The October 7th attacks and the subsequent wars in the Middle East have made the prospect of peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians seem more remote than ever. The conflict has also renewed and exacerbated what many communities have long endured: transgenerational trauma. This symposium will explore the possibilities, prerequisites, and limitations of dialogue. Is it still possible to talk about dialogue after October 7th? What new needs have emerged for people directly affected by the Hamas massacre and the ongoing wars and violence? What can be the contribution of psychosocial approaches?
This event is a collaboration of AMCHA Deutschland e.V. and the Barenboim-Said Akademie. Funding is generously provided by the German Federal Foreign Office.
AMCHA Deutschland e.V. has been providing psychosocial assistance for survivors of the Shoah and their descendants in Israel for more than 35 years. At the heart of its work is the continuous commitment to achieve recognition of the impact of the Shoah, of which there is still insufficient awareness, and to shed light on the perpetuation of trauma in the present as a result of exclusion, the experience of war-related violence, or antisemitism.
Since 2016, the state-recognized Barenboim-Said Akademie has been teaching talented young musicians, primarily from the Middle East and North Africa, in the pedagogical spirit of Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim. In addition to intensive study in music theory and performance, each program also features study in the humanities. Students learn to listen to each other and develop their own ideas within a broad, interdisciplinary, and transcultural educational setting. The Akademie’s goal is to educate musically excellent, curious, and reflected individuals.
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Program
09:30 – 10:00
Registration
10.00–10.30
WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS
Prof. Dr. Jacob Eder (Professor of History, Barenboim-Said Akademie)
Carsten Wilms (Head of Division “Culture, Society and Media
Relations with Africa, Near & Middle East”, German Federal Foreign Office)
Dr. Dror Golan (Clinical Director AMCHA Israel)
Dr. Juliane Solf (Executive Director AMCHA Germany)
10.30 – 11.30
KEYNOTE
Living amid Multiple Experiences of Trauma:
The Israel-Palestine Conflict after October 7th
Prof. Dr. José Brunner (Professor Emeritus at the Buchmann
Faculty of Law and the Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas, Tel Aviv University)
The trauma of October 7th cannot be considered a self-contained phenomenon, neither on an individual nor a collective level.
This presentation will address the many ways in which the Hamas and the subsequent war in the Middle East are connected to the multiple traumata that have shaped the history of the Israel-Palestine Conflict.
11.30 – 11.45
COFFEE BREAK
11:45 – 1:00
1. PANEL
Decades of War and Conflict in the Middle East:
Transgenerational and Psychosocial Consequences
Dr. Slieman Halabi (Social Psychologist, Wuppertal University)
Dr. David Senesh (AMCHA Israel / BeNafshenu)
MODERATOR Lukas Welz (Chairman AMCHA Germany)
This panel will discuss the ways collective trauma, national narratives, and personal experiences impact current perspectives on war and conflict. How do years of war, conflict, and multiple traumata shape the psychosocial condition of generations? How are resilience and vulnerability patterns transmitted across generations, shaping both individual coping mechanisms and collective strategies for conflict transformation and inclusive peace?
1:00 – 2:00
LUNCH
2:00 – 3:15
2. PANEL
Solidarity and Recognition:
Therapeutic Practice in Israel
Wasim Birumi (Clinical Psychologist)
Dalia Sivan (AMCHA Israel / Trauma Coalition)
MODERATOR Maja Sojref (Executive Director New Israel Fund)
This panel will discuss the insights gained from many years of therapeutic practice in societies shaped by power imbalances and conflict. It will examine the prerequisites for constructive discussion and interaction. Which specific terminology, spaces, and resources are required? What opportunities exist to actively promote empathy and to counter selective empathy? To what extent can these experiences of therapeutic practice provide strategies for promoting peace?
3:15 –3:45
COFFEE BREAK
3:45 –4:45
3. PANEL
Experiences and Insights:
An Arab-Jewish Women’s Group in Israel
Rina Buberoglu (Art Therapist / NATAL)
Arij Srougi Makhlouf (Art Therapist)
MODERATOR Dr. Martin Auerbach (former Clinical Director of AMCHA Israel)
This panel will discuss how solidarity can be both powerful and at the same time precarious on the path towards healing and reconciliation. It will present the experiences and challenges gathered during the many years of work of an Arab-Jewish women’s group. Can collective narratives be challenged in such a setting?
4:45 –5:00
COFFEE BREAK
5:00 –6:30
READING AND DISCUSSION
A Letter in the Night. Reflections on Israel and Gaza
Chaja Polak (novelist) in conversation with Shelly Kupferberg (journalist and author)
The Hamas terrorist attack on October 7th, 2023, and the ensuing war in Gaza continue to send shockwaves around the world.
Chaja Polak, one of the most renowned voices in Dutch literature, examines the conflict in the Middle East, its history, and its ramifications with empathy and a deep understanding for the victims. Her essay A Letter in the Night addresses the complex and emotionally charged events and calls for us to challenge conventional interpretations. She shows us that grief and despair know no sides, and that violence can play no part in achieving genuine solutions. Her book is more than an essay, it is an appeal for dialogue, reflection, and action. Polak makes a passionate case for a future in which empathy and understanding provide the basis for lasting peace.
Chaja Polak, born in 1941, is a novelist and visual artist. The Shoah has had a profound impact on her life. Her mother survived Auschwitz; her father perished in the camps. She attended Rietveld Academy and in 1989 published her debut novel Zomaar een vrijdagmiddag. A number of Chaja Polak’s books have been nominated for the Libris Literature Prize and translated into English, German, Danish, Italian, and Hungarian.
Shelly Kupferberg was born in 1974 in Tel Aviv and grew up in Berlin (West). A journalist and an author, she presents programs on culture and society for the radio stations Deutschlandfunk Kultur and RBB Kultur. Her book Isidor. Ein jüdisches Leben was published in 2022.
