“The Day After: How can Israel treat a whole nation in trauma?”

The second installment of the “Conversation Corner” addressed the question, “How can Israel treat a whole nation in trauma?” Prof. Shlomo Noy, President of Ono, stated that traditional individual therapy is not sufficient to address the widespread trauma experienced by Israelis. Ono is implementing new strategies, including group therapy and community-based approaches, to reach a larger number of people. The college is also offering trauma specialization programs for students, training teachers to recognize and support student trauma, and opening trauma treatment clinics on campus and in various Israeli cities. Sharon Sharabi, Pamela Paresky, a US-based psychologist, an advisor at New York University’s Mindful Education Lab, and a senior fellow at the Network Contagion Research Institute suggests the need for a new term beyond “trauma” to describe the collective experience of Israelis. She emphasizes the importance of fostering resilience, post-traumatic growth, and positive psychology practices in the healing process. Paresky also addresses the complex relationship between trauma, antisemitism, and critical social justice narratives. Sharon Sharabi, whose brothers Eli and Yossi (a beloved Ono graduate) were both kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, discussed his family’s situation and his efforts to bring his brothers home.  Noy concluded by acknowledging the likelihood of future traumas in Israel and emphasized the need to proactively develop coping mechanisms for the nation. Sadly, after the event, the IDF declared that Yossi Sharabi was killed by Hamas.