The Generational Legacy of Genocide

Dr. Israel Charny, psychologist and executive director of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem considers the psychological pressure and trauma transmitted to second-generation genocide survivors.

Produced by AGBU WebTalks in partnership with the Zoryan Institute.

Inspired by the AGBU WebTalks video “The Generational Legacy of Genocide” featuring Dr. Israel Charny, the Shoah Foundation designed this lesson plan for the students to explore the generational legacy of genocide, examining how survivors' experiences impact identity and cultural responsibility across generations. Through listening to Armenian Genocide testimonies, students gather evidence of this legacy's influence, create a Word Cloud reflecting their insights, and consider their own personal legacy.

Originally published April 2017.

About the speaker

Israel Charny

Dr. Israel W. Charny is an Israeli and American psychologist who is widely known as the co-founder and past president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, founder and first president of the Israel Family Therapy Association, and a past president of the International Family Therapy Association. Three of his works have been awarded "Outstanding Academic Book of the Year" by the American Library Association including Fascism and Democracy in the Human Mind. He has written and lectured extensively on the psychological motivations and impact of denial. He is also the author of Encyclopedia of Genocide, a two-volume reference work that examines the entire historiography of all genocides, including the phenomenology of the denial.

Israel Charny