Topic 1 Fictional scenario
This activity:
- Will get the participants work as a team
- Will enhance the participant’s problem- solving skills
- Will let the participants exchange ideas and experiences so they will be able to learn from each others’ actions
Your friend, Sarah, is a Jew that lives in Germany. Her husband is also Jew and they have an 8-year-old daughter. During the day of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur they went to synagogue in their city. When they were praying, they heard massive noises and everyone started to panic. Sarah witnessed 3 people holding guns and shooting the innocent attendees. Fortunately, her and her family laid down, hid, and survived. However, other people didn’t make it. They didn’t understand what happened and why. They had just witnessed something tremendously traumatic. After a few hours it was confirmed: It was a terrorist attack that happened at the synagogue, where right - wing extremists killed innocent people. Sarah is very traumatised and afraid. She started having panic attacks and isn’t able to leave the house alone anymore. Her daughter is having nightmares and has behavioral problems in school after the incident. Finally, her husband does not want to look affected, but he seems scared and traumatised, as well. When she explains the situation to her colleagues everyone seems indifferent and nobody connects the change in her behaviour with the incident. They don’t seem very convinced that the attack traumatised her and that she needs support. She talks to you about the situation expecting you will understand and help her find the confidence to overcome the issue.
1.What would you consult your friend to do?
2.Do you consider the colleagues’ reaction rational?
3.Based on her husband’s reaction, do you think male victims of religious-based terrorist attacks are more difficult to open up about their trauma and seek for support?
4.What would you say to people who don’t believe at the trauma of victims of religious-based hate crimes?
5.Do you know any sort of mechanisms (hotlines etc.) that support victims of terrorist attacks?