Halina Brunning and Olya Khaleelee eds., "Sitting on a Suitcase: Psychoanalytic Stories" (Karnac Books, 2025)

Jul 22, 2025

In this insightful discussion, Olya Khaleelee, a corporate psychologist, and Leila Djemal, an organizational psychologist, delve into their book, "Sitting on a Suitcase: Psychoanalytic Stories." They explore complex themes such as Jewish identity and intergenerational trauma, shedding light on how personal histories shape their work in psychology. The metaphor of 'Sitting on a Suitcase' symbolizes readiness for change and the emotional journeys stemming from cultural experiences. The conversation also touches on the impact of antisemitism and the resilience found in storytelling.

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INSIGHT

Trauma Can Fuel Professional Healing

The book shows how trauma, marginality, and persecution can be metabolized into professional capacity to help others.
That healing work can foster post-traumatic growth and generative professional identities.

INSIGHT

Always Ready To Move

ANECDOTE

Childhood Habit Of Sitting On A Suitcase

Manny Sher recalls physically sitting on a suitcase during childhood transitions between households.
That literal habit formed a

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Sitting on a Suitcase: Psychoanalytic Stories (Karnac Books, 2025) contains eighteen moving tales of disparate Jewish lives from Eliat Aram, Leslie B. Brissett, Louisa Diana Brunner, Halina Brunning, Leila Djemal, Shmuel Erlich, Mira Erlich-Ginor, Franca Fubini, Stan Gold, Larry Hirschhorn, Susan Kahn, Alicia E. Kaufmann, Olya Khaleelee, James Krantz, Vega Zagier Roberts, Edward R. Shapiro, Mannie Sher, and Marlene Spero. The book begins with a thought-provoking preface from former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and ends with a sensitive epilogue from Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, both providing societal containment for what comes between them. The contents also include two non-Jewish German writers, Claudia Nagel and Dorothee von Tippelskirch-Eissing, who between them provide a bravely honest introduction and conclusions to the stories contained within. Also contained within the book are black and white photographs of the contributors' young selves that provide an additional evocative layer to the words contained within. Plus four black and white line drawings to illustrate each of the four parts of the book: Orthodox beginnings, Sitting on the boundary: Marginality and belonging, Emigration and identity, and Will history repeat itself? This was not an easy book for its authors to write, revisiting the past unlocked painful memories and re-awoke fears of persecution. The manuscript was nearing completion when Hamas attacked a kibbutzim on October 7, 2023 and the war in Gaza followed. Incidents of anti-Semitism increased worldwide and questions were raised whether the book should be held back. However, its themes became more relevant than ever and these stories need to be read. Themes such as issues around having a voice, or finding a voice during formative years; finding a family through friends; a sense of not belonging because of constant relocation, or finding a sense of belonging through family and friends. Aspects of life that resonate with us all alongside the deeper theme of the impact of Jewish identity on every facet of life. This is a book full of emotion and meaning that needs to be read by all with an interest in humanity and fostering connection and understanding across nations.

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