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Objective: The aim of this article is to describe the circumstances surrounding the suicide of Adam Czerniakow during the Holocaust. Method: Examination of Czerniakow's (translated) diary and other Holocaust literature. Results: Head of the 'Judenrat' (Jewish Council) in the Warsaw ghetto, Czerniakow had the impossible task of obeying oppressive German orders, while trying to serve and protect his people. Following instruction to have ready for deportation from the ghetto several thousand Jews each day, Czerniakow took his life. Although Czerniakow may not have known the precise destination of those deported (they were sent to death camps), he is believed to have held grave fears for their fate. Conclusions: Suicide in the context of avoiding having to perform an unacceptable task is not commonly recorded, but may have applied in Czerniakow's case and was not infrequent among Judenrat members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Our aim was to study the mental health consequences of Israeli adolescents' 8-day "Holocaust memorial journey" to Poland., Method: A survey to ascertain the experience of Israeli child and adolescent psychiatrists and residents in the specialty was conducted. Participants were asked about referrals regarding the memorial journey, and to compare these cases with referrals for other potentially traumatic events, including school "sleep-out" trips., Results: Fifty child and adolescent psychiatrists and residents participated. According to their collective experience, the adolescents' memorial journey triggered a variety of mental health problems, including psychosis, but only one case of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Judging by the number of referrals, there was a higher rate of mental health problems following the memorial journey than after the annual sleep-out school trip., Conclusions: Although it may seldom lead to PTSD, the Holocaust memorial journey can be a major stressor for some participating teenagers. Evaluating "high risk" adolescents prior to their planned exposure to likely stressors and conducting large, prospective studies that examine the impact of pre-planned stressors on the lives of adolescents are warranted. Providing support to all adolescents before, during and after exposure to anticipated stressors is important.