[The effects of terrorist attacks on European Holocaust survivors compared to Greek Holocaust survivors]. 2004

Dov Zloof, and Shmuel Even-Zohar, and Renato Posman
Department of Family Medicine, Rabin Medical Center, Israel. dovzloof@netvision.net.il

This research aims to examine whether there are differences in the level of anxiety, the perception of danger, the reliance on security forces and signs of psychological distress during times of war between two groups of Holocaust survivors: Jews of Greece and Jews of Eastern and Western Europe, while assessing their psychological ability to cope with the wave of terrorism against the Israeli population. The Jews of Greece have been portrayed as being different, both by the Nazis and by Jews from other countries, as well as by the Greeks themselves. Their strength of spirit, encouraging them to rebel and resist, as well as their physical strength, were renowned in the concentration camps. Each of these traits has been supported by specific documentation in history books dealing with the Jews of Greece during the Holocaust. Fifty-eight years after the Holocaust and before it disappears from historical record, we scientifically examined the psychological or mental capacity of these people to withstand the wave of terrorism. The study included 33 European Jewish Holocaust survivors and 38 Greek Jewish Holocaust survivors. The subjects completed four questionnaires. The main results are: 1. The average level of anxiety among Greek Holocaust survivors is clearly lower than that of other Holocaust survivors--an average of 10.00 compared to 16.48 (t = 4.83, p < 0.001). 2. The average level of psychological distress during times of war among Greek Holocaust survivors is 2.10 compared to 2.65 among other Holocaust survivors (t = 4.24, p < 0.001). 3. The average level of trust in the security forces among Greek Holocaust survivors is 3.67 compared to 2.70 among the other Holocaust survivors (t = 4.354, p < 0.001). 4. The average level of perception of danger among Greek Holocaust survivors is 2.75 compared to 3.39 among other Holocaust survivors (t = 2.60, p < 0.01). 5. The readiness to emigrate from Israel is 1.02 among Greek Holocaust survivors compared to 2.09 among other Holocaust survivors (t = 4.06, p < 0.001). The findings of the research support the theory that the Greek Holocaust survivors statistically demonstrate clear and more substantial psychological or mental immunity as compared to European Holocaust survivors. The differences between Greek Holocaust survivors and other Holocaust survivors increase when applied to a subgroup of former concentration camp prisoners. In conclusion, Holocaust survivors do not constitute a homogeneous group which responds uniformly to traumatic events. They are not to be regarded as one unit, since they bear different social and cultural burdens, as well as the universal values which they absorbed in their countries of origin.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007557 Israel A country in the Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon. The capital is Jerusalem.
D007585 Jews An ethnic group with historical ties to the land of ISRAEL and the religion of JUDAISM. Jew
D010465 Perception The process by which the nature and meaning of sensory stimuli are recognized and interpreted. Sensory Processing,Processing, Sensory
D005060 Europe The continent north of AFRICA, west of ASIA and east of the ATLANTIC OCEAN. Northern Europe,Southern Europe,Western Europe
D005858 Germany A country in central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark. The capital is Berlin.
D006115 Greece A country in southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey. The capital is Athens. Crete,Macedonia (Greece)
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001007 Anxiety Feelings or emotions of dread, apprehension, and impending disaster but not disabling as with ANXIETY DISORDERS. Angst,Anxiousness,Hypervigilance,Nervousness,Social Anxiety,Anxieties, Social,Anxiety, Social,Social Anxieties
D012449 Safety Freedom from exposure to danger and protection from the occurrence or risk of injury or loss. It suggests optimal precautions in the workplace, on the street, in the home, etc., and includes personal safety as well as the safety of property. Safeties
D013315 Stress, Psychological Stress wherein emotional factors predominate. Cumulative Stress, Psychological,Emotional Stress,Individual Stressors,Life Stress,Psychological Cumulative Stress,Psychological Stress Experience,Psychological Stress Overload,Psychologically Stressful Conditions,Stress Experience, Psychological,Stress Measurement, Psychological,Stress Overload, Psychological,Stress Processes, Psychological,Stress, Emotional,Stressful Conditions, Psychological,Psychological Stress,Stress, Psychologic,Stressor, Psychological,Condition, Psychological Stressful,Condition, Psychologically Stressful,Conditions, Psychologically Stressful,Cumulative Stresses, Psychological,Experience, Psychological Stress,Individual Stressor,Life Stresses,Measurement, Psychological Stress,Overload, Psychological Stress,Psychologic Stress,Psychological Cumulative Stresses,Psychological Stress Experiences,Psychological Stress Measurement,Psychological Stress Measurements,Psychological Stress Overloads,Psychological Stress Processe,Psychological Stress Processes,Psychological Stresses,Psychological Stressful Condition,Psychological Stressful Conditions,Psychological Stressor,Psychological Stressors,Psychologically Stressful Condition,Stress Experiences, Psychological,Stress Processe, Psychological,Stress, Life,Stress, Psychological Cumulative,Stressful Condition, Psychological,Stressful Condition, Psychologically,Stressor, Individual

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