Tuesday, February 4th
12 pm ET Program Start
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The Nova music festival attack left deep scars on countless survivors and their families, compounded by the added complexity of experiencing trauma while under the influence of psychedelics. Join us for a thought-provoking conversation with Professor Roy Salomon, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Haifa and co-founder of SafeHeart, an organization providing psychological aid to survivors of the Nova music festival attack. 

On October 7th, Professor Salomon, whose research focuses on consciousness, the sense of self, and the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, found himself in an extraordinary position to help. While not a trauma expert at the time, he felt compelled to step forward and support survivors. Since then, he and his team have been at the forefront of helping Nova Festival survivors and their families navigate the challenging journey of recovery.

His work now explores how psychedelics—often used as tools for healing—interact with the brain’s coping mechanisms when trauma occurs in altered states of consciousness. Through this lens, the conversation will delve into the neuroscience of resilience, the complexities of trauma recovery, and the innovative approaches SafeHeart is pioneering in its work with survivors of the NOVA festival attacks

More about this Series: “Trauma and Healing in Israel Today”

Join Penn’s Katz Center, the Weitzman Museum, and ANU for an online lecture series exploring contemporary issues related to health and medicine in Israel. Throughout its history, Israel has earned a reputation for innovation and advancement in medical science, and placed a special focus on public health as part of the state-building enterprise. Learn from experts about how Israeli practitioners and scholars are responding to new challenges including pandemic, trauma, family planning, and more.

More about Professor Roy Salomon

Professor Roy Salomon is a Full Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Haifa. His research primarily explores perceptual consciousness and bodily-self-consciousness, utilizing advanced techniques such as virtual reality, computational models, and neuroimaging. He earned his Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Tel Aviv University and the Weizmann Institute of Science, and completed postdoctoral training at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), focusing on the neuroscience of  consciousness and the self.

Prof. Salomon has made significant contributions to understanding non-typical states of consciousness, such as those experienced in psychosis and under psychedelics. His research is known for its innovative approach to empirically studying the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying “big” questions like “What is the self?” or “How do we know what is real?” .

In addition to his academic achievements, Prof. Salomon is a co-founder and board member of SafeHeart, a non-profit NGO dedicated to assisting trauma survivors, particularly those affected by the large-scale terror attack during the Supernova music festival in October 2023. This tragic event provided a unique opportunity to study trauma processing under altered states of consciousness, an area where Prof. Salomon’s work is pioneering. His efforts in this field aim to offer new insights and potential therapeutic approaches for treating trauma and related mental health conditions.

This series is co-presented by the Katz Center, the Weitzman Museum of American Jewish History, and the Koret Center for Jewish Civilization together with Tel Aviv University and ANU–Museum of the Jewish People.

The Katz Center gratefully acknowledges support for the series from the Goldhirsh-Yellin Foundation, the Klatt family, and the Harry Stern Family Foundation.