Transgenerationale Conference: “Wounded Generations: Perspectives after October 7th”
Dalia Sivan, psychologist at AMCHA Israel, captured the essence of the conference: “It is remarkable that we need to discuss these issues in Europe, in English, as though we require a new space to hold us and enable this conversation.” This conference provided a critical and previously missing space to address the traumas stemming from the Israel-Palestine conflict, both recent and long-standing. Since its founding in the late 1980s, AMCHA has supported Holocaust survivors and their descendants in an environment marked by violence. Following October 7th, this work has gained renewed urgency. The conference challenged participants to rethink trauma, exploring what is named, acknowledged, and excluded. Recognizing the diverse and intertwined traumata in Israeli society does not diminish any single narrative but instead challenges exclusion and inequality. This approach emphasizes the need for shared understanding in addressing the complex realities affecting all who live in Israel. Through a keynote, three panels, and a book reading, speakers examined trauma’s tendency to split – both the individual and the collective – and explored ways to sustain dialogue and overcome these divisions. A recurring theme was the need to create spaces where people can “find the courage to speak without fear,” as emphasized by Rina Buberoglu and Arij Srougi Makhlouf in their discussion on Arab-Jewish women’s groups. We deeply thank all speakers for their profound contributions: José Brunner, David Senesh, Slieman Halabi, Lukas Welz, Dalia Sivan, Wasim Birumi, Rina Buberoglu, Arij Srougi Makhlouf, Carsten Wilms, Jacob Eder, Dror Golan, and Juliane Solf. We also thank AMCHA Germany, the Barenboim-Said Akademie, and the attendees for their collaboration and engagement.
This conference, part of the “Hakara – Facing Transgenerational Trauma” project funded by the Federal Foreign Office, marks the beginning of vital conversations about trauma, inclusion, and healing. A detailed report will follow.
