Israeli TV Host Avri Gilad Discusses Generational Trauma From Holocaust Survivors

Media personality Avri Gilad revealed on the reality cooking show "The Winning Kitchen VIP" that he was deeply affected by his childhood as the son of Holocaust survivors. Appearing alongside restaurateur Ruti Brodo, who is also a child of survivors, Gilad spoke about how the trauma of the previous generation impacted his life and his journey toward healing.

Gilad described his father's constant anxiety, stating, "From the moment my daughter was born, it became the number one thing in my life." He contrasted this with his own childhood, saying, "To my parents, I was number one in a way you don't want to be. The one who is constantly worried, father standing at the window, waiting for me to come home, and if I'm five minutes late, he's already running down the street calling my name."

When Brodo asked if his father's anxieties stemmed from the Holocaust, Gilad confirmed, "Dr. Mengele took his father from his hands and sent him to the crematorium, you don't recover from that, especially when you suddenly have a child." He differentiated between love and worry, explaining, "In my home, I received worry, not love. Worry is something that disguises itself as love; the loving person allows the other to develop in their own way, the worried person puts the developing person inside a box of their own needs, always asking 'why did you do this to me?'"

Brodo related to this, noting that while her parents were also survivors, their reaction was different, describing them as a "lifeline" but also "incapable." Gilad recounted that his father, whom he described as "very damaged, the funniest and sweetest man I knew," missed out on the person he could have been due to his severe post-traumatic stress from the Holocaust.

Gilad, a father of three daughters, shared a story illustrating his own healing process. He vowed to provide "nourishing love, distilled from worry" to his children, a stark contrast to his own upbringing. His daughter, at age 4, wrote him a birthday card saying, "Daddy, thank you for letting me climb trees." Gilad inwardly responded, "Thank you, Dr. Mengele," reflecting on how the trauma that shaped his childhood motivated him to break the cycle and offer his daughters the freedom he never had.