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/// PROJECT ALPHA: EXPLORING INTERGENERATIONAL RESILIENCE AMID MODERN CHALLENGES
Project Alpha, founded at Reichman University, is a groundbreaking study that merges psychological and biological sciences to understand how traumatic events shape our minds and bodies across generations. The project, now rapidly growing, includes over 100 children and 200 families. Its uniqueness lies in tracking families from before their first pregnancy through childbirth and beyond, examining epigenetic, psychological, and physiological patterns.
In light of the current challenges following the events of October 7th, 2023, the research offers a timely perspective on resilience. Findings reveal how past traumas, such as the Holocaust, leave biological imprints on subsequent generations.
For example, grandchildren of Holocaust survivors exhibit enhanced activity in the oxytocin system—a system that fosters social bonding and mutual support—alongside heightened stress reactivity, providing sustained energy for prolonged action. Unlike the first generation, the third generation does not show signs of psychological pathology but rather displays notable resilience, characterized by a drive not only to survive but to build collective strength with others.
Additionally, encouraging insights emerge from studies on children who have experienced the loss of a parent. Initial phases of emotional detachment eventually give way to a unique “compensation” mechanism involving a highly active social system and enhanced creative and innovative motivation. These children, despite their pain, often succeed in forming meaningful social connections and transforming their personal struggles into tools for growth and progress.
Project Alpha is not merely a scientific documentation of complex processes but a call to rethink how we approach trauma in today’s world. The optimism embedded in these findings underscores that even in the face of the most profound challenges, we possess the capacity to build both personal and collective resilience—together.
