Downloaded by [New York University] at 22:26 06 August 2016 Psychological War Trauma and Society

Downloaded by [New York University] at 22:26 06 August 2016 Psychological War Trauma and Society This book explores the psychological trauma affecting soldiers and civilians who have encountered the violence of war or terrorism, arguing that the enigmas sur- rounding war trauma are rooted in culture, collective memory and social norms. Focusing primarily on a large-scale sociological study in Israel, chapters detail the ideological, political, historical and economic factors that shape the multifaceted connection between individual and collective trauma, probing the exterior layers of Israeli society and exposing the complex relationship between society and emo- tionally scarred individuals everywhere. Divided into three main parts, particular attention is paid to the treatment of soldiers and civilians, and the tension between the medical and societal approaches to PTSD, shedding light on the intricate relationships between war trauma and society worldwide. Part I looks at traumatized soldiers and the changing attitudes towards CSR and PTSD; Part II explores civilian trauma and shock, including the first published research on the implications of war trauma in Israeli Arab society; and Part III analyses the deficiencies and contradictions in current inter- national definitions and discourses of trauma, and the profound consequences of war trauma in society as a whole. Psychological War Trauma and Society will be of key value for academics and postgrad- uate students in the fields of psychology, sociology, history, Jewish studies, military studies, social work, terrorism studies and political science, as well as professionals who work with traumatised individuals, either directly or indirectly, including psy- Downloaded by [New York University] at 22:26 06 August 2016 chologists, psychotherapists and social workers. The Hebrew edition of the book was the winner of the 2012 AIS (Association for Israel Studies) Shapiro Award for Best Book in Israel Studies. Irit Keynan is Senior Lecturer and Head of the Graduate Program for Educa- tion, Society and Culture, College for Academic Studies, Or Yehuda, Israel. She is also the author of two award winning books. Explorations in Social Psychology Series Books in this series: Rhetoric, Ideology and Social Psychology Essays in honour of Michael Billig Edited by Charles Antaki and Susan Condor Terrorism, Trauma & Psychology A multilevel victim perspective of the Bali bombings Gwendoline Patricia Brookes, Julie Ann Pooley and Jaya Earnest Psychological War Trauma and Society Like a hidden wound Irit Keynan Downloaded by [New York University] at 22:26 06 August 2016 Psychological War Trauma and Society Like a Hidden Wound Irit Keynan Downloaded by [New York University] at 22:26 06 August 2016 First published in Hebrew as Like a Hidden Wound: War Trauma in Israeli Society 2012 by Am Oved First published in English as Psychological War Trauma and Society: Like a hidden wound 2015 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2015 I. Keynan The right of I. Keynan to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Keynan, Irit, author. [Ke-’ilu hi petsa’ nistar. English] Psychological war trauma and society : like a hidden wound / Irit Keynan. p. ; cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. First published in Hebrew as Like a hidden wound : war trauma in Israeli society, 2012 by Am Oved. I. Title. [DNLM: 1. Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic—psychology—Israel. 2. Combat Disorders—psychology—Israel. 3. Middle East—Israel. 4. Military Personnel—Israel. 5. Social Alienation—Israel. 6. Terrorism—psychology—Israel. WM 172.5] RC552.P67 616.85′2120095694—dc23 2014038934 Downloaded by [New York University] at 22:26 06 August 2016 ISBN: 978-1-138-84643-2 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-72748-6 (ebk) Typeset in Baskerville by Apex CoVantage, LLC This book is based on the Hebrew version of “Like a hidden wound – war trauma and Israeli society”, which was researched and published with support of NATAL, Israeli Center for Trauma Victims. To my beloved granddaughters, Dannie and Maya, may you not know war. Downloaded by [New York University] at 22:26 06 August 2016 This page intentionally left blank Downloaded by [New York University] at 22:26 06 August 2016 Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction to the Non-Israeli Reader 1 Introduction: War Trauma, Myth, and Longing in Israeli Society 4 PART I “In the Terrible Silence That Followed”: Soldiers, Society, and Combat Stress Reaction 17 1 Trapped in the Myth 19 2 The Starting Point 26 3 The Early Decades: Starting Point to Turning Point 34 4 “The Helicopter Isn’t Coming”: The Wounded and the System 48 5 Trauma and War Debate in Israel 67 6 Combat Stress Reaction in an Era of Social Privatization 82 Downloaded by [New York University] at 22:26 06 August 2016 PART II The Israeli Home Front: Between Heroism and Victimhood 93 7 Lower in Rank: Israeli Citizens in War and Terror 95 8 The Changing Face of War and the Emergence of a Trauma Discourse 107 9 From Denial to Recognition 120 viii Contents 10 The Trauma Discourse Dialectic 132 11 War Trauma in Israeli-Palestinian Society 147 PART III The Shadow of War in People’s Hearts: In Lieu of a Conclusion 159 12 The “Invention” of Trauma: Debate and Conceptualization 161 13 From Stone to Lake and Back: The Individual and Collective Circles of Trauma 172 Epilogue 185 Index 187 Downloaded by [New York University] at 22:26 06 August 2016 Acknowledgments This book is based on the Hebrew version of my book Like a Hidden Wound— War Trauma and Israeli Society , which was researched and published with support of NATAL, Israel’s Trauma Center for Victims of Terror and War. This book was made possible thanks to a great many people and organizations, and I am thank- ful to all of them. I am grateful to NATAL and in particular its founding chair, Judith Yovel Recanati, for providing the initial impetus for this study and for her moral and financial support during the research and the publication stages of the Hebrew version. My appreciation goes also to other members of NATAL: Orly Gal, Professor Avi Bleich, Dr. Itamar Barnea, Sa’ar Uziely, Sigal Haimov Dor, and Bina Levin. The early stages of the writing were spent at New York University’s Taub Cen- ter for Israel Studies. I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to the Center’s director, Professor Ron Zweig, for the wonderful year I spent there, untroubled by everyday cares and free to focus on my writing. I also would like to thank Professor Zweig and New York University’s Taub Center for Israel Studies for financial assistance and moral support concerning the English translation and expansions. Special thanks go to Professor David Chen, for reading and offering illuminat- ing comments on the manuscript, and for discussions that helped me to resolve some complex issues and questions. I am grateful to Professor Avraham (Rami) Friedman for the long and enlightening conversations on the complexities of interactions between victims of war trauma and the establishment, and for offering valuable comments on the Hebrew version of the manuscript. Downloaded by [New York University] at 22:26 06 August 2016 Thanks are due also to several organizations and individuals working on war trauma who generously provided me with data and information: Miri Shalit, director of Rehabilitation Services for the Dan [ Tel Aviv] District in the Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Division; Haim Bar, chair of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Disabled Veterans Organization; Haim Ronen, the organization’s director- general; Knesset member Israel Hasson; and Zvika Shahak, chair of the Terror Victims Association. To many severely injured war veterans I extend my grati- tude for fascinating discussions that introduced me to the inner world of soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and their unending struggle to lead “normal” lives. x Acknowledgments Erez Zverling observingly read the entire Hebrew text, a task greatly appreci- ated. I am grateful to my friends Irit Tamir, for her comments on the manuscript and for encouraging me to write the epilogue, and Iris Arkin, for her uncondi- tional support throughout the many days I was consumed by this book. I am also indebted to Dr. Yali Hashash, who helped me as a research assistant in the early stages of my research leading to writing this book, and to Tzameret Hershko for a great job of data collection. I am grateful to Renee Hochman for editing the translation of this book, going through it meticulously and efficiently and bringing the spirit of the Hebrew version into English. Her outstanding comments also led me to a sharper interpreta- tion of my own arguments. I am greatly indebted to her for all of these and for the enjoyable experience of working with her. It is a pleasure to thank all of the staff at Routledge for the fascinating process of preparing the book for publication.

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