Reconstructing the Loss: Hantzacha Commemoration Following the Death of a Spouse in a Terror Attack

Abstract

One of the ways that family members cope with the deep sense of emptiness and the severance of continuity following the loss of a loved one in a terror attack is through commemoration. This article presents of the findings of a qualitative study that examined the process and products of commemoration by Israeli adults whose spouses were killed in terrorist attacks on the West Bank. The analysis of in-depth interviews revealed four different types of commemoration: tangibleprivate, tangible-public, intangible-private, and intangible-public. The study describes and analyzes the ways in which spouses of terror victims negotiate between the personal and collective aspects of the loss and bereavement via commemoration within the context of the Jewish-Israeli culture.The loss of a spouse in a terror attack severs the continuity of family life and leaves the surviving spouse with a deep sense of lack and the need to cope with this emptiness. One of the ways that family members preserve the bond with the deceased loved one is through commemoration, the creation of memorials. The Hebrew word for this process is hantzacha, which means perpetuation or immortalization. Hantzacha is much more than simple remembering; in essence, it is re-membering. It is one way in which the bereaved create a new presence of

Anticipatory Anniversary Effects and Bereavement: Development of an Integrated Explanatory Model

“…Among various cultures in Asia, it is the practice for family members to gather and share a meal on the death day of deceased family members. People in Israel adopt Jewish practice and recite Kaddish prayers on annual anniversary days (Possick et al, 2007). Similarly in Western countries, bereaved people put memoriam notices in newspapers on the anniversary of a loved one's death.…”

Commemoration of disruptive events: a scoping review about posttraumatic stress reactions and related factors

“…Guatemalan genocide survivors only referred to feelings of loss and intense grief as result of commemoration in the past (during the period 1981-1985) (Beristain et al, 2000). Possick et al (2007) studied diverse, both individual and collective, commemorative activities, and interviewed Israeli widows who lost their husband in a terroristic attack. They concluded that there is only a perceived link between individual (but not collective) commemoration and mourning and grief work, whereas public commemoration serves other purposes, such as collective meaning-making.…”

“…Furthermore, collective remembrance is linked to attributing meaning to the loss, regaining control over life, and decreased feelings of helplessness (Beristain et al, 2000;Oushakine, 2006). From a more collective perspective, commemoration can give new meaning to family narratives (Jacobs, 2014), or advance collective memory making, in which loss and trauma can be framed as heroic and worthwhile (Beristain et al, 2000;Possick et al, 2007). Evidently, where positive meaning is made, commemoration can nourish the attribution of negative meaning as well.…”

Facilitating grief: An exploration of the function of funerals and rituals in relation to grief reactions

“…Different elements underlying the potential benefit of rituals in supporting grief adjustment have been suggested in the literature. Performing rituals might lead to externalization of feelings and foster the expression of emotions (Rando, 1985;Vale-Taylor, 2009), might help to maintain a meaningful bond with the deceased (Mroz & Bluck, 2018;Possick et al, 2007;Vale-Taylor, 2009), and might help gaining control over the changes and uncertainties brought about by the loss (Norton & Gino, 2014). Bolton and Camp (1987) studied a group of 50 widowed individuals from the US and reported a moderate relationship between certain post-funeral rituals (e.g., sorting personal effects) and aspects of grief adjustment.…”

“…This suggests that conducting collective rituals serves a different purpose than performing individual rituals. Possick et al (2007) describe the differences between private and public rituals of remembering, arguing that emotional catharsis is the main focus of private commemoration. Public rituals, on the other hand, serve a function of public meaning-making, in which losses are defined in collective terms.…”