The impact of cultural context on the mental health of jewish concentration camp survivors

This study examines whether the area of settlement of Jewish concentration camp survivors has an impact on their mental health. Using the Langner mental health index, survivors in Israel are compared with an earlier study of survivors in Montreal. Survivors in Israel score higher than their Montreal counterparts, indicating a greater degree of mental impairment. The suggestion is raised that the numerous memorials and ceremonies commemorating the Holocaust in Israel increase the salience of the survivors' remembrance of the past. These persons may, therefore, be more sensitive to the perpetually tense military situation prevalent in the country, and this may have a deleterious effect on their mental health.