Head Talks

Josh Zitser is a journalist who became interested in the after-effects of the Holocaust on the families of survivors because of his own family’s experience. Josh’s grandmother survived Auschwitz — although other members of her family did not. Years later, she shared memories with him that she had been reluctant to talk about with her own children. As Josh explains, many psychologists and therapists are now studying whether those horrific experiences have ramifications for the generations that follow, with effects including anxiety and eating disorders. Transgenerational trauma is also being researched among the descendants of victims of other historical events.