Tamach was a psychosocial counseling center for Holocaust survivors and their families in Switzerland. Tamach supported people who had survived the persecution as refugees, in hiding or incarcerated in ghettos or concentration camps, as well as those who lost family members to the Shoah. Children and spouses of Holocaust survivors are affected by the Shoah in various ways and was also an important target group of Tamach.
The center’s main Goals were expressed in its name, Tamach, which means help and support in Hebrew. To this end, Tamach was engaged in public relations work in connection with the Shoah in the form of lectures, memorial events, education services and events and training for specialist personnel (psychologists, doctors, nurses and care-givers, and teachers. Tamach opened in 1998 and offers individual, couple and group sessions for Holocaust survivors and their children.
What Tamach offers
- Individual counseling sessions for Holocaust survivors and their families
- Counseling and workshops for the Second Generation
- Telephone support
- Discussion evenings, lectures and trainings
- Documentation of ones’ life story (bearing witness)
The book Das Trauma des Holocaust zwischen Psychologie und Geschichte (The Trauma of the Holocaust between Psychology and History, (available only in German)) was published by the three founders of Tamach. The book includes contributions on the First and Second Generations, trauma and relationships, the challenges for therapists who work with traumata, Shoah and Switzerland, and information on helpful organizations for Holocaust survivors.
Authors: Ute Benz, Madeleine Dreyfus, Nathan Durst, Heinz Stefan Herzka, Gabor Hirsch, Revital Ludewig-Kedmi, Harald A. Mieg, Paul Parin, Jacques Picard, Berthold Rothschild, Miriam Victory Spiegel and Silvie Tyrangiel.