Survivors Share Trauma From Identifying Oct. 7 Victims
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Volunteers and professionals who identified victims of the October 7th Hamas attacks shared their psychological trauma at a national memorial ceremony. Dr. Milka Chesler, a dentist, described feeling a personal connection to the deceased, while Rabbi Menachem Perl called the experience a "wound that can never heal." The ceremony honored the difficult work done at Camp Shura, where hundreds of victims were processed.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Volunteers and professionals shared their psychological trauma from identifying October 7th victims.
- Dr. Milka Chesler felt a personal connection to the deceased victims she helped identify.
- Rabbi Menachem Perl described his experience as a "wound that can never heal."
- The ceremony honored those who worked at Camp Shura processing victims of the attacks.
- Former hostage Eli Sharabi hosted the event, highlighting the personnel's struggles.
A special video was shown at the national memorial ceremony hosted by "Komu" and families of the October 7th victims, focusing on the psychological toll on volunteers and professionals who worked at Camp Shura. The camp processed victims from the Hamas attacks.
Among those featured were Dr. Milka Chesler, a dentist volunteering with the Israel Police's victim identification unit, and Rabbi Menachem Perl, a volunteer at the fallen soldiers' data collection center. The ceremony's host, former hostage Eli Sharabi, highlighted the efforts of emergency and rescue personnel and their personal struggles.
"At Camp Shura, and in all the emergency and rescue circles, men and women worked who encountered sights difficult to imagine, horrors no person should ever see," Sharabi stated. He added that soldiers, police officers, Magen David Adom, ZAKA, firefighters, medical teams, and volunteers all treated, evacuated, and identified victims, helping hundreds of families find some solace and closure.
Dr. Chesler spoke about the personal difficulty of her identification work and the sense of connection she felt to the deceased. "I felt they were all mine, and that makes it harder," she said. Rabbi Perl also shared his ongoing struggle after witnessing the scenes during his volunteer work. "It's a wound I don't think can ever heal," he stated.
Mentioned
