We understand storytelling is conveying information, ideas, and emotions through stories. It is an ancient way of transmitting knowledge and traditions and a modern communication, education, and therapy tool. However, can storytelling help develop personal and collective resilience in coping with extreme disasters and crises?”

Stories help people make sense of complex experiences and create a standard narrative that fosters a sense of community and shared identity. Can storytelling be used to address extreme events like the massacre on the “Black Sabbath“?

On Saturday, 7.10.23, at 06.29 in the morning, we woke up to a black day.

For an extreme event – extreme effects

An extreme event on the scale of the “Black Sabbath massacre” creates lasting psychological and social effects. The longer the incident continues, the greater the sense of national trauma.

The feelings of upheaval, uncertainty, and the profound social divide in Israeli society affected specific communities and society. The level of personal and collective anxiety soared to heights we had never known, PTSD became one of the most disguised words on Google, and people and communities experienced a radical change in the feeling and perception of personal and collective security.

Out of the darkness, personal stories of heroism and courage, of individuals and groups, shone like rays of light.

• Why did this happen?
• And why now?

The answer consists of three layers:

First, we live in the age of stories. Those close to the field know that most people have experienced shocking stories.

The second is the unfortunate fact that there has been a change for the worse in the perception of the establishment’s systems regarding and handling the needs of the citizens.

Third, due to the deterioration of the establishment’s systems for handling the citizens’ needs, the citizens lost trust in the systems, the governments, and the decision-makers.

Therefore, everyone has a story today, and almost everyone needs to tell it as loudly as possible.

And so, only a few days after the Black Sabbath, stories of courage and heroism began to be heard from unexpected directions until that day.

Challenging times require activity to strengthen the soul.

At the theoretical level, storytelling today is an effective tool for developing resilience in extreme situations since stories enable the restructuring of traumatic experiences, creating meaning, and reducing the feeling of isolation.

On a practical level, the reality after the ‘Black Sabbath’ reflected that telling personal stories, however tricky, complex, and frightening they may be, empowers both the numbers and the citizens of the country who yearn for voices of optimism and hope.

Methods for implementing storytelling in communities

Tools for mental health professionals: techniques for integrating storytelling in psychotherapy, including narrative therapy and digital tools for sharing stories.

Opportunities to strengthen the community and society: highlighting the potential of storytelling to create solidarity, empower silenced voices, and build a strengthened national narrative.

Recommendations for decision-makers:

1. Establishment of community storytelling centers: establish centers in affected cities and towns, which provide a safe space for sharing stories and processing experiences.
2. Integrating storytelling into the education system: develop a curriculum incorporating storytelling to deal with trauma and build resilience.
3. Professional training: train mental health professionals, teachers, and social workers in storytelling techniques.
4. Creating a digital national archive: establish an online platform to collect and preserve personal and community stories from the event and the recovery period.
5. Support for artistic projects: fund artistic initiatives based on storytelling, such as community theater or photography exhibitions.

Recommendations for individuals:

1. Personal diary: Encourage writing a diary to process experiences and feelings privately and personally.
2. Sharing in small groups: participate in small support groups that focus on sharing personal stories.
3. Creating a family “time capsule” involves collecting stories, photos, and objects documenting the family’s experiences and reactions to events.
4. Volunteering in community projects: participate in projects that document the stories of the community or help others share their stories.
5. Using social media wisely: share personal stories on social networks in a controlled and conscious manner while maintaining privacy and sensitivity.
6. Learning and expanding knowledge: participate in workshops or online courses dealing with storytelling techniques and creative writing.
7. Creating family “story circles”: set regular times for family meetings where everyone can share their story in a supportive environment.

The workshop “From Darkness to Strength,” directed by Shirit Ben- Israel is adapted for companies and organizations and includes two parts:

Part 1 – Lecture “Can storytelling effectively develop resilience and deal with ongoing disaster (extreme) situations?”

Part 2 –Individual and group work on building coping stories of organizational employees.

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