Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, a world expert on trauma, attacked Israel during a lecture at the Omega Institute in New York. The lecture took place at the Omega Institute, founded by Jews, and included Jews and Israelis.
According to Judy Leventhal, co-author of the New York Times bestselling series Small Miracles: Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary People and a participant in the lecture, Dr. Bessel declared “They are like the Nazis, they are worse than Nazis” during a discussion of the effects of war and PTSD on soldiers.
Alysa Portnoy, another attendee, described the exchange that followed: "Judy stands up and says 'Did you just say Israelis are Nazis? Like the Nazis that burnt my whole family in concentration camps?' Van Der Kolk replies 'Yes.'"
Van Der Kolk also clarified that he was well aware of Omega Institiute's Jewish founders, and claimed they would share his views. He cited the damage to Gazan civilians as proof of his position. Leventhal and several other participants left the room in protest.
Alysa claimed the statements had a traumatizing effect on many of those present. Judy recounted standing outside the lecture screaming 'How dare you!' in protest.
Avinoam Lerner, a specialist in trauma and cancer recovery and himself an IDF veteran, explained that Van Der Kolk had made the statements with no prompting from the audience: "During his lecture, Dr. Van Der Kolk casually shifted from trauma theory to politics. With no preface, he referenced the ongoing war in Gaza — comparing Israel’s actions to Nazi Germany."
Many attendees made clear that they were professionally disappointed as well as personally hurt, having admired Van Der Kolk as the preeminent authority in the field of trauma and recovery. According to the Omega Institute, Van Der Kolk is a professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine, medical director of the Trauma Center in Boston, and codirector of the Complex Trauma Treatment Network (NCTSN). He is also an internationally recognized leader in the field of psychological trauma, he is author of more than 150 peer reviewed scientific articles and several books, including Psychological Trauma, the first integrative text on the subject, Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society, and The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.
"As a Jewish Israeli, a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces, and a trauma professional, I sat in shock," Lerner stated. "The pain was not just personal — it was professional. I had come here to explore the science of trauma and memory, not to have my identity used as a rhetorical device. There was no context, no framing, no invitation to reflect or discuss. Just a sweeping, dehumanizing comparison from someone in a position of unquestioned authority."
"This is not about silencing difficult conversations. I believe we must be able to talk about politics, conflict, and trauma across cultures. But when someone with as much influence as Dr. van der Kolk introduces a topic so emotionally charged — especially in a room full of trauma survivors seeking healing — it must be done with responsibility, skill, and care. That didn’t happen."
Lerner noted that a clear decision was made to single out Israel: "There were countless current global examples he could have used to illustrate his point. But instead of engaging with nuance, he reached for the easiest, most inflammatory comparison. And when it caused harm, he didn’t slow down. He didn’t respond with humility. He didn’t embody the very tools he’s become famous for teaching."
Dr. Van Der Kolk has written against the war in Gaza in the past, including in one article published in December of 2023, claiming that both sides had used excessive violence and dehumanization against the other. His works urged Israel and the Palestinian Arabs to find a non-violent way to oust Hamas, breaking what he described as a cycle of trauma and retribution for both sides on a national scale.
Omega CEO Carla Goldstein denounced the incident in a letter to participants. "I'm writing to extend my sincere and heartfelt apology for what happened during the recent workshop with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and Licia Sky."
"This is not the standard we uphold at Omega, nor does it reflect our values, our commitment to respectful learning environments, or the quality of experience we strive to provide. We take this matter very seriously. Upon learning about what happened, we spoke at length to Dr. Van Der Kolk, and were honest and strong in our critique of what occurred and have informed him he will not be invited back to Omega. Earlier in the week, Dr. van der Kolk did write a letter of apology. If you'd like to receive his letter, please respond directly to this email and we will share with you."
"We welcome the opportunity to speak directly with anyone we haven't yet heard from. Please know that we are listening, learning, and fully committed to doing better."
The institute also published a formal repudiation of Van Der Kolk's statements: "Omega is committed to creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environment. During a recent workshop presented by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and Licia Sky, Dr. van der Kolk made inappropriate and antisemitic comments that are deeply troubling and entirely inconsistent with Omega’s core values and community standards."
"We recognize that these remarks caused pain and harm, and we take this very seriously. Upon learning of the incident, Omega leadership took the following actions:
- We met with Dr. van der Kolk to express our strong disapproval, urged him to issue an immediate apology, and informed him he would no longer be invited to teach at Omega.
- Our Senior Director of Programming addressed the workshop participants in person, offering Omega’s apology and clearly rejecting the remarks. Omega leadership held one-on-one conversations with anyone who wished to speak directly with us.
- We monitored the remainder of the course and offered options to anyone who wished to leave.
- For participants who had already departed before these in-person conversations took place, we followed up by email with apologies from both Omega and Dr. van der Kolk.
We are aware that the letters sent to this limited group have since been shared publicly. Our intent was to ensure that everyone who missed the in-person apologies received them directly."
"Throughout the past week, our leadership team has continued to meet with and respond to anyone who has reached out to share feedback or concerns, and we remain available for continued dialogue."
"In addition to responding to this incident, Omega is taking steps to strengthen our safeguards and expectations, including:
- Reviewing and strengthening our faculty contracting, programming, and evaluation processes.
- Revising our faculty code of conduct and protocols.
- Clarifying and reinforcing our community agreements for all who teach or participate in our programs.
We deeply regret this incident. We are committed to listening, learning, and taking concrete action to ensure that Omega remains a place where everyone is treated with dignity and respect."
Dr. Van Der Kolk's letter of apology read: "Dear colleagues, I want to express my deep regret for talking about what is happening in Gaza being equivalent what the Nazis did in the 1940s. It was a gratuitous, offensive, inaccurate and completely unnecessary comment, rooted in my own identification with children in bombed out cities during, and shortly after World War II."
"I am deeply sorry for hurting your feelings, making this careless equivalence and, after it became clear what damage my comment did, not immediately responding with a profound apology."
"What is happening in Gaza is deeply troubling to all of us, I am sure to you as well, and there is obviously a spectrum of reactions, but comparing that with what the Nazis did is wrong and only creates more polarization."
"I deeply apologize for my comments, hurting your feelings and making this glorious sanctuary, Omega, unsafe for you."