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Brooklyn's Hidden Front Line: Seniors Find Solace
28 Jan
Summary
- A Brooklyn program aids Holocaust survivors combating loneliness and trauma.
- Maimonides Medical Center offers trauma-informed therapy and home visits.
- Survivors' distress intensifies amid rising antisemitism and global conflicts.
On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a Brooklyn-based program is dedicated to alleviating loneliness and trauma among Holocaust survivors. Home to a significant population of survivors outside of Israel, the borough sees programs like the one at Maimonides Medical Center offering crucial support.
This initiative provides trauma-informed therapy and weekly home visits, fostering deep connections between social workers and survivors. For individuals like Marat Rivkin, 88, these visits offer a rare sense of understanding and friendship. His personal history includes fleeing Nazi-allied forces in Belarus and later becoming a Soviet dissident.
Dr. Abraham Taub, who leads the program, notes that as survivors age, long-suppressed trauma can resurface. The program, which now focuses on Russian-speaking survivors from the former Soviet Union, addresses issues intensified by current global events and rising antisemitism.
Organizers emphasize that simple acts of connection, like a phone call, can profoundly impact survivors. These efforts aim to provide comfort and acknowledge the lasting impact of their past experiences.
