When you discover your generational trauma and nickname it Holocaust hoarding

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Have you ever wondered if your “quirks” might actually be manifested trauma? Or more like…that they probably ARE? Victoria Dozer was curious about her mom’s pretty typical Jewish-mom-quirk of stashing huge amounts of things, like dishes and toilet paper--stuff that's useful in principle, but that you probably don’t need 20 of--and uncovered that this behavior, inherited and then passed down to Victoria, is a legacy her mom inherited from her Holocaust-survivor father. She nicknamed the habit Holocaust hoarding, and went down a path of exploration; how does the trauma of our elders and ancestors affect our lives each day? And how do we honor them, their struggles and legacies, while working to see it for what it is, and turn towards healing without betraying their suffering? Jews are certainly not the only people who have been targets of genocide throughout their history, and it's so ingrained in Jewish identity that many don't even think about it consciously, but it felt very important to explore how such deeply ingrained existential fear can show up in Jewish life, including in reactions to world events. Victoria's approach in her article for Hey Alma, and our conversation, compassionately recognizes some very Jewish things that might be inherited trauma. She explores accepting the pain of our past without letting it define us, or be an unconscious force shaping our reactions, futures, and the lives of those around us. Victoria is also a planetary scientist, and you will be grateful for her thoughtful perspectives on the weight of generational trauma, hoarding vs environmentalism, and how to greet our own and others’ trauma with loving acceptance, and heal without discarding a legacy we treasure. 

GLOSSARY:

M.O.T.: Short for “Member of the Tribe,” a tongue in cheek term Jewish people sometimes use for one another, especially when meeting for the first time, i.e. “Oh hey! Another M.O.T.!”

HSOs: Holocaust Survivor Offspring as referred to in medical literature researching generational trauma.

Eugenics: The misappropriation and inaccurate application of scientific theories such as Darwin’s theory of evolution to justify a belief in the genetic superiority of one race or people over another, ultimately leading to attempts to exterminate entire races and types of people, including the Jews by the Nazis, and mentally ill or otherwise neurodivergent populations in the United States.

Tu BiShvat: See previous episode for a whole TuBishvat lesson! 

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Trying to get those last few dollars out the door for your 2025 charitable donations? Or maybe you just have a little extra this season, when so many don't have enough? There but for the grace of God go all of us, amirite? Well, if this is you, please consider giving to the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Greater Washington so they can continue making interest-free loans to community members in a bind--like myself. And thank you!

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