The Mass Flight from Estonia in 1944: Trauma, Coping, and Resilience

• In Event: Stories of Estonia's 1944 Exodus

Abstract

This paper describes the mass flight from Estonia through one family's experiences during the fall of 1944, reaching its apex in September as the Soviet Army brutally swept across the country. At the same time, it reflects the family stories of many other Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians who were caught up in the chaos and cataclysm of the world war. The main points detail the trauma of the horrific events endured by refugees. Once settled in refugee camps or other settings, they coped through hard work, flexibility, and adaptability to unique life circumstances. Managing and coping more effectively in their new environments was fostered by the organizations, groups, and associations they quickly formed even while still in the refugee camps, where people danced, sang, and did handicrafts. They founded congregations, scout groups, schools, organized song and dance festivals, and more. These organizational structures promoted and strengthened resilience by offering a sense of belonging and emotional and social support, fostering new life meanings, purpose, and goals, the core of which was the unwavering, tireless struggle for freedom in their homeland.

Short Bio

Dr. Rakfeldt is an Emeritus Professor of Social Work at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut. He has an MSW, M.Phil., and Ph.D. from Syracuse University and was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Yale School of Medicine and a research scientist at the Yale Department of Psychiatry. In addition, he is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Yale University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, where he provides training and clinical supervision for third-year residents. Dr. Rakfeldt has published sixty publications. He has presented over a hundred conference presentations on mental health, addiction problems, and ethnic identity topics.

Author

• Jaak Rakfeldt, Southern Connecticut State University