Ep. 40: Psychological Dimensions: Trauma Legacies in the Middle East I (Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone – Author & Psychotherapist, USA)

Guest: Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone, PhD, Author & Psychotherapist Hosts: Alexandria & Yusuf Bio: Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone, Ph.D., is a Jungian psychotherapist, rabbi, and a leading figure in the international Jewish Renewal movement. Raised in an Orthodox Jewish family in St. Louis, she is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor—her mother escaped Nazi Germany on the last Kindertransport, and her Jewish American father was one of the liberators of Bergen-Belsen. She is also the younger sister of the radical feminist pioneer Shulamith Firestone. Ordained in 1992 by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Rabbi Firestone integrates Jewish mystical traditions, feminist insights, and contemporary psychology to address inherited trauma. She is the author of the award-winning Wounds into Wisdom: Healing Intergenerational Jewish Trauma (2019), which received the 2020 Nautilus Gold Award in Psychology and the Jewish Women’s Caucus Book Award from the American Association for Women in Psychology. Her work explores trauma, spirituality, feminism, and healing, providing practical tools for individuals and communities to transform inherited wounds. In this episode: Alexandria and Yusuf speak with Rabbi Dr. Firestone about trauma, inheritance, and healing. They explore her journey to becoming a rabbi and psychotherapist, and how trauma affects families, communities, and societies. Rabbi Firestone explains intergenerational trauma through family stories, collective memory, and epigenetics, highlighting that trauma can be transformed through awareness and intentional healing. The conversation covers Jewish collective trauma, historical persecution including the Holocaust, and contemporary crises such as October 7 and the Gaza war, examining retraumatization and suffering in both Jewish and Palestinian communities. She reflects on the challenges of healing amid ongoing conflict, the roles of justice, empathy, and ending violence, and shares insights on ritual, dialogue, and resilience, offering hope for young people navigating uncertain times. This episode was recorded March 13, 2025. Links: Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone: https://www.tirzahfirestone.com/ Disclaimer: Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team. Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.