Summary of the Source
The holocaust was a very traumatizing event that affected many Jews who were lucky enough to escape from the concentration camps. The study focused on the impact of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the affected population and how the problem affected their offspring. The study analyzed the FKBP5 binding protein among the holocaust survivors and their offspring. It was found that although the majority of the affected population have moved on with their lives in various parts of the world, events of the holocaust left permanent psychological scars on them. FKBP5 methylation was observed in these parents, several decades after the event. It is important to note that majority of victims who were involved in the study settled in the United States where they have led a relatively quiet life, but the sad memories remain entrenched in their minds. The study showed that these people are still mentally-disturbed, and the problem has affected their offspring.
Evaluation of the Source
This article took a unique approach when analyzing the holocaust and its consequences on victims and their children. The global society has moved on from the events of World War Two and specifically from the holocaust. However, victims are still burdened by these events. The memories of the torture and inhuman treatment in the concentration camps remain clear in their minds. Some witnessed their colleagues murdered horrendously while they escaped death narrowly because of luck or sheer determination to live. The genetic study of their body system shows that these people still have a psychological problems based on the traumatic events that they went through during the holocaust. Findings corroborate the argument put forward by Shaw who explains how Jews were sent to the gas chamber or murdered in various inhumane ways (186). Others were left to starve, and it was traumatizing to witness such events. These events left emotional scars among Jews.
According to Yehuda et al., the impact of the holocaust trauma was so strong that it affected children of victims (375). It was established that the epigenetic alteration of the offspring was consistent with the preconception parental trauma (Burden 24). The condition of the offspring was worsened by the parenting they received from these victims. In most of the cases, these parents were overprotective towards their children. They had inherent fear that some form of harm may befall their children and tried to do everything within their powers to avoid such possible occurrences. In such cases, children were forced to lead a life where they spent very limited time away from their homes. According to Ter-Matevosyan, it may be easy for the rest of the society to forget the holocaust, but for the affected families, the problem may last for centuries to come (107). It redefined the social life of most of the victims. It eroded the trust that victims had towards their neighbors given the betrayal that they witnessed in Germany.
Relationship to Other Sources
The source supports other sources in explaining the impact of the holocaust on the victims. The findings corroborate findings made in the article Collective Victimhood and Social Prejudice: A Post-Holocaust Theory of anti-Semitism that many Jews are still traumatized by events of the holocaust, especially those who narrowly escaped death in the concentration camps.
Possible Use of the Source
The document will be a critical source of information in the argumentative essay. It will help in explaining the biological consequences of the holocaust on its victims. It will help in validating the need to serve justice to victims. Letting war criminals go without punishment only emphasizes their fear and feeling that their safety and security are not guaranteed even in modern society.
Works Cited
Burden, Thomas. “Rivers of Blood and Money: The Herero Genocide in German Southwest Africa.” The Student Researcher, vol. 2, no. 2, 2017, pp. 2-25.
Shaw, Martin. “Book Review: Genocide as Social Practice: Reorganizing Society under the Nazis and Argentina’s Military Juntas.” Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal, vol. 9, no. 3, 2016, pp. 183-187.
Ter-Matevosyan, Vahram. “Book Review: Justifying Genocide: Germany and the Armenians from Bismarck to Hitler.” Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal, vol. 11, no. 2, 2017, pp. 106-108.
Yehuda, Rachel, et al. “Holocaust Exposure Induced Intergenerational Effects on FKBP5 Methylation.” Biological Psychiatry, vol. 80, no. 1, 2016, pp. 370–380.