Coping Strategies of Jewish Children Who Suffered the Holocaust

Abstract

Jewish children who suffered the Holocaust were faced with many challenges that disrupted the normal course of their lives. Under the Nazi regime, many children were dislodged from their homes, experienced separation from family members, or were placed in unsanitary and dangerous ghettos or concentration camps. Due to these life-changing occurrences, children found various ways to cope with the physical and emotional stress that was now a part of their everyday lives. At a time when the Nazis sought to stifle Jewish individuality, some Jewish children sought comfort from toys and play, while others used artwork, journal writing, and dramatic performance as both a means of escape from the horrors around them and as a tool for expressing the inner turmoil and confusion in their lives.