Ever since the establishment of the Jewish state, Israeli society has been contending with an unsettled struggle for its existence – fighting wars and ongoing terrorism.
After a terror attack or the end of a war, most people breath a sigh of relief and gradually return to their daily lives. A significant number of others, among them senior citizens, teenagers and children, remain traumatized. Their recollections of flying bombs and exploding Kassam rockets shatters both their physical and emotional wellbeing. Their feeling of personal security is severely damaged, resulting in fear, trauma and bitter disappointment with regard to the state’s ability to protect its citizens. Like open wounds, each flashback reinforces difficult memories, affecting all aspects of the person’s life.
Empirical research conducted by NATAL, the Israel Trauma Center for Victims of Terror and War, prior to the escalation of rocket attacks in August 2011, shows that approximately 10 percent of the Israeli population displays symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the south, with the cities of Sderot, Ofakim, Ashkelon, Beersheba and Ashdod that for over a decade have been subject to constant bombardment, one in three residents experiences post-traumatic stress on a daily basis.
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