disrupted care, once again. Farber’s gentle and compassionate relationships with the survivors are an inspiration to all who know or work with trauma survivors.”

— Irit Felsen, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Co-Chair of the Trauma Working Group at the NGO on Mental Health in Consultative Relationship to the United Nations

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	xv
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	xvii
Foreword Diana Shmukler Publicly Available Download PDF	xix
Preface Tracey Farber Publicly Available Download PDF	xxiii
Introduction Tracey Farber, Gillian Eagle and Cora Smith Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Literature Review Tracey Farber Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	9
2. Research Approach Tracey Farber, Gillian Eagle and Cora Smith Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	74
3. Experiences and Testimonies of Child Concentration Camp Survivors Tracey Farber Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	80
4. Findings and Discussion: Themes of Trauma and Devastating Loss that Emerged from Testimony of Child Concentration Camp Survivors Tracey Farber Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	152
5. Reflexivity and Countertransference Tracey Farber Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	240
6. Interventions Tracey Farber Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	247
7. Temporality and the Reevaluation of Memories in Aging Child Holocaust Survivors: A Developmental Trajectory Cora Smith Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	250
8. A Particular Form of Complex Traumatization Gillian Eagle Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	261
9. What Can Be Learned from Child Concentration Camp Survivors about the Impact of Severe Trauma and Its Long-Term Impact on Aging Tracey Farber, Gillian Eagle and Cora Smith Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	271
10. Responding to the Needs of Aging Child Holocaust Survivors and Other Survivors of Severe Early Trauma Tracey Farber, Gillian Eagle and Cora Smith Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	278
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	281
Appendix 1. Ethical Clearance Certificate Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	303
Appendix 2. Turnitin Plagiarism Report Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	305
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	306

Language: English
Publisher: Academic Studies Press
Audience: College/higher education;Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 338
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 1
- Tables: 1
Keywords: Trauma; Holocaust survivors; Child Survivors; Grief; Bereavement; Resilience; Concentration Camp; Trauma Trilogy; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Complex traumatic stress disorder; Countertransference; Reflexivity

eBook

Published: June 20, 2023
ISBN: 9781644696354