Conjuring up ancestral specters: Post-October 7 attack psychological reactions in offspring of Holocaust survivors

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the psychological reactions of North American offspring of Holocaust survivors (OHS) following the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel and the rise in antisemitism. Previous research demonstrates intergenerational transmission in OHS. Despite mixed findings, the most consistent observations demonstrate sensitivity to stress-related reactions, especially when encountering circumstances that bear symbolic associations to the Holocaust. It was hypothesized that the events following the October 7 attack might be associated with an increase in psychological distress among OHS. METHOD: A North American Jewish convenience sample (N = 467, Mage = 69.68) completed psychological questionnaires about exposure to the Israel-Hamas war and exposure to antisemitism. Participants rated their psychological distress before and after the October 7 attack and further rated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms for themselves and their parents. Respondents were divided into four groups: OHS with two parents with probable PTSD, with one such parent, with no such parent, and comparisons whose parents did not undergo the Holocaust. RESULTS: All three dependent variables (PTSD, depressive, and anxiety symptoms) were associated with prewar anxiety and depression and with exposure to antisemitism and the Israel-Hamas war. Relative to comparisons, OHS reported an increased level of PTSD symptoms. OHS who reported their parents had probable PTSD reported the highest levels of PTSD and anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrate higher psychological distress in OHS and intergenerational transmission of sensitivity to current reminders of historical trauma and further evidence for the critical role of parental PTSD in the intergenerational transmission of such vulnerabilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).