by Esti Bar Sadeh, Chair of Partnership 2000 Central Galilee - Michigan Volunteer Forum

I am a resident of Nazareth Ilit and a psychologist specializing in the field of trauma. Unfortunately, here in Israel we have gained experience in treating victims of wars and terror attacks, however this time it is somewhat different.

Both Jewish and Arab Israeli civilians have been killed by indiscriminate missile attacks in the past month. Many others suffer from severe physical wounds. Most people display signs of emotional trauma that will likely affect them for long periods of time. The vulnerable civilians' communities, towns and cities have been, and continue to be destroyed. Many people are hiding in crowded and hot shelters for nearly a month, and have lost their livelihoods along with their homes. Many are no longer able to withstand the ongoing terror, and flee to other places, "safer zones"

Although, we have been fortunate enough not to evidence great destruction and horror in our area, we witness it every day through the news and through the sound of the sirens and rockets falling around us. So, you do not need to be in the immediate circle of trauma to be traumatized.

Israeli volunteers, including psychologists, social workers, medical personnel, and entertainers risk their lives going to the shelters to help those stuck inside. Israelis in those parts of the country that are still safe, take refugees into their homes, and provide these people, usually people that they have never met before, with some temporary relief from on going terror. However, many refugees are tired and want to go home, sometimes to homes that no longer exist. All are traumatized.
What can we, the professionals, do to help those in need?

We are trying to help these people to rebuild their inner resources of temporary relief and to provide them with the necessary strength to go on to restoring functioning, to enable them to build a "bridge over troubled water".

I wish to share with you some anecdotes from my work. On the second week of the war, I got two referrals: a paramedic who was attacked by the angry Arab mob as he came with the Rescue team to evacuate the victims of the bombing in Nazareth ,and a young Arab woman who suffered from acute stress, and panic attacks every time the sirens went on. As I finished seeing both of them I, suddenly realized that we all are caught in the same circle of violence, Arabs and Jews, sharing the same fears and agony.

Another more humoristic anecdote was while working with a group of four year olds in the nursery. We explained to them that "we go to the shelters whenever we hear the sirens and afterwards the "BOOOMBS" are falling". We had a hilarious time imitating the "boooms", throwing the imaginary "boooms" at each other and destroying the bombs. As this therapeutic activity ended with a mass destruction of the "boooms" ,one of this innocent kids went to the windows looking up in curiosity. As this caught our eyes, we asked him what is he looking for, and the child said "The Boooms"