“I Wish he had Died in the War”

This article presents the findings of a study on the impact of parental suicide on the surviving children, undertaken in Israel in 1999 by a researcher who is herself a survivor of parental suicide. The method employed was qualitative and in-depth interviews which were analyzed inductively. It was found that parental suicide is a significant event with lasting effects on the children. At the same time, survivors strive to overcome its impact by regaining control over their lives as adults. It was found that the manner in which suicide is perceived by its survivors must be viewed within the Israeli social context as it relates to the specific manner in which death and bereavement are dealt with within that society.