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Psychological Effects Of The Holocaust

        The Holocaust was a tragic point in history which many people
believe never happened.   Others who survived it thought it should
never have been.   Not only did this affect the people who lived
through it, it also affected everyone who was connected to those
fortunate individuals who survived.   The survivors were lucky to
have made it but there are times when their memories and flashbacks
have made them wish they were the ones who died instead of living
with the horrible aftermath.   The psychological effects of the
Holocaust on people from different parts such as survivors of
Israel and survivors of the ghettos and camps vary in some ways yet
in others are profoundly similar.   The vast number of prisoners of
various nationalities and religions in the camps made such
differences inevitable.   Many contrasting opinions have been
published about the victims and survivors of the holocaust based on
the writers' different cultural backrounds, personal experiences
and intelectual traditions.   Therefore, the opinions of the authors
of such books and entries of human behavior and survival in the
concentration camps in Nazi-occupied Europe are very diverse.

The Survivors of the Holocaust: General Survey

        Because the traumatization of the Holocaust was both
individual and collective, most individuals made efforts to create
a "new family" to replace the nuclear family that had been lost.  
In order for the victims to resist dehumanization and regression
and to find support, the members of such groups shared stories
about the past, fantasies of the future and joint prayers as well
as poetry and expressions of personal and general human aspirations
for hope and love.   Imagination was an important means of
liberation from the frustrating reality by opening an outlet for
the formulation of plans for the distant future, and by spurring to
immediate actions.
        Looking at the history of the Jewish...