Podcasts about Holocaust survivors

People who survived the Holocaust

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Best podcasts about Holocaust survivors

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Latest podcast episodes about Holocaust survivors

MacArthur Memorial Podcast
Bearing Witness: A Holocaust Survivor Speaks

MacArthur Memorial Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2025 49:33


On May 8, 2025, the MM in partnership with the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Virginia Holocaust Museum, hosted Dr. Roger Loria, a holocaust survivor. The event was particularly poignant – it was held on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day – the day the Allies defeated Nazi Germany. A video of the presentation is also available via YouTube: https://youtu.be/nltcQ4eKIgU?si=qsTn9-DI2gZ5qp-u  Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can only read the texts, we can't reply) Follow us on:Twitter: @MacArthur1880; @AEWilliamsClarkFacebook: @MacArthurMemorialwww.macarthurmemorial.org

Eyewitness History
Holocaust Survivor on Auschwitz and Forgiveness - Re-Released in Her Memory

Eyewitness History

Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2025 42:49


In this special re-release of Eyewitness History, we honor the life and legacy of Esther Basch, who passed away on April 14, 2025—exactly 80 years to the day she was liberated from the Salzwedel Concentration Camp by American soldiers. Known to many as “The Honey Girl of Auschwitz,” Esther survived the horrors of Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and endured a brutal death march before her liberation. In this unforgettable conversation, she shares how her 16th birthday was marked by arrival at Auschwitz, the loss of her parents, the forced labor she endured, and how she came face-to-face with Josef Mengele. But more than a story of survival, Esther's legacy is one of forgiveness. “I cannot forget, but I can forgive because if I don’t forgive, then I suffer, and I suffered enough,” she would often say. Until her final days, Esther traveled, spoke, and educated countless people—young and old—about the Holocaust, never turning down an opportunity to tell her story. She became not only a pillar of Holocaust education but also a symbol of resilience, optimism, and love. We re-release this episode in her memory—with deep gratitude and reverence. Remember to subscribe, rate, and review Eyewitness History.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Outlook
The blind Holocaust survivor who caught a fugitive Nazi

Outlook

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2025 38:55


Lothar Hermann found out his neighbour was ‘architect of the Holocaust' Adolf Eichmann.Lothar Hermann's German-Jewish family perished in the Holocaust, but when he escaped to Argentina, little did he know that within a few years a Nazi fugitive would wind up living at the end of his street. Lilianna Hermann spent two decades uncovering the story of a hidden family hero - her great uncle Lothar - only to find a shocking truth: it was Lothar who had played a vital role in capturing the notorious SS officer and Nazi fugitive, Adolf Eichmann, the man responsible with carrying out Hitler's Final Solution. But Lothar was not celebrated in Eichmann's capture and eventual trial and back home Lothar faced threats and indifference from Nazi sympathisers. This is the unbelievable true story of how a blind survivor, living off his pension, brought down one of the architects of the Holocaust. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Edgar Maddicott and Zoe GelberGet in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

New Books Network
Katerina Krlov, "Homecoming: Holocaust Survivors and Greece, 1941-46" (Brandeis UP, 2025)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 81:55


Homecoming: Holocaust Survivors and Greece, 1941-46 (Brandeis UP, 2025) records the experiences of Greek Jews who returned to their native country after World War II, when many went into hiding, fought in combat, became refugees, or were deported, some to Nazi death camps. Though they wanted more than anything to survive and come home, those who returned to postwar Greece faced isolation, anguish, deprivation, and hostility in the midst of a civil war. Their stories, which rarely feature in discussions of the Holocaust, raise important questions about its aftermath across Europe. Based on exhaustive archival research and new interviews with Holocaust survivors across several continents, Kateřina Králová's new book adds to our understanding of the genocide and its impact. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

New Books in Jewish Studies
Katerina Kralova, "Homecoming: Holocaust Survivors and Greece, 1941-46" (Brandeis UP, 2025)

New Books in Jewish Studies

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 81:55


Homecoming: Holocaust Survivors and Greece, 1941-46 (Brandeis UP, 2025) records the experiences of Greek Jews who returned to their native country after World War II, when many went into hiding, fought in combat, became refugees, or were deported, some to Nazi death camps. Though they wanted more than anything to survive and come home, those who returned to postwar Greece faced isolation, anguish, deprivation, and hostility in the midst of a civil war. Their stories, which rarely feature in discussions of the Holocaust, raise important questions about its aftermath across Europe. Based on exhaustive archival research and new interviews with Holocaust survivors across several continents, Kateřina Králová's new book adds to our understanding of the genocide and its impact. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

New Books in Genocide Studies
Katerina Krlov, "Homecoming: Holocaust Survivors and Greece, 1941-46" (Brandeis UP, 2025)

New Books in Genocide Studies

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 81:55


Homecoming: Holocaust Survivors and Greece, 1941-46 (Brandeis UP, 2025) records the experiences of Greek Jews who returned to their native country after World War II, when many went into hiding, fought in combat, became refugees, or were deported, some to Nazi death camps. Though they wanted more than anything to survive and come home, those who returned to postwar Greece faced isolation, anguish, deprivation, and hostility in the midst of a civil war. Their stories, which rarely feature in discussions of the Holocaust, raise important questions about its aftermath across Europe. Based on exhaustive archival research and new interviews with Holocaust survivors across several continents, Kateřina Králová's new book adds to our understanding of the genocide and its impact. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/genocide-studies

New Books in Eastern European Studies
Katerina Krlov, "Homecoming: Holocaust Survivors and Greece, 1941-46" (Brandeis UP, 2025)

New Books in Eastern European Studies

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 81:55


Homecoming: Holocaust Survivors and Greece, 1941-46 (Brandeis UP, 2025) records the experiences of Greek Jews who returned to their native country after World War II, when many went into hiding, fought in combat, became refugees, or were deported, some to Nazi death camps. Though they wanted more than anything to survive and come home, those who returned to postwar Greece faced isolation, anguish, deprivation, and hostility in the midst of a civil war. Their stories, which rarely feature in discussions of the Holocaust, raise important questions about its aftermath across Europe. Based on exhaustive archival research and new interviews with Holocaust survivors across several continents, Kateřina Králová's new book adds to our understanding of the genocide and its impact. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/eastern-european-studies

American Potential
From Holocaust Survivors to Policy Reformer: Henry Kriegel's Fight to Protect the American Dream

American Potential

Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2025 25:22


What does it mean to honor the legacy of survival and freedom? In this powerful episode of American Potential, host David From sits down with Henry Kriegel, deputy state director of Americans for Prosperity–Montana, to hear the extraordinary story of his parents—Holocaust survivors who came to America with nothing but determination and hope. Their escape from Nazi-occupied Poland, survival through labor camps, and eventual arrival at Ellis Island shaped Henry's lifelong dedication to defending freedom and opportunity. From launching pro-freedom campus groups at Columbia University, to briefing President Reagan on endgame strategies in Afghanistan, and now training activists and testifying in the Montana legislature, Henry has spent his life fighting for policies that empower people—not government. Whether he's advocating for tax reform, educational freedom, or helping elect leaders like U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy, Henry's passion is rooted in the belief that liberty is fragile—and must be fiercely defended for future generations.

Noon Edition
The Impact of the Holocaust

Noon Edition

Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2025 52:34


The CANDLES museum in Terre Haute celebrates its 30th anniversary this week.Founded by Holocaust survivor Eva Mozes Kor, CANDLES, or Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors, “strives to be a premier institution seeking progress in the creation of a world free from prejudice, hatred, and genocide.” Kor and her twin sister, Miriam Zeiger, endured medical experiments by Dr. Joseph Mengele, the infamous “Angel of Death, as children at the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944. Their parents and older sister died there."Within 30 minutes, my whole family was ripped apart and all died, except for Miriam and me, who were used as human guinea pigs by Dr. Mengele," Kor said in 2017.Read more: Eva Kor's storyKor went on to champion forgiveness for those who carried out the Holocaust atrocities. And beginning in the 1970s, she began dedicating her life to educating people about the Holocaust and sharing survivor stories. And in 1995, she founded the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center.For more than two decades, she lectured about her experiences and guided tours at the museum. She returned to Auschwitz on numerous occasions, leading groups that could share what they had learned with their students and future generations. CANDLES continues these trips to Auschwitz each year in honor of Kor, who died in July 2019 during atrip to Poland for the museum.Read more: Holocaust Survivor, CANDLES Founder Eva Kor Dies At 85Kor's husband, Rachmiel “Mickey” Kor, was also a Holocaust survivor, spending four years in Nazi labor camps, including Buchenwald. He died in 2021.Their son, Dr. Alex Kor, is carrying on their legacy as a member of the board of directors at CANDLES. He recently authored the book, “A Blessing, Not a Burden,” which details the experiences of his parents.Read more: Anti-Jewish harassment and vandalism on the rise, say community leadersLearn about her powerful story of survival, resilience, and forgiveness during a live broadcast of WFIU's Noon Edition with CANDLES executive director Troy Fears and Dr. Alex Kor, son of Eva Kor.On this week's Noon Edition, we'll host a discussion from the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute. This event is free and open to the public. Guests should arrive by 11:30 a.m. for the live hour-long radio broadcast beginning at noon.Join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to news@indianapublicmedia.org.  You can also record your questions and send them in through email. GuestsDr. Alex Kor, son of Eva and Mickey Kor, and author of author of the book “A Blessing, Not a Burden” which documents his parents' story.Troy Fears, Executive Director, CANDLES Museum

TODAY
TODAY April 25, 3rd Hour: Travel Trends & Summer Savings | New Book Shares Stories of Holocaust Survivors | MLB Trailblazer Kim Ng on New Softball League

TODAY

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2025 29:41


Travel trends and savings for this summer. Also, a new project bringing attention to Holocaust survivors. Plus, the first female MLB general manager, Kim Ng, on the 'Athletes Unlimited Softball League.' And, beauty multi-tasking products to help with morning routines. 

Colorado Matters
April 25, 2025: Holocaust survivor and folk musician Osi Sladek

Colorado Matters

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2025 48:22


In his memoir, Oscar "Osi" Sladek shares the unforgettable story of how he and his parents survived the Holocaust, while many other members of their extended family perished. "Escape to the Tatras" culminates in the story of Sladek's folk music career. In an interview with Ryan Warner, Sladek also reflects on faith and continued antisemitism. Sladek celebrated his 90th birthday this spring. This interview originally aired on January 27, 2023. 

Mission Brief: The Official Podcast of the Israel Defense Forces

In this episode of Mission Brief, Sergeant First Class in the reserves D sits down with Shani farhi (lourie), Head of pedagogy section in the International Institute for Holocaust Educationto talk about “Netzer Aharon”- The holocaust survivors who were the last descendants of their family. They fought for the establishment of the state of Israel.These were men and women who emerged from the horrors of the Holocaust and went on to fight for the survival of a newly established Jewish state. Their stories are not only a testament to survival, but to the power of rebuilding, defending, and believing in something greater.When they died, they had no family to remember them. Now they're remembered by the nation, and we have to make sure their stories are heard.To learn more about the last descendants, read their stories and light a memorial candle, visit this link: https://www.izkor.gov.il/en/b9b30e34960ba665bc7e5ab4401422cf/life-storiesMay their memory be a blessing.

AJC Passport
Why TikTok is the Place to Talk about Antisemitism: With Holocaust Survivor Tova Friedman

AJC Passport

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2025 58:15


Tova Friedman was just six years old when she walked out of Auschwitz.  Now, 80 years later, Tova is devoted to speaking about her experiences as a child survivor of the Holocaust and being vocal about the threat of antisemitism. She knows how easily a society can transition from burning books to burning people, and she is determined to ensure that never happens again. Tova speaks to audiences worldwide–in person and on the social media platform TikTok, where she has amassed over half a million followers. Listen to Tova's harrowing, miraculous testimony of survival, as part of a live recording at the Weizmann National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, in partnership with AJC Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey.  Lisa Marlowe, director of the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center (HAMEC), joined us to discuss the museum's mission to bring Holocaust survivors to schools, the importance of teaching history through eyewitness accounts, and the significance of preserving stories of righteous individuals like her Danish great-grandmother, who saved thousands of Jews during WWII. *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC. Photo credit: Christopher Brown Resources: -About Tova Friedman and TovaTok -Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center (HAMEC) -AJC Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey Listen – AJC Podcasts: -The Forgotten Exodus: Untold stories of Jews who left or were driven from Arab nations and Iran -People of the Pod Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of Interview with Tova Friedman and Lise Marlowe: Manya Brachear Pashman:  Yom HaShoah, Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, begins on the evening of April 23. To mark this remembrance, our broadcast this week features our recent live event at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. There I had a conversation with Lise Marlowe, of the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center in suburban Philadelphia and author and Holocaust survivor Tova Friedman.  __ Thank you to all of you for being here today to participate in a live recording of People of the Pod, American Jewish Committee's weekly podcast about global affairs through a Jewish lens. I'm your host, Manya Brachear Pashman. Down here on this end is Lise Marlowe, our partner and organizer of this wonderful event. She is the program and Outreach Director of the Holocaust awareness Museum and Education Center, otherwise known as HAMC in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, which is just outside here in Philadelphia. She is also a long time teacher who has come up with some quite innovative ways to teach Holocaust history to middle school students. But before we begin and get to all of that, I do want to turn to Lisa for a few minutes. If you could just tell us a little bit about HAMC. What is it? Because we are in a different museum venue now.  Lise Marlowe:   Thank you Manya, and thank you everyone for being here today. So HAMC is America's first Holocaust Museum, which started in 1961 by Holocaust survivor named Jacob Riz, who lost 83 family members to the Nazis. Our Museum's mission is to bring Holocaust survivors to schools and organizations. We believe it's important to give students the opportunity to learn history through an eyewitness. When we host a school program, we tell students that they are the last generation to meet a survivor, and once they hear a survivor's story, it becomes their story to tell. It also becomes their responsibility to speak up and stand up to the Holocaust deniers of the world and to say, I know you're lying because I met a survivor. It's not easy for our survivors to tell their story, but they want to honor the family they lost. And to make sure students know what happened so history hopefully doesn't repeat itself.  Hearing about the rise of antisemitism, seeing hate towards other groups, can bring trauma to our survivors, but our survivors teach students that there are things we can do to stand up to hate. We can remember that words matter, kindness matters, that we can support and help each other when bad things happen. The Holocaust did not begin with concentration camps. It began with words.  Our museum brings hundreds of programs all over the world, so please reach out to us at HAMC.org. Because we believe education is stronger than hate. We find that students are inspired by the messages our survivors tell them, which is to not hate others. Even though they lost everything. Their families, their property, their identity, their childhood, they teach students that hate can only destroy yourself. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Thank you so much, Lise. I met some of Lise's former students who are here in the audience today. You have some really remarkable ways of teaching Holocaust history so that it sticks. I would like to get into that a little bit later. And you also have your own family story to share, and we'll learn more about that later, as she is one of our two guests on today's podcast.  You see, there are three pieces to our podcast today, including the traditional format of a conversation with our guests, which will come later, and then your opportunity to ask questions. But to really comprehend what we discuss, you must first hear the powerful story that our guest of honor, the woman next to me, Tova Friedman, one of the youngest people to emerge from Auschwitz, the Nazi's concentration camp and extermination camp in occupied Poland. You must hear her story first.  Tova has worked tirelessly to share her story in every format possible, to reach the widest audience. In addition to telling her story in person, at venues such as this, she worked with a journalist to produce an accurate and comprehensive memoir, and next month, a young adult version of that memoir will be released.  She's worked with her grandson, Aaron, a student at Washington University, to share portions of her story on Tiktok on a channel called TovaTok, that has about 522,000 followers, and she is here today to reach our podcast listeners. And you. After her presentation, Tova will have a seat once again, and we'll continue the conversation. But right now, it is my honor to turn the mic over to Tova Friedman:. Tova Friedman:   Thank you. I have no notes and I can't sit because I'm a walker. You know, I think better when I walk. I think better on my feet. Let me tell you, a few months ago, I was in Poland. I was invited as a speaker to the 80th commemoration of Auschwitz liberation.  Five years ago, I was there also–75th. And there were 120 Holocaust survivors there with their families and their friends from Auschwitz. This time there were 17 [survivors], and we'll have no more commemoration. We're done. People, the lucky people, are dying from old age. You know, they're, or they're Florida, or they're gone, okay, they're not available.  So what's scary is that many young people will not meet a survivor, and they will be told in colleges and high schools, probably it never happened. It's an exaggeration. You know, the Jews. They want everybody to be sorry for them. That will happen. And that's been happening here and there to my grandchildren.  Right now, I've got eight grandchildren, but two are in colleges, and one is in Cornell. And I got the saddest phone call on Earth. To me it's sad. He got a beautiful Jewish star when we went to Israel. He called me to ask me if he should wear it inside, hidden, or if he should wear it outside. That's so symbolic.  And I said to him, do you want to be a visible Jew, or do you want to be a hidden Jew? Do what you want. I will not criticize you. I know that life is changed from when I went to college. America is different, and I'm just so upset and unhappy that you, at age 18-19, have to go through that. One of my grandkids had to leave the dormitory because of the absolute terrible antisemitism. She is in McGill in Canada, and she has to live by herself in an apartment because even her Jewish friends stopped talking to her. So what kind of a world are we living in? Extraordinarily scary, as far as I'm concerned. That's why I talk. You can hear my voice. I talk as much as I can for a number of reasons. First, I talk in order for those people who were murdered, million and a half children, some of the faces I still remember, and a total 6 million Jews, they cannot be forgotten. They cannot be forgotten.  This is such a wonderful place here that I hear you have classes and you have survivors talking to kids. You take them to schools. I think it's fabulous, but you got to do it fast, because there's just not many of us going to be here for a long time. So one thing is memory.  The other reason I speak is a warning. I really feel that this world is again turning against us. We have been scapegoats all through history. Books have been written. Why? Why this? Why that? Why this? Why that? I can't figure out why. They're jealous, we feel with the chosen people. Oh, my God, it goes on and on. But why us? It started 2000 years ago.  So I'm here to remember, so that all those people didn't just die and became ashes. But we're living in a world where we have to be aware. We have to be aware. You heard statistics that were scary. You know, I didn't even know some of the statistics. That Jews are stopping to use their Jewish last name when they make reservations somewhere? In America.? You know, I remember when I walked out from Auschwitz with my mother. My mother survived, and I'll take you back and just give me a certain amount of time. What happened? She said to me, remember I was exactly six and a half years old. And I do, I remember. And one of the reasons I remember is because my mother was a big talker. Talker just like I am. I inherited it from her. She would tell me everything. We were in all kinds of conditions. And I'd say, Mom, what is that? She says, Yeah, that's the smoke, people are being burned. She didn't say, you know, Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it. No, no, no, no. She talked and she talked as long as I was with her, until we were separated. That's why my memory is so sharp, and I always tell the younger generation: stop texting and start talking. Texting, you won't remember anything. It doesn't go into your brain. When somebody talks to you, you will never forget. When your mom or dad says things to you, you will remember them. If they text it to you, it lasts a few minutes and it's gone. So that's why I remember so much.  My mother lost 150 people. She was the only survivor of Auschwitz. The only survivor, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, all gone, and she died very young. She died at 45. Her war never ended. Her Auschwitz, she brought with her to America because she just couldn't get over it. My father lost about all his brothers and sisters except two, and he was able to handle life a little bit better, but she wasn't.  In my town, there were hundreds of Jewish children at the end of the war. There were five left. Five. I'm the youngest. That's why I'm still here talking. Two have died, and one is in her 90s, and she doesn't talk much anymore. So I feel like I'm representing an entire town that's gone, just gone. A town that had synagogues and they had football and they had a very vibrant town. Where my mother was a young woman. She was studying. My father was an actor, a singer, and a tailor, so he should have some money, but they were all functioning. It's all gone.  When I went to visit, because I took my grandchildren so they can see, there was no sign the Jews even were there. It's like we disappeared. My memory of the war starts when I was four, not so much before. My parents lived in a very modern town. And because they left the shtetl, my mother wasn't interested in all the religious and the sheitles, and you know, the wigs people used to wear, which, by the way, my daughter now is wearing a wig, which is sort of strange, right?  And they went to live a modern life. As soon as Kristallnacht came, he knew right away that this is not a place for him. And what do you do when you're scared? You go home, you go to your parents. So my mother and father, I was one year old, went back to their parents' home. What did they find there? That they were already in a ghetto.  Now, I remember the ghetto at the age of four, there were lots and lots of people in a tiny apartment, no running water, no bathrooms, no food, no room. So I was under the table. All my memories were under the table. And I knew things that were going on. How did I know? Because I heard it.  You know, a kid at four, four and a half, people make mistakes. The children don't know. Children know everything. They may not be able to verbalize it, but they know. And I knew what was the issue. I knew that they killed children and that I have to be under the table. I knew that. I knew that my grandparents are going to die soon. I heard it. I heard my father talking. I heard my mother talking. I heard the other people talking in the apartment in Yiddish. I still remember the words, oh, they name it. They're taking the elderly. They're taking this.  Well, one day they came in, they took my grandmother, and they shot her, right outside our window, you know, took her outside. You know what's amazing when I think about this? Because I've tried to get some perspective. I've always tried to figure out, how did that happen? Why?  How is it possible? Hitler was brilliant, and if he wasn't brilliant, he had brilliant people helping him. Idiots could not have done what he did. They were educated people. He had therapists. He had a nutritionist. And you know what they said, break up the family, and you will break up people. People die when their family is killed, they die sometimes physically, sometimes emotionally. Listen, I'm a grandmother. I have eight grandchildren. I know what it means to be a grandmother in my role, and I'm sure many of you feel the same way. So they took away the elderly.  One day, my father comes in, and he says to my mother, I just put them on the truck. I know what he meant. I was exactly four and a half because I was standing by a table. I could tell my size. The table went up to my chin, and I knew that there were because the day before these people in their 20s and 30s, they were the strong guys. They dug graves for their own parents. We, the Jews, dug graves for our children and our parents.  You know when the Nuremberg Trials came, some of the guys said, we didn't do anything. We never killed any…you know why? Because they used us to kill our own people. So that time, my father told my mother what was going on. He was sitting, his tears were coming down. And I could picture it, because, by the way, whatever I tell you, multiply by hundreds. This was a template, you know, like you have a template on a computer, you just fill in the name and everything is the same. You can fill in all kinds. You apply for a job. There is a special way. That's what happened. The Germans when they came to a town, they didn't have to think what happened. They had the piece of paper, kill the elderly, kill the children, as soon as possible. So I knew. I knew exactly what was going on. I knew that my grandparents were gone, my father's parents, my mother's mother was killed. Her my grandpa died before the war from some disease. He was very lucky. So here we are. One day. I had this uncle, James. He was a German Jew. He spoke a perfect German.  So he thought, look at our minds. He thought, he speaks German. He's going to volunteer. He didn't have working papers, and he was scared to die. His wife, my aunt, she had working papers. So he went to the Gestapo, and he said, I'll be your translator. I speak a perfect German. I was born in German. And they shot him on the spot.  So I remember he used to come and visit us. I sat on his lap one day. My father said, you won't go to see Uncle James anymore. He's not coming back. I didn't say anything. I know he was dead. I didn't know how he was dead. So the reason I'm telling you all the different things is because this happened in every other ghetto.  We were living 16,000 Jews in 250 apartments, and we couldn't go in, and we couldn't get out, except certain people who had privileges. They had working papers, they had special papers. They could go out. That's how the smuggling started. Also, certain people could go out, bring some food, because we were starving. We were starving to such a point. You know why? Because the nutritionist, the PhD, the best nutritionist in Germany, told Hitler how much to feed us in order to die. You want them to die in two months? Give them that much bread. You want them to die in two weeks? Give them that. My town, which was called Tomaszow Mazowiecki, has no Jews anymore. I just wanted to mention the name because my family was there for 200 years, because the Poles in the beginning were very good to the Jews.  They wanted the Jews because we were good business people. Every time the Jews were there, the place thrived. There were close to 100 tailor shops in town, all Jewish. So how could you go wrong? They brought business from everywhere. But now, of course, there isn't anybody. And slowly,  all those people were sent to Treblinka. There were left about 50-60, people, my parents, I among them. There were very few kids left. And we were the cleanup squad. Not only did my father had to dig the graves, I don't think my mother did. My father, dig the graves, but afterwards you have to clean up. You can't leave a town so dirty because they wanted to leave no witnesses. Hitler had an order all the way from Berlin, no witnesses. That's another reason he killed the children. Kids can grow up and be a witness like me, and that was very dangerous for him. Because, you know, it's interesting from the psychological point of view, no matter what atrocities he and his people did, in the back of their mind, they were afraid of the consequences. They were afraid of consequences. That's why you leave no witnesses.  But at that time, my father buried people and he said Kaddish. I didn't know what Kaddish was. I didn't know what being Jewish was. I don't remember any Jewish holidays. I knew that being Jewish means death, but I wasn't sure what that meant, Juden. What is this Juden business? But look at four and a half. I wasn't going to think about it. Anyhow, they moved the camp. We cleaned it up. We came to the next camp, and the next camp was the labor camp. Only work. We worked for more, not me, my parents did, and I want to tell you something about that.  Slowly they did the same exact thing they did in every other camp. People were taken away. The moment you were sick, the moment you were tired, straight into some camp. One day, I heard, I heard– my mother told me, I didn't hear anything. She said they're taking the children, whoever, whatever, there were very few children left, maybe 20-30–we've got to hide you. And she hid me in like a crawl space, like they had these tiles or something. I don't know it was tile, something. And she put me in there, and she followed me, just the two of us, my father didn't get in there. And she put me on her lap, I remember. And she put her hands on my mouth. I shouldn't scream.  I remember it was so tight that for weeks I had blue marks right here. And from the little window, I see where all my friends that I was playing with outside, because my parents were gone a whole day, I was outside with the other kids, put on trucks, but I knew where they were going. They were going to the place where the big graves were dug for them.  So anyhow, when my mother said, we have to hide, we were there for maybe an hour or two. After it was all done, the kids were gone. We went up downstairs in a little room. She said, from now on, you can no longer be on the street. Okay, so I couldn't go out. I stayed in the dark room for a few weeks. It's another story, but one day I remember, and she came every day from work, she gave me food, and I slept with my parents. Because they were in the room with me.  One day, she said, Oh, you don't have to go to the room anymore. I was delighted. I said, I don't have to? No, you can go outside. I haven't been outside for weeks, and I saw she was sort of packing, moving things. We had so few things. I said, What are you doing? She says, We're packing. We're going to Auschwitz. Again, they had, you know, cleaned up the ghetto.  The place was called Starachowice. It was a Polish place. Had a town next to it even, and people who lived around, the non Jews, knew what was going on. They all knew, because there was always a town nearby. There was also a town near Auschwitz. Auschwitz, people lived a normal life there. So anyhow, I knew. I said, Auschwitz. We're going to Auschwitz, okay? I didn't care. I was so happy that I was outside.  Within a very short time, we started walking. The train was waiting. My parents were separated. That's the first time. We were always together. My father was crying, and I remember I was little, so my mother picked me up, because I don't know if anybody of you either have been either to Auschwitz or to New York City. They have the cattle car by the museum, right outside, right. You saw the cattle car and it's that high, very hard to get on it. So she had to pick me up. She put me in and my father said, Be a good girl. I said, Yeah, I'll be a good girl. And he went to another cattle car. I was with my mother, and then a 36 hour drive began, no food, no no food and no drink, very hot, because they were all women. 150 women, and no bathrooms.  And I remember, I said, Mom, I have to go. I have to go. She didn't answer me. And then I said to myself, Oh, I know everybody's going where they're standing. I think that that was a dividing line between being human and being inhuman. We're all dressed like normal kids. I had braids, you know, when we walked out, we were all covered with feces, because everybody was going everywhere. And many people had died, and I am outside standing watching all this going on, and my mother says to me, Get undressed.  And I said, why? It was about July, August. It was summertime. Why? She said to me, they want to check if we're healthy. So I, very obedient, by the way, very, very. My mother taught me rules, and I'll tell you about the rules. So I took off my clothes, and she said, don't look at the eyes of the dogs. Don't look at anybody's eyes, because these the Germans came with their dogs. And When I was by myself, in the in the labor camp, she also taught me, because I was alone, never have eye contact. She said, eye contact will make you recognize and when you see a dog stand still, which is counterintuitive.  I was frightened, terrified of the dogs more than of the Germans, but she said, the dogs will think that you're running away, and they are trained to kill when somebody's trying to run away. So in other words, she always trained me how to be self sufficient, how to recognize danger and what to do with it. So eye contact is pure danger, and running is pure danger. So I learned very, very easily how to do that. So when I'm there, I'm standing very still, the dogs are passing by. And then I say, what's the smell, it stinks here. I said, it stinks. She pointed to the crematorium. They were taking the burning bodies from the gas chamber, and it was all black, and you could smell it. And you know what? She didn't have to say anymore. I knew it. So I remember saying, Mom, how do I look? How do I look? And she said, Oh, you look good. I said, Am I healthy? She said, Yeah, you're very healthy. I said, what about you? Oh, I'm healthy too. She said. And somehow we made it.  I tried to find out. I wrote a book together with a researcher. He tried to research. He lives in England. What happened that day? Every child under the age of 12 or 13 was taken straight to the crematorium. We're useless. Old people, pregnant people, sick people. What is old, 50 and over, because you can't work. Even in Auschwitz, you had to work. Even when you waited for your death, there was some job they gave you. So that you had to be healthy, at least. Anyhow, I don't really know. I was told that we arrived on a Sunday, and Sunday they were the Germans were Christians, so they didn't want to open another crematorium. They had four going. They didn't want the fifth. That's somehow how I and my mother survived. My whole transport, not just me. We were all, you know, a bunch of people. We went to another room. They shaved my head. I remember that very well, because they picked me up and I was, I was quite small, so they picked me up, put me on a bench, and the woman did my hair. And she herself, and I couldn't find my mother, and they gave me some clothes, because they've taken my clothes by the train. And then she found me, and then she took my hand, and we followed a whole bunch of people into Auschwitz proper. This was outside of Auschwitz before you were like, ready, and so you went inside. We got a middle bed, and then she started teaching me again.  She said, you know, there'll be a lot of people here sleeping. More women, so when you're asleep, you can't move around so much, because then everybody else has to move. Okay. And I said, What about if I have to go to the bathroom? She says, No, you can't. That was a terrible thing for me as a child. I had to hold it, because they had it twice a day to the bathroom. And then she said, Look, you're going to get a cup. I didn't get it yet. We were going to be getting a cup, a tin cup, a spoon and a bowl. If tyou lose it, and if somebody steals it, you'll go hungry and you'll die.  She said, they don't look at you. You take out the bowl. Somebody gives you something to eat. Nobody touched it, by the way. I was so aware of it. I just want to go a little fast forward, because I need your questions. I need to know what you want to know. And then one of the things I told you is bathroom for kids. It was hard for me to hold it. Well one day, we were all on line, and I really had to go. So I went in front of the line, and I was in such a hurry that I fell. The way the bathrooms were, I don't know if anybody's been to Auschwitz. The slabs of the boards. It was big, gigantic holes. The holes were like, maybe this size. My grandkids, who are, one of them is 6”2, got the privilege, because of me, to try out those bathrooms.  He sat on it and he said, Grandma, I don't know how you didn't of course, you fell in. He said, It's too big for me. I fell inside. And of course, they got me out and they hosed me down, but I must have picked up some kind of a bug. There were rats there, there were feces up to here. And I got very sick, but I knew that sickness meant death, so I was very careful not to tell anybody, but that somebody saw me, and they said, this child, this child is ill.  And they were so scared of illness, because illness meant death immediately. Because every morning they came, they picked up the dead, the sick, on one of those three wheel things. Wheelbarrow, wheelbarrow, to the crematorium. So I was afraid to be one of them. And then somebody said she's sick. She's going to infect all of us.  They picked me up. I don't remember much about that, because I was really ill, and they took me to one of those places, a hospital, without doctors. When I woke up, I must have had fever, they told me no more. You can't go back to your mother. And that's when they took me to the children's place. For the first time, I saw so many children, I never knew they even existed, and they tattooed me. I remember. They said, Oh, your name is such and such. No, it's 27,633. And the woman said, Say it. Say it. I couldn't say it. I don't know what numbers were. Never went to school, but she was so kind. She taught me. She said it again. She said, just say the words, say the words. And I did it, and I learned.  And she gave me a rag with cold water. She said, press it hard. Don't rub. It'll swell. I was there just about towards the end of the war. But one day, I got a package and it said, Happy sixth birthday. I'm six. I didn't know it. I said, Oh, my mother must be somewhere, and she's alive, because she gave me a package. It was a piece of bread, but I was going to save it until I'm dead. I imagine there's a little girl I'm going to be dying, dying, dying, like everybody is dying, but I won't, because I'll take that piece of bread and I'll eat it. I didn't know anything about bread getting stale. I know nothing about bread, so I remember keeping it here, just like that, because it was on a piece of string. In the middle of the night, rats came, ate up everything, tore my clothing, but they didn't touch me. Miracle. There were a number of miracles that, I should have been dead.  All I can tell you is, within a few weeks, something weird was going on at Auschwitz. I did not know. Terrible noise, terrible shooting. Dogs were barking, and the person who was in charge of us, it was always a kapo, an adult woman, was gone. The door was open, but we didn't dare open the door. We heard the dogs outside, and shooting. We were frightened and we were hungry. There wasn't even the little bit that we got every day, even that wasn't there.  And all of a sudden, the door opens, and my mother–I didn't know it was my mother–a woman comes in full of rags. She looks terrible. She looks around. Nobody's saying a word. She looks around, she looks around, she comes over to me, and she looks at me, and she bends down like on her knees a little bit. She says my name, and she says, You don't know me. I'm your mother. I thought to myself, my mother, she doesn't look like my mother. I only saw my mother six, seven months earlier, but she didn't look anything like it.  She just looked just, I can't even describe it. But she convinced me and listen to what she said. She looked at me. She said, You look like you can survive. Look at me. Her feet were swollen, and she said, listen, we're going to try to hide. We will either survive together or die together. What do you think? I said, I want to be with you. I don't care what. She takes my hand and we snuck, we didn't even have to sneak out because the door was open, but the other kids refused to leave. We were all so frightened, but somehow we got out.  She's walking. She's walking. Outside the dogs are barking. It's terrible. We're walking very close to the barracks, and she comes to a house, door. She walks. She must have had a plan. I didn't know that. And it's a hospital without doctors. All these people are screaming and crying and she goes from bed to bed. She touches everybody. I don't ask a question. And I'm wondering, why is she doing that?  She found a corpse that she liked. It was a corpse of a young woman, maybe twenty, now I look back at it to me, she was an adult, in the 20s, nice, nice looking woman who must have just died because she was warm. So she could manipulate her body. I remember my mother took off my shoes, picked me up, and she said, Listen, don't breathe. I'm going to cover you up. No matter what you hear–because she knew I couldn't see anything–what you hear don't get uncovered. Try to breathe into the ground.  She takes my face, she puts it towards the floor, and she manipulates my body, and she puts me very close to the corpse, and then she covers it up, and outside, you only see the head of the woman who died, and her hands, and her hands are holding like the blanket, so you can't see. All of a sudden, I can hear screaming and yelling. I don't move. I obey orders. And I can hear steps. I remember the steps, and somebody stopped, and I say to myself, Oh, I'm going to stop breathing. I stopped breathing. I was afraid that the blanket would move. Well, I just couldn't anymore.  The person walked away, and then screaming and yelling went on, I didn't move. And all of a sudden I smelled smoke, and I said, How can I not get uncovered? In the beginning, I still breathed very shallow, but I couldn't. And I said, I'll have to get uncovered to get air. And then all of a sudden, my mother pulls the blanket off me and says in Yiddish, they're gone. The Germans are gone. And she must have hidden with another corpse. And when I sit up in the bed, all these people have been hiding with other corpses. And in order to get out, they were pushing the corpses off the beds, so the corpses were flying everywhere, you know, while the people who were hidden under the corpses. So she says to me, come. I couldn't find my shoes, so I walked without and she takes my hand, and we were all walking. It was January 25, 1945. Germans have all gone. Taken with them, 50,000 people. Other people were just dying everywhere, and the Russians had not come yet. The Russians came two days later.  So we had two days inside the camp, without anybody, without the Germans. And we waited until they came, but there was electrified still. We couldn't get out. There was electricity everywhere. So we waited till the Russians came. And while we were standing by the barbed wires, I saw all these soldiers jump off trucks, and they were doing something with electricity. Then they could open the doors. And it was January 27 the liberation of Auschwitz, where children, whoever was left, was left. But many were in the process of dying, and you couldn't stop it.  Hundreds and hundreds of people died while the Russians were there, because you couldn't stop whatever they had, you know. And I remember, the Russians said, show us your number. Some kids were standing there. There's a picture of it, and I'm standing in front showing my number. And I'm talking for all the kids who didn't make it to that day. So thank you for listening.  Did I take too much time? I'm sorry.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   I don't think you can take too much time sharing that story. I know that there's so much more to share.  So many miracles, Tova. Tova Friedman:   Yes. Manya Brachear Pashman:  You have spent most of your adult life sharing your story to advance Holocaust education, and I'm curious what was the catalyst for that? Did someone ask you to share your story? Tova Friedman:   I tried to talk to people when I came to America. Because my teachers, I could read. I didn't go to school till I was 12. So I wanted to tell them why, but nobody heard me. Nobody cared. Nobody wanted to talk about it. But one day, when my oldest daughter was 15, she said to me, they're looking for a Holocaust survivor in school. Can you come to my class? That's how I started. Manya Brachear Pashman:   And then your grandson, many years later, introduced you to this thing called Tiktok, right? Tova Friedman:   I didn't know what Tiktok was because my daughter worked for a candy company called Tic Tac. You know the Tic Tac that you eat, the little white things that you have, like they make noise and stuff. So that's her company. Well, it's not her. She works for them. So I said to my son, what would a candy company be interested in the Holocaust? It's the same word. In fact, I still don't know the difference. Tik tok? Tic Tac? Manya Brachear Pashman:  Tic Tacs. Tova Friedman:   Tic Tac and TikTok? Manya Brachear Pashman:  Yes. Right, that's what you're on, TikTok. Tova Friedman:   A refugee is always a refugee. So he said to me, we had Shabbos dinner in his house, and he said, Can you give me two minutes? I said, Of course. He said, Just tell me something about yourself. Two minutes, because the people who are going to hear it have a two minute span. They can't listen to more than two minutes. I said, What should I say? Anything? Okay, my name and two minutes. Goes very quickly. And then all of a sudden, a half hour later, he said, people are interested. I said, what people? He said, on this. I said, on what?  You have a phone in your hand. What are they, who? And that's how it started. He first explained to me the system, what it means, and he got questions. He said, Would you like to answer the questions? I said, Who's asking? You know, I mean, I'm not in the generation of social media. I don't even have Facebook. I don't know any of that stuff. So he explained to me, he taught me, and he's very good at it. He's a wonderful guy. He's now 20. He's at WashU. And he became the person who's going to try to keep it going. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Well, your presence on Tiktok is really this wonderful, really, very innovative way of reaching people, of reaching young people, Jewish and non-Jewish. Tova Friedman: Right. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Lisa, you've come up with some unusual ways to reach young people. You were a middle school teacher until two years ago. Is that right? But you had this project where you had your students draw stick figures, and this was more than two decades ago when you started this. Can you tell us a little bit about the stick figures, which is like the polar opposite of Tiktok, but just as innovative?  Lise Marlowe:   So when I started teaching the Holocaust, and the first thing you say is 6 million Jews were murdered just for being Jewish, I realized the number did not shock students. I mean, it was sad, and they were empathetic, but the number 6 million…when we think about this generation and our sports heroes and our celebrities making millions of dollars, 6 million didn't sound like a big number. So at the time, I just had students take out a piece of paper and draw 20 stick figures across the paper. And to keep doing that for five minutes to see how many we could draw in five minutes. And my class, on the average, could draw, almost all of our elementary schools and middle schools in five minutes time, thousands of stick figures in five minutes time. And then the next day, when I went to my lesson, I'm teaching the Hitler's rise to power, one of my students stopped me and said, Wait, Mrs. Marlowe, aren't we going to draw stick figures? And I said, What do you mean?  And she said, Well, I went home and I talked to my grandmother, and the other students were jealous that we're drawing stick figures. And I think if we get together, my church and all of our friends, we pull together, I think we can draw 6 million. Tova Friedman: Wow.  Lise Marlowe:   And I said, you want to do this? And she said, Yes, I want to do that. So it warms my heart that every year I had hundreds and hundreds of students drawing stick figures, mostly not Jewish students. We are in a very diverse community in Shawnee school district, one of the most diverse in the state, mostly students of color, and I had them handing me in 1000s of stick figures every week, it covered our whole entire gym floor. And when I retired, sadly, we did not get to all the children, because we know 1.5 million children were murdered.  There was 1.6 million children to start with, and that means 94% of all the Jewish children were murdered in Europe, and we did not reach that milestone. And that shows that 6 million is a big number. And I have students like, you know, they're in their 30s and 40s now, who will always stop me on the street and say, did you get to 6 million. They always remember that's that project, and I have to, sadly tell them, we didn't even finish the children. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Tova, I would say that teaching is your side gig, right? You certainly have done so much to advance education, but professionally, you're a therapist, and I'm curious if your experience, your lived experience, has informed how you communicate with your patients? Tova Friedman:   I think it does. You know, to me, time has been always of essence. Time is the only thing we have. Money comes and goes. You look at the stock market. Tight now, it goes. Sometimes it goes up, sometimes it goes down. Time is the only thing. Once you lose it, it's done.  So when I get a therapist, that's how I always thought, because timing to me, like, how many people just died that didn't have the time, like those 6 million people that you drew. And the children, how much they could have accomplished, had they had time, right? Time was taken from them. So when I get a client, the first thing I say, listen, we're not going to be here forever. We're not going to sit and talk about your parents and your grandparents. Five years from now, you'll be able to maybe. No, it's going to be time-limited, and it's going to be quick. And you have to accept my style, or there's so many people who love having you for 10 years. I need 10 weeks or less.  That means that their goals, you accomplish them. I'm a little tough, and I say I'm not going to hold your hand, even if I could. I can't anymore because of COVID and because a lot of it is on Zoom. But even when I had them in my office, I said, I will not be a therapist who's going to sympathize, sympathize, sympathize. I'll sympathize for five minutes, then we're going to work. And a lot of people will say to me, Oh, that's exactly what I needed, somebody to really push me a little bit. I said, Yeah, but that's the way it's going to be.  And others say, Wow, you're a mean person. I don't want to want to be here. I said, there are hundreds of other therapists. So yes, Holocaust has taught me, eat it fast, or somebody else will take it. I'm sorry, but also that's one thing. But let's talk about the good things. This is good too, but. My degree was in gerontology, because Hitler was, that's the most vulnerable in our society.  You know, the elderly become alcoholics. Loneliness is among the elderly, financial issues. You know, loneliness is a killer. And I worked with the elderly to help them. I felt that's, that's the people that are sort of redundant. So that's where I worked with. I did it for years. And then I went to other age groups. I feel that my experience gives them courage.  You know, come on, come on. Let's do it. Try it. Don't worry. What can happen? What can happen if you speak to your to your father or to your mother and you say this and this, what can happen? In my mind, I said–I don't tell them that, and don't say I said that–I said there are no gas chambers here. So just you know, in my mind, I said, the consequences are minor, so let's do it. And it works. Manya Brachear Pashman:   And I wondered if it was the level, the level of trauma, pales in comparison to what you went through?  Tova Friedman:   No, no. Manya Brachear Pashman:   That's what I was wondering.  Tova Friedman:   I feel that every trauma is different than, you know. You can't say, Well, my foot hurts, and it's so, big deal. So your foot hurts, my two feet hurt. No. Every pain deserves a healing, even if it's a little toe, it deserves it. And I take it very seriously. Most clients don't know about me, hopefully. I don't talk about anything personal. But I'm a little bit, you know, we don't have time on this earth. Let's make it as good as possible.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Thank you, thank you for sharing that. Lisa, I want to ask about your family, about your great grandmother's efforts. She was not Jewish, but she saved thousands of Jews in Denmark, and I'm curious how that story was passed down in your family. Lise Marlowe:   So I started learning the Holocaust at a very young age, because my grandfather was from Denmark, and he actually fought against the Nazis for the Danish Navy, and he would share with me how his mother rescued Jews in boats, in fishing boats, and take them to Sweden. And I never really heard that story before. And I was able to go to Denmark and go to Sweden and do more research. And I learned that she was actually the editor of Land of Folk newspaper, which was a major resistance newspaper. 23 million copies were given out secretly to make sure that people knew what was happening. But I was so proud, you know, being Jewish that my non-Jewish side of my family helped to rescue people, and I think it really helped me with the work that I do now, and standing up, and social justice, that's always been a passion of mine, and I think just her story inspired me to stand up for others. And they literally saved 99% of the population by getting them to Sweden. And it's really a truly heroic story that's not told that much. But the Danish people, if you ask them, they're very humble, and their attitude is, it's what people are supposed to do. So I'm just very proud of that Danish heritage.  Tova Friedman:   Do you think that their king or something has something to do with it? Leaders? Tell me about that? Lise Marlowe:   It's a myth, right, that King Christian wore a Jewish star. He did say, if the Nazis require our Danish Jewish people to wear the star, I will wear it with the highest dignity. Along with my family. And Danish people didn't treat the Jews as the other. They considered them their friends and their neighbors, and that's why they did what they did.  Tova Friedman: Wonderful.  Lise Marlowe:   They didn't see them as the other, which is such an incredible lesson to teach students.  Tova Friedman: Yes, yeah. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Preserving these stories is so important, your experiences. Have you witnessed as lasting an effort to preserve the stories and pass down the stories of the righteous among us, like your great grandmother. And I ask you both this question, is it as important? Tova Friedman:   I think it's, you know, Israel, there is this wonderful, in Yad Vashem, the big museum, there's a whole avenue of the righteous. You know, I ask myself, what would I do if my family would be in danger in order to save somebody else, and the answer is, I don't know. But I am so utterly amazed that people do that. And there are many–well, not enough–but this is very impressive, your story, and I would love to learn. I don't know the answer, what separates one person from the other, that one is selfless and looks at humanity and one only at their own families?  I wish some studies would be done and so forth. Because we have to do something right now. We are now considered the others. You know, we are, in this world, all over Europe, except, ironically, not in Germany. I was in Germany, and I spoke to German kids, high school kids in German. I didn't know I knew German. I just got up and I saw they were trying so hard to understand. I had an interpreter, and I didn't understand the interpreter. And I said, Let me try. Let me try. I speak Yiddish fluently and German a little bit like that. Also, I lived three years in Germany, so I didn't speak it, but it must have come into my head. And do you know what they did after my speech? 250 kids? They came over. They apologized. I mean, they're a generation separated. I went to Dachau, where my father was, and there were two women whose parents or grandparents were Nazis, and they said to me, we're dedicating our entire life to preserve this Dachau andcamp and and they they have, they give talks and Everything, because my family killed your family, but they admit it. So right now, Germany has laws against it. But what about the rest of the world? What's happening in America? So I would love to know how the Danish did that. It's a wonderful story. It makes your heart feel good, you know. Thank you for the story. Lise Marlowe:   I would just add, the survivors we have today were the children who survived, right? Most of the adults are gone. And they were the hidden children. And most of them were hidden by non-Jewish people. Actually, all of them were. The Catholic Church, a farm lady, you know, who said, she took kindness on them. So you know, the hidden children were mostly hidden by non-Jewish people in terms of the righteous of the nations. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Thank you both so much for your insights. This has been a really illuminating conversation.  If you missed last week's episode, be sure to tune in for my conversation with AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Advisor Jason Isaacson, about legacy of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, the U.S. withdrawal from that deal in 2018, and Iran's dangerous stockpiling of uranium that's getting them closer to nuclear weapons capabilities. You can also listen to our latest episode about the impact of Pope Francis on Jewish-Catholic relations. From April 27-29, 2025, we will be at AJC Global Forum in New York City. Join American Jewish Committee (AJC) and over 2,000 committed activists at the premier global Jewish advocacy conference of the year. After the horrific attack on October 7, 2023, and in this fraught moment for the global Jewish community, escalating threats worldwide underscore the importance of our mission. All who care about the fate of the Jewish people, Israel, and the values of the civilized world must respond now with action, urgency, and resolve. If ever there was a time to stand up and be counted, that time is now. Your voice is needed now more than ever.  If you won't be with us in person, you can tune into the webcast at AJC.org/GlobalForum2025.  

We The Women
"Read Your Bible" - A Powerful Message From Holocaust Survivor, Miriam Griver

We The Women

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2025 42:02


On Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Margarita interviews Holocaust survivor - Miriam Griver. Miriam lived through the Holocaust as a child, and she talks about her family's brave, unbelievable story of survival. Miriam's father survived years in Auschwitz followed by the Death March. Miriam and her older sister hid in the trash in their ghetto to save themselves. Miriam reflects on her life, tells us how she channeled her story into an incredibly successful career of Jewish philanthropy, and leaves us with a powerful message to future Jewish generations. On Yom HaShoah, consider donating to The Blue Card fund which supports Holocaust survivors in need -https://bluecardfund.org/What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 04:03 Miriam's impressive career & life in Israel 10:03 The story of Miriam's family during the Holocaust 36:50 Miriam's reflections on living in Israel post Oct 7th42:02 Miriam's message to young Jewish people

Exit Strategy
A Holocaust Survivor's Legacy of Life

Exit Strategy

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2025 23:31


As a young boy during WWII, Sami Steigmann spent three years in a Nazi labor camp at Mogilev-Podolsky, in the Transnistria region of Ukraine. Now living in New York, he devotes himself to telling his story and sharing his practice of resilience — and embrace of life. Marking Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day — […] The post A Holocaust Survivor's Legacy of Life appeared first on Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.

True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers
IRMA GRESE—Becoming The Hyena of Auschwitz-Judith A. Yates

True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2025 74:29


Irma Grese “The Hyena of Auschwitz” entered Adolph Hitler's concentration camps at the age of 18 as one of the most feared females in Nazi Germany. Before she was 20 years old, Grese became legendary for her insatiable cruelty and salacious liaisons, an alleged predator and sadist. Even Nazi supervisors were forced to curtail her brutal behavior. Irma Grese hailed from a small farming village. Her life's goal was to become a nurse. Instead, she was a female guard in the most notorious concentration camps of the Third Reich. As WWII raged, so did Irma Grese's behavior. When arrested and imprisoned she continued to be defiant to the last seconds of her life at age 22. No media has captured the complete TRUE STORY of Irma Grese. Too many documents contain regurgitated, unreferenced information. Numerous myths and fallacies exist about the fascinating and terrifying Irma Grese—Until now. IRMA GRESE: Becoming "The Hyena of Auschwitz"—Judith A. Yates Follow and comment on Facebook-TRUE MURDER: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime History https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064697978510Check out TRUE MURDER PODCAST @ truemurderpodcast.com

HIListically Speaking with Hilary Russo
Ep186 - Survival and Legacy: A Holocaust Survivor's Story Through Generations

HIListically Speaking with Hilary Russo

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2025 67:54


It's not often you meet a 96-year-old who is still working hard to make the world a better place. But for Ben Lesser, a Holocaust survivor who lived through the atrocities of the Krakow ghettos and concentration camps, silence is not an option. As Ben puts it, he has a responsibility to share his story “to keep this world from acquiring amnesia.”⁣ In this episode, his daughter Gail joins him, because this conversation is not just about the past—it's about the future. This episode doesn't sugarcoat. You'll hear about Ben's experience during the Holocaust and the moment that made him open up and begin sharing his story for the betterment of humanity. How mindset and miracles kept him alive. What sparked him to write a book, start the Zachor Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, and encourage the next generation to shout out and choose love—so we never forget.⁣ ⁣ TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains extremely sensitive material⁣ ⁣ Connect with Ben, Gail or the Zachor Holocaust Remembrance Foundation⁣ https://www.ZachorFoundation.org⁣ https://www.facebook.com/ZachorFoundationBenLesser⁣ https://www.instagram.com/zachor18⁣ ⁣⁣ Living a Life that Matters: From Nazi Nightmare to American Dream by Ben Lesser⁣ https://amzn.to/3RJgc94⁣ ⁣ As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn commissions⁣ ⁣ DISCOVER HAVENING TECHNIQUES TRAININGS & WORKSHOPS⁣ https://www.hilaryrusso.com/training⁣ ⁣ JOIN ME ON SUBSTACK https://substack.com/@hilaryrusso ⁣ BOOK HILARY FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT OR ATTEND!⁣ https://www.hilaryrusso.com/events⁣ ⁣ CONNECT WITH HILARY⁣ https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilaryrusso⁣ https://www.instagram.com/hilaryrusso⁣ https://www.instagram.com/hilisticallyspeaking⁣ https://www.youtube.com/hilaryrusso⁣ https://www.hilaryrusso.com/podcast⁣ ⁣ MUSIC by Lipbone Redding⁣ https://www.lipbone.com

The Human Experience
From Coal Mines to Concert Halls: My Grandmother's Century of Stories

The Human Experience

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2025 71:03


In this heartfelt episode, I sit down with my grandmother—my last living grandparent—to capture her incredible journey through life. From her Italian immigrant roots in coal-mining Pennsylvania to her years as a talented young musician and her marriage to my grandfather, a brilliant physicist and Holocaust survivor, this conversation uncovers a century's worth of history, resilience, and love. These are the kinds of stories that often go untold—but deserve to be remembered.Key Takeaways:Her father was one of 10 children in a coal-mining family in Pittston, PA, and the only one to attend seminary.Despite growing up in humble beginnings, many of her uncles went on to college and professional careers, breaking generational cycles.Her mother's family hailed from Naples, Italy, and she grew up immersed in Italian traditions and strong family ties.Music played a huge role in her youth—she became the pianist for her school assemblies and eventually played in the All-City Orchestra in Philadelphia.She lived through World War II and vividly recalls the day Pearl Harbor was bombed—her younger brother's birthday.She later married Opa (Laszlo), a Hungarian immigrant, physicist, and survivor of religious persecution, whose brilliance and humility left a lasting mark on the family.Personal memories, from roller-skating mishaps to Epcot visits and feeding the dogs behind Grandma's back, make this story uniquely intimate.#TheHumanExperiencePodcast Follow Along:Website: https://www.thehxpod.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehxpod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/getthehxTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thehxpodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thehxpod Donate to The Human Experience PodcastFollow Along on InstagramVisit The WebsiteSend me an email at TheHXPod@gmail.com

Your Successful Secrets
Inge Auerbacher, Holocaust Survivor

Your Successful Secrets

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2025 4:05


Inge Auerbacher is a notable Holocaust survivor whose story has been featured in several podcasts and interviews. Born in 1934 in Kippenheim, Germany, Inge was only a young child when the horrors of the Holocaust unfolded. Her story is particularly powerful because it shows the experience of the Holocaust through the eyes of a child. In 1942, at the age of 7, Inge and her family were deported to the **Terezin concentration camp** (Theresienstadt) in Czechoslovakia. Terezin was presented by the Nazis as a "model" ghetto, meant to deceive the international community about the true conditions of concentration camps, but in reality, it was a place of starvation, disease, and death. Over 33,000 people died there, and tens of thousands were transported to death camps like Auschwitz. Inge and her parents were fortunate to survive their three years in Terezin, despite the horrific conditions. Inge was one of the few children who made it through. Out of the approximately 15,000 children imprisoned in Terezin, only about 100 survived. After the war, Inge immigrated to the United States with her parents. Despite the trauma of her childhood, she pursued a career in chemistry and became an author and public speaker, sharing her story to educate others about the Holocaust. She has written books, including her memoir **"I Am a Star: Child of the Holocaust,"** which recounts her experience as one of the few surviving children from Terezin. In podcasts, Inge often reflects on her memories of Terezin, the importance of resilience, and the duty to remember the past so that history does not repeat itself. Her voice serves as a living testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity. You may find episodes with Inge Auerbacher on various Holocaust remembrance podcasts, where she recounts her experiences and her message of peace and hope.

Dave's Head
Service, Resilience & Managing Change

Dave's Head

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2025 89:46


Dave reflects on the shocking revelation of Trump Administration officials discussing Yemen attack plans via Signal with reporter Jeffrey Goldberg, plus a heartfelt moment receiving a surprise award for his community service. Joining the conversation is Robert Wolf, M.D., Multiple Award-Winning Author and Neuroradiologist, who shares the powerful story of his familys survival from escaping communist Hungary to his fathers tragic experience with the Nazis and Auschwitz, as detailed in his book, "Not a Real Enemy." Dave closes with his signature GRIN segment, offering practical tips for managing change.

The CJN Daily
This Holocaust survivor rediscovered her Jewish roots decades later—thanks to a Canadian genealogist

The CJN Daily

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2025 21:53


In 1942, while Nazis were forcing the Jews of Krosno, Poland to move into the local ghetto, they missed at least one: an eight-month-old Jewish infant, left in a ditch by her frantic mother, wrapped only in a blanket, with just a birthdate and false first name pinned to the wool. A passing Polish couple found the child, brought her home and raised her as a Christian. She never knew her real name or identity, despite—she told people years later—always feeling that she was Jewish. It wasn't until 2017 that a band of keen Jewish genealogy researchers, including the late Stanley Diamondof Montreal, managed to crack the mystery and confirm that Maria Vasitinskaya was really Rivka Silber. And despite her parents and two older siblings being murdered in the Holocaust, Diamond was able to reconnect the child survivor, then 78, with her extended family, including approximately 100 relatives in Israel and around the world. In April 2025, this remarkable true story is being published as a new non-fiction book, One in Six Million, by Amy Fish, a Canadian author. Fish joins The CJN Daily to explain how the tale fell into her lap—and how an unexpected genetic twist made telling it literally part of her own DNA. Related links Learn more about the book One in Six Million here. Read about the late Stanley Diamond's passion for reuniting Holocaust survivors, in The CJN. Hear Stanley Diamond profiled on our newest Honourable Menschen podcast. Learn more about free DNA tests for Holocaust survivors. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

The Locher Room
Lifting Others Up: The Legacy of Holocaust Survivor Abe Piasek

The Locher Room

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2025 64:01


This is a conversation that must be heard. Holocaust education is more important than ever. Join me for an unforgettable episode of Conversations with Alan as we honor the legacy of Abe Piasek, a Holocaust survivor who turned his pain into a powerful message of hope.I'm joined by Steve Goldberg, who has shared Abe's story with over 6,200 people, and Abe's son, Joe Piasek, who first heard the full details of his father's journey in 2017. Together, we'll reflect on Abe's resilience, kindness, and his unwavering belief in teaching others not to hate.Just days before his passing, Abe asked Steve to “keep telling my story.” This episode is part of that promise.

SBS Hebrew - אס בי אס בעברית
Francine Lazarus, a Holocaust survivor's legacy honoured with an OAM

SBS Hebrew - אס בי אס בעברית

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2025 12:39


Francine Lazarus, a survivor of the Holocaust, received a Medal of the Order of Australia for her tireless service to the Jewish community at the Australia Day Honours 2025. Author of the book “A hidden Jewish child from Belgium: survival, scars and healing”, Francine Lazarus spent decades fostering remembrance and understanding.

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers
Eliya Smith — DEADCLASS, OHIO

The Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2025 36:26


Deadclass, Ohio runs at The Tank until March 23rd. For more information, visit www.thetanknyc.org. Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstageThe Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

Love and Murder
Midweek Mini | Indiana Mother Starved Baby Described as Looking Like "Holocaust Survivor" | Christin Donat

Love and Murder

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2025 13:57


In this episode of Love and Murder, I tell you a case out of Evansville, Indiana, that will leave you shaking your head. A two-month-old baby was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, weighing only six pounds—far below what he should have been. Doctors were horrified by what they saw, comparing his condition to something out of a nightmare. But here's the thing—his mother, Cristen Donat, didn't seem concerned at all.How does a baby end up in this condition? What really happened inside that home? And when the case went to court, why did the punishment (or lack of it) leave everyone outraged?You don't want to miss this one. Listen now and then answer my question:Do ​you ​think ​she ​could ​be ​rehabilitated, ​or ​do ​you ​think ​she ​deserved ​a ​harsher ​punishment?Tune in to hear this retelling and share your thoughts on the case.Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for more true crime stories and updates. If you want to support Love and Murder, you can join our Patreon for bonus episodes, case extras, and more at patreon.com/loveandmurder. You can also sign up for free if you're not ready to become a paid subscriber.Follow us on social media for more true crime content and updates.Share this episode with everyone you know and help us grow the Love and Murder community! ************************************************************Past Cases Mentioned in this Episode:Indiana Father Attacks Wife with Tire Iron, Murders 3-Month-Old Son | Eliasard Moneushttps://murderandlove.com/mid-week-mini-indiana-father-attacks-wife-with-tire-iron-murders-3-month-old-son-eliasard-moneus/**********************************************************************************HOW TO SUPPORT LOVE AND MURDER:

The Katie Halper Show
Irish Republican Danny Morrison, Gaza's Asad Abushark & Holocaust Survivors Against Genocide

The Katie Halper Show

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2025 77:44


Katie, who is in Europe interviewing Holocaust survivors protesting the Gaza genocide, plays a clip from her recently recovered footage (we thought it had been lost) of a live show she recorded in Dublin in July about the connection between Palestine and Ireland. Sadly, it's just as relevant now as it was then. For the full discussion, please join us on Patreon at - https://www.patreon.com/posts/patreon-full-124164727 The live show featured Danny Morrison, a writer and former republican prisoner from West Belfast. He was national director of publicity for Sinn Féin in the 1980s and is the secretary of the Bobby Sands Trust. It also featured Asad Abushark, a Palestinian-Irish academic from Gaza and an international spokesperson of the Great March of Return . They co-edited the book A SHARED STRUGGLE: Stories of Palestinian & Irish Hunger Strikers. The Patreon only version features hilarious Irish comedian Tadhg Hickey. Then Katie plays an interview with three members of the London-based organization Holocaust Survivors and Descendants against the Gaza Genocide: Stephen Kapos is an artist and Holocaust survivor; Agnes Kory is a musician, scholar and Holocaust survivor ; and Haim Bresheeth is a historian, filmmaker and the son of two Holocaust survivors. All three feature in Katie's documentary about Holocaust survivors and their descendants working to end the genocide in Gaza. Haim was ARRESTED for saying at a protest that Israel was not going to defeat Hamas. And earlier this month Stephen was QUESTIONED by London police. Speaking of the criminalization of speech when it comes to Palestine, we MUST ALL demand the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil, a legal resident of the U.S. and recent Columbia University graduate who was still living in university housing who who has been abducted by Trump's ICE in what the president vows is “the first arrest of many to come.” Khalil, who was born in Syria to Palestinian refugee parents, was one of the negotiators representing student demonstrators during talks with Columbia University's administration. Sign this petition: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/urgent-demand-the-immediate-release-of-mahmoud-khalil/ ***Please support The Katie Halper Show *** For bonus content, exclusive interviews, to support independent media & to help make this program possible, please join us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thekatiehalpershow Get your Katie Halper Show Merch here! https://katiehalper.myspreadshop.com/all Follow Katie on Twitter: https://x.com/kthalps Follow Katie on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kthalps/

Multispective
073 I Survived the Holocaust: Surviving the Survivor with Karmela and Joel

Multispective

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 48:30


Send us a textIn this interview, I sit down with Karmela, a Holocaust survivor who lived through one of history's darkest times, in Budapest. As a child, she lost her family in the gas chambers and witnessed unimaginable horrors. She bravely shares her story of survival, escape, and resilience.Joining her is her son, Joel, as they discuss not only Karmela's past but also their mission to share powerful stories through their true crime podcast, ‪SurvivingTheSurvivor‬ ‪@STSTalk‬ and book. Joel talks news, politics, his creative process and visiting his moms home town. Support the showAdditionally, you can now also watch the full video version of your favourite episode here on YouTube. Please subscribe, like or drop a comment letting us know your thoughts on the episode and if you'd like more stories going forward!If you would like to offer any feedback on our show or get in touch with us, you can also contact us on the following platforms: Website: www.multispective.org Email: info@multispective.org Instagram: www.instagram.com/multispectiveorg Facebook: www.facebook.com/multispectiveorg Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/multispective Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/multispectiveProducer & Host: Jennica SadhwaniEditing: Stephan MenzelMarketing: Lucas Phiri

The Mike Wagner Show
Author & daughter of a Holocaust survivor Julie Brill is my guest with “Hidden in Plain Sight” !

The Mike Wagner Show

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2025 36:14


Author & daughter of a Holocaust survivor Julie Brill talksabout her latest release “Hidden in Plain Sight” as a deeply personal truestory about her father & her family and the experiences in a heartfeltstory as an enduring quest to know the struggles of her father surviving theHolocaust as a young Jewish boy in Belgrade where Nazis murdered 90% of theJewish population without gas chambers or cattle cars, piecing together thepast and what the Nazis stole from their father and family! Julie is also a lactationconsultant, childbirth educator and doula, has been collecting family storiessince childhood and shares the stories behind the story! Check out the amazingJulie Brill on all major platforms and www.juliebrill.comtoday! #juliebrill #author #daughter #holocaustsurvivor #hiddeninplainsight#holocaust #jewish #belgrade #nazis #family #memoir #childbirtheducator#lactationconsultant #doula #spreaker #iheartradio #spotify #applemusic#youtube #anchorfm #bitchute #rumble #mikewagner #themikewagnershow #mikewagnerjuliebrill#themikewagnershowjuliebrill  

The Mike Wagner Show
Author & daughter of a Holocaust survivor Julie Brill is my guest with “Hidden in Plain Sight” !

The Mike Wagner Show

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2025 29:28


Author & daughter of a Holocaust survivor Julie Brill talksabout her latest release “Hidden in Plain Sight” as a deeply personal truestory about her father & her family and the experiences in a heartfeltstory as an enduring quest to know the struggles of her father surviving theHolocaust as a young Jewish boy in Belgrade where Nazis murdered 90% of theJewish population without gas chambers or cattle cars, piecing together thepast and what the Nazis stole from their father and family! Julie is also a lactationconsultant, childbirth educator and doula, has been collecting family storiessince childhood and shares the stories behind the story! Check out the amazingJulie Brill on all major platforms and www.juliebrill.comtoday! #juliebrill #author #daughter #holocaustsurvivor #hiddeninplainsight#holocaust #jewish #belgrade #nazis #family #memoir #childbirtheducator#lactationconsultant #doula #spreaker #iheartradio #spotify #applemusic#youtube #anchorfm #bitchute #rumble #mikewagner #themikewagnershow #mikewagnerjuliebrill#themikewagnershowjuliebrill  

The Mike Wagner Show
Author & daughter of a Holocaust survivor Julie Brill is my guest with “Hidden in Plain Sight” !

The Mike Wagner Show

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2025 36:15


Author & daughter of a Holocaust survivor Julie Brill talks about her latest release “Hidden in Plain Sight” as a deeply personal true story about her father & her family and the experiences in a heartfelt story as an enduring quest to know the struggles of her father surviving the Holocaust as a young Jewish boy in Belgrade where Nazis murdered 90% of the Jewish population without gas chambers or cattle cars, piecing together the past and what the Nazis stole from their father and family! Julie is also a lactation consultant, childbirth educator and doula, has been collecting family stories since childhood and shares the stories behind the story! Check out the amazing Julie Brill on all major platforms and www.juliebrill.com today! #juliebrill #author #daughter #holocaustsurvivor #hiddeninplainsight #holocaust #jewish #belgrade #nazis #family #memoir #childbirtheducator #lactationconsultant #doula #spreaker #iheartradio #spotify #applemusic #youtube #anchorfm #bitchute #rumble #mikewagner #themikewagnershow #mikewagnerjuliebrill #themikewagnershowjuliebrill  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-mike-wagner-show--3140147/support.

Radio Prague - English
Gidon Lev, Holocaust survivor and TikTok star

Radio Prague - English

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2025 29:19


Gidon Lev, Holocaust survivor and TikTok star: “I was a prop for Elon Musk when he visited Auschwitz”

Media Path Podcast
The Man Chapters of a Thrilling Career & Chronicling a Survivor's Stories with Arnetia Walker & Erika Kahn

Media Path Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2025 74:56


Arnetia Walker has lit up stages and screens for decades and she joins us this week to review her stunning show biz resume, including her latest entry, Bookie, the Chuck Lorre Max comedy on which she is currently slaying as Grandma.We are also joined by artist and Holocaust Survivor Erika Kahn, a first-hand witness to the consequences of authoritarian rule, scapegoating, and nationally sanctioned brutality. Erika offers vital insight for us in our fight against a dangerous wave of fascism.Orphaned as a child, Arnetia Walker's showbiz career began at New York City's High School for the Performing Arts where her talent and dreams were nurtured and encouraged. Arnetia was embraced by a similar culture of community and support when she won her first Broadway role with Hal Linden in The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window and then A Raisin in the Sun. Both  Lorraine Hansberry's plays.With a favorable alignment of the stars and talent recognition from Michael Bennet, Arnetia went from understudying Stephanie Mills in The Wiz to co-starring in Dreamgirls… a show within which she ultimately played every starring character. (But not on the same night.) As gifted an actor as she is a singer, Arnetia talks about her slew of TV appearances, including her lead role in the Witt Thomas Harris sitcom, Nurses and the circumstances under which that part prevented her from being cast in  E.R.Currently, she is stealing every scene as the ruthlessly direct Grandma in Bookie. Arnetia shares what it's like to work with Chuck Lorre and Sebastian Maniscalco. She tells us about her cabaret era and her passion for cooking and she boldly takes on a round of IMDB Roulette that jars some treasured TV memories!Then, Centenarian Erika Kahn recalls her childhood in Nazi Germany, and she contrasts and compares the climate which led to the Nazi atrocities with that of our current perilous pivot point in America. Erika is a tenacious activist whose words of hope and optimism are essential for those of us taking on the rise of American fascism.In recommendations --Fritz: Netflix Series 'American Manhunt: OJ Simpson'Weezy: The Movie 'Studio One Forever' (2023), streaming on several platforms Path Points of Interest:Arnetia WalkerArnetia Walker on IMDBArnetia Walker on WikipediaArnetia Walker on TiktokBookieErika KahnWe Played Marbles: Remembering A Stolen ChildhoodA documentary featuring Erika KahnAmerican Manhunt: O.J. SimpsonStudio One Forever

The World and Everything In It
2.25.25 Germany's most conservative party, ending no-fault divorce, and taking care of holocaust survivors

The World and Everything In It

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2025 35:35


The conservative Alternative for Germany party gains momentum, states rethink no-fault divorce, and caring for holocaust survivors. Plus, Andrew Walker on the need for spiritual renewal, beavers lend a hand, and the Tuesday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate.Additional support comes from Dordt University. Student musicians at Dordt enjoy opportunities to discover, develop, and share the gift of music and bring glory to God – until all is made new.From The Joshua Program at St. Dunstan's Academy in the Blue Ridge Mountains: work, prayer, and adventure for young men. stdunstansacademy.orgAnd from Compelled Podcast. Ron Husband was a legendary Disney animator. Before that, he explored UFOs, lost cities, and Jesus. CompelledPodcast.com

Casa DeConfidence Podcast
From Survivor's Legacy to Activist's Voice: Abe Gurko's Inspiring Journey to Belong

Casa DeConfidence Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2025 66:18 Transcription Available


I want to hear your thoughts about the show and this episode. Text us here...In this episode of "Casa De Confidence," host Julie DeLucca-Collins warmly welcomes Abe Gurko, author of "Won't Be Silent: Don't Stop Till It Matters." Abe shares his compelling journey from growing up as a Holocaust survivor's child to navigating life as an outsider and ultimately becoming an activist. They delve into his family's harrowing past, his struggles with identity, and his passion for speaking out against injustice. The conversation is rich with themes of resilience, hope, and the power of storytelling, leaving listeners inspired to embrace their own voices and contribute to positive change in the world.You can find Abe here: https://wontbesilent.com/Abe's other links https://linktr.ee/WontBeSilentIf you are feeling helpless about the many injustices in our country today. Calling your representative is the best way to make your voice heard. This is a great way to take action https://5calls.org/If you want my best resources check them out here  https://www.goconfidentlycoaching.com/quicklinksDid you know that the first email was sent in 1971? 99% of email users check their inbox every day, with some checking 20 times a day. If you are not leveraging email marketing for your business, you are missing out on an opportunity to build a relationship with potential clients and to build a community. Email can be intimidating. It was for me. This is why I use Flodesk. This is This is an invitation to join a supportive community of purpose-driven entrepreneurs who are creating an impact in the world.A mastermind is a community of peers who exchange ideas, provide support, and offer sound advice for running a successful business.Join the Confident YOU Mastermind now at https://goconfidentlyservices.myflodesk.com/confidentyoumastermindSupport the showOther helpful resources for you: Learn more about my Confident You Mastermind Today! Here's your Guide to Starting A Podcast in 30 days, download yours today! For more about me and what I do, check out my website. If you're looking for support to grow your business faster, be positioned as an authority in your industry, and impact the masses, schedule a call to explore if you'd be a good fit for one of my coaching programs. Thank you for listening to our podcast. Please Subscribe! Join our Facebook GroupInstagram, TikTok We love reviews! Please leave us a review.Contact us if you want to Launch, restart, or grow your podcast.

Truth & Liberty Coalition
Holocaust Survivor Exposes Modern Anti-Semitism with Jack Wurfl

Truth & Liberty Coalition

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2025 58:30


Join Richard as he welcomes Holocaust survivor Jack Wurfl, who was just seven years old when World War II began. Jack shares the heartbreaking loss of his family, and how he went to protect his true identity. His path led him to serve in the U.S. Army, and his powerful story is a timely reminder of why standing with Israel and the Jewish people remains essential.   Join us in person at the Truth & Liberty Banquet: https://www.truthandliberty.net/award  Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.truthandliberty.net/subscribe   Get "Hope For The Future" here: https://info.truthandliberty.net/hope   Donate here: https://www.truthandliberty.net/donate   Original Air Date 01-24-25  

Crime Alert with Nancy Grace
Crime Alert 2PM 02.17.25| "Like a Holocaust Survivor." Malnourished Two-Month-Old Rescued. Mom Only Gets Probation

Crime Alert with Nancy Grace

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2025 5:42 Transcription Available


A malnourished two-month-old boy in Indiana is rescued, and a court has sentenced his mom to probation after she pleaded guilty to neglect charges. Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Darrell Armstrong is arrested in Texas for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly hitting his girlfriend with a gun and threatening to shoot her. Drew Nelson reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should Have Listened to My Mother Podcast
"She's My Favorite Person to Chat With" with Guest Writer and Comedian Liz Glazer

Should Have Listened to My Mother Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2025 30:24


Before we get into more of the story, I just wanted to mention that Liz, as a comedian performed for the sold out symposium on January 12, 2025 for "Not Your Mother's Menopause, NJ which took place in Maplewood,NJ. Allison Kalsched along with Dr. Sharon Mallone, OBGYN  and best Selling Author, were guests on S6E4 of SHLTMM. I wanted to mention Stacey Futterman Tauriello and April McKenzie who are also Co-Founders of NYMMNJ. Many people were involved, working diligently to have a long list of practitioners and  professionals speak on the topic of women's health, wellbeing and happiness.This is the story of mother and daughter that absolutley love one another and have a very special connection. They love to talk about anything and everything. It's heartwarming to hear these stories of their relationship and how laughter is such an integral part of both of their lives. You'll hear liz share stories about how great her mom is at landing a story and that she's got great comedic timing. Comedy and laughter can be therapeutic and I think it's been healing for both women.Liz and Toby have their own Love Language. They understand one another perfectly where as other people may not really understand  exactly what they're talking about. The two women also love speaking to one another before going to bed. As a child, her mom would give Liz the option of reading a book or talking before bed and Liz would automatically choose option two of talking together."My mom was fun but not like a cool mom. Both of my parents were over protective. But my mom loves to talk and boy does she know how to land a  story," according to Glazer."If she wants to be a comedian," I support her.As a teen, Liz would have some girlfriends over for a sleepover and naturally in the middle of the night mom would come down to keep an eye on the girls so they got some sleep. Toby lays down on the floor with the girls and the only two awake are Liz and her mom. The two women wind up talking till late in the morning?"Both mom and dad grew up with  Holocaust survivors as parents" shares Liz. Her mother's upbringing -was tough. On one hand her parents experienced an atrocity in the Concentration camps. They were traumatized and now living in a foreign country. Meanwhile, Toby was trying to fit in as an American on Long Island.  A friend asked why is Theresa name Theresa? For fear of Anti Semitic backlash?Toby's birth certificate  originally had "Theresa" listed as her first name as not to be recognized as being Jewish.  Eventually they legally changed her name legally.Retail returns are a right of passage. Liz has been returning purchases for her mother for decades.Liz share "this is the story of a woman who  endured sadness and trauma and found hope and laughter and a sense of calm through her own resilience, helped by friends and her family and  ultimately has become the strong woman that her family members saw that she was before she saw it herself." Liz Glazer's  Social Media:WEBSITE:dearlizglazer.comFB:LIZ GLAZERLINKEDIN: LIZ GLAZERINSTAGRAM:LIZ GLAZER "Should Have Listened To My Mother" is an ongoing conversation about mothers/female role models and the roles they play in our lives. Jackie's guests are open and honest and answer the question, are you who you are today because of, or in spite of, your mother and so much more. You'll be amazed at what the responses are.Gina Kunadian wrote this 5 Star review on Apple Podcast:SHLTMM TESTIMONIAL GINA KUNADIAN JUNE 18, 2024“A Heartfelt and Insightful Exploration of Maternal Love”Jackie Tantillo's “Should Have Listened To My Mother” Podcast is a treasure and it's clear why it's a 2023 People's Choice Podcast Award Nominee. This show delves into the profound impact mother and maternal role models have on our lives through personal stories and reflections.Each episode offers a chance to learn how different individuals have been shaped by their mothers' actions and words. Jackie skillfully guides these conversations, revealing why guests with similar backgrounds have forged different paths.This podcast is a collection of timeless stories that highlight the powerful role of maternal figures in our society. Whether your mother influenced you positively or you thrived despite challenges, this show resonates deeply.I highly recommend “Should Have Listened To My Mother” Podcast for its insightful, heartfelt and enriching content.Gina Kunadian"Should Have Listened To My Mother" would not be possible without the generosity, sincerity and insight from my guests. In 2018/2019, in getting ready to launch my podcast, so many were willing to give their time and share their personal stories of their relationship with their mother, for better or worse and what they learned from that maternal relationship. Some of my guests include Nationally and Internationally recognized authors, Journalists, Columbia University Professors, Health Practitioners, Scientists, Artists, Attorneys, Baritone Singer, Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist, Activists, Freighter Sea Captain, Film Production Manager, Professor of Writing Montclair State University, Attorney and family advocate @CUNY Law; NYC First Responder/NYC Firefighter, Child and Adult Special Needs Activist, Property Manager, Chefs, Self Help Advocates, therapists and so many more talented and insightful women and men.Jackie has worked in the broadcasting industry for over four decades. She has interviewed many fascinating people including musicians, celebrities, authors, activists, entrepreneurs, politicians and more.A big thank you goes to Ricky Soto, NYC based Graphic Designer, who created the logo for "Should Have Listened To My Mother".Check out our website for more background information: https://www.jackietantillo.com/Or more demos of what's to come at https://soundcloud.com/jackie-tantilloLink to website and show notes: https://shltmm.simplecast.com/Or Find SHLTMM Website here: https://shltmm.simplecast.com/Listen wherever you find podcasts: https://www.facebook.com/ShouldHaveListenedToMyMotherhttps://www.facebook.com/jackietantilloInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/shouldhavelistenedtomymother/https://www.instagram.com/jackietantillo7/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-tantillo/YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@ShouldHaveListenedToMyMother

Cincinnati Edition
You can talk with a local Holocaust survivor at this exhibit

Cincinnati Edition

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2025 21:19


First-hand accounts of the Holocaust are being told by fewer and fewer people each year.

The Hamilton Corner
Guest Host, Alex McFarland, is joined by Joel Chernoff, Founder of the Joseph Project International, as well as, 92-year-old Holocaust survivor, Jochen “Jack” Wurfl

The Hamilton Corner

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2025 49:18


Texas Standard
Reflections from three Holocaust survivors in Texas

Texas Standard

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2025 51:17


President Trump’s long-promised deportation raids get underway in Texas and in other parts of the country – what we know about the weekend operations and what we’re learning. On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Texas Standard’s Sarah Asch brings us the voices and memories of survivors living in Texas. And: The Texas Senate has […] The post Reflections from three Holocaust survivors in Texas appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Eyewitness History
Holocaust Survivor Describes Being Taken To And Life Living In Auschwitz

Eyewitness History

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2025 39:13


Today is the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. In recognition of this, please listen to this re-release of an interview I did with Holocaust survivor, Gene Klein. In the spring of 1944, a teenage Gene Klein and his family were taken from their village in Hungary and thrown into the infamous Nazi extermination camp known as Auschwitz. His father was taken straight to the gas chamber. Klein was forced into slave labor until liberated in the spring of 1945, and he spent two years as a refugee before his and other family members were allowed to immigrate to the United States. “Eventually, I decided that, like [Elie ] Wiesel, I needed to be public about being a survivor and that, in my own small way, I should contribute to the mission of educating the world about the Holocaust,” he wrote.“I will tell our story,” he continued, “and I will speak — especially in these times — about the tolerance and compassion necessary to prevent what happened to us from happening to others.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Slovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio
Remembering holocaust survivor Eva Mosnáková (27.1.2025 16:00)

Slovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2025 28:10


Eva Mosnáková was not only a holocaust survivor, but also a long-standing figther against extremism. Even in her old age she invested a lot of time in discussions with younger generations about war, holocaust and extremism. She died in December 2024 aged 95 years old. And what is her message for the next generations and how to people remeber her? We talked to Madeline Vadkerty, Andrej Bán a Soňa Gyarfášová.

Authors on the Air Global Radio Network
Alex Kor: A Blessing, Not a Burden, a memoir from the child of two holocaust survivors

Authors on the Air Global Radio Network

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2025 31:39


Meryl chats with Alex Kor about his 2024 memoir, A Blessing, Not a Burden, which chronicles his incredible journey as the child of two Holocaust survivors to his present day mission of keeping alive his parents' legacy. They also discuss his mother's controversial decision, as a Mengele twin, to forgive the Nazis. Originally from Terre Haute, Indiana, Alex Kor is the son of two Holocaust survivors, Eva Mozes Kor and her husband, Michael. Alex holds a BS in Chemistry, an MS in Exercise Physiology, and a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine. A full-time podiatrist, he is a member of the CANDLES HOLOCAUST MUSEUM BOARD OF DIRECTORS. His memoir, A Blessing, Not a Burden, was published in May 2024. Guest's Website and Social Media links: Amazon: https://a.co/d/fuNHN7T Author Website: https://www.myholocaustlegacy.com/ Pediment Publishing: https://www.pediment.com/ People of the Book is copyrighted by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network Website: merylain.com/ #AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #PeopleOfTheBookPodcastWithMerylAin #PeopleOfTheBook #AlexKor #Memoir #ABlessingNotABurden #EvaKor #Auschwitz #JosefMengele #AngelOfDeath #Mengele #MengeleTwin #Miriam #Twins #MichaelKor #MickeyKor #TerreHaute #Israel #TheHolocaust #Holocaust #CANDLES #Indiana #Forgiveness #Nazis #Nazi #Atrocities #MedicalExperiments #TwinsReunionAtAuschwitz #ParentsLegacy #KeepingHolocaustLegacyAlive #ButlerUniversity #CocaCola #MerylAin #TheTakeawayMen #ShadowsWeCarry #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead #PeopleOfTheBookPodcast

PBS NewsHour - Segments
Holocaust survivor's family searches for answers while retracing her steps at Auschwitz

PBS NewsHour - Segments

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2025 12:04


Monday marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. One of the youngest survivors was an eight-year-old Polish girl named Rutka. She moved to Canada after the war and took the name Rachel Hyams. Decades later, she died by suicide. Rachel's daughter has been retracing her mother's steps and allowed Malcolm Brabant to come along on the emotional journey. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

PBS NewsHour - World
Holocaust survivor's family searches for answers while retracing her steps at Auschwitz

PBS NewsHour - World

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2025 12:04


Monday marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. One of the youngest survivors was an eight-year-old Polish girl named Rutka. She moved to Canada after the war and took the name Rachel Hyams. Decades later, she died by suicide. Rachel's daughter has been retracing her mother's steps and allowed Malcolm Brabant to come along on the emotional journey. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Living The Next Chapter: Authors Share Their Journey
E491 - Steven Joseph - Fiction, Nonfiction Author, Possibly Cranky, Lawyer and Run-On Sentences

Living The Next Chapter: Authors Share Their Journey

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2025 50:07


Episode 491 - Steven Joseph - Fiction, Nonfiction Author, Possibly Cranky, Lawyer and Run-On SentencesEmbracing the Culture, Celebrating Milestones, and Achieving ZenSteven Joseph is a first-generation American, veteran attorney, negotiator, prolific speaker, and a modern humorist. He's a real New Yorker. A fully cured overweight person, Steven is a five times Boston Marathon runner and 16 times NYC Marathon runner – balancing it all perfectly through the art of Zen.Yet Steven believes he is smart enough to know that he hasn't figured everything out, except for crankinessEmbracing Crankiness One Book at a TimeSteven Joseph is an excellent attorney and a remarkable writer. He's gone from writing comprehensive legal briefs to penning award-winning fiction and nonfiction books for children and adults.Being a son of a Holocaust Survivor, Steven recognizes and celebrates his Jewish heritage. Most of his writing is based on the concept of survival, which was ubiquitous in the household he grew up in, and acknowledgment which, he learned through his zen practice. As a crankiness expert, Steven can help you manage your emotions, embrace your crankiness, and improve communication with friends and family.Steven is the author of the Mom's Choice Award-winning The Last Surviving Dinosaur: The TyrantoCrankaTsuris and The Crankatsuris Method: A Grownup Guide to Effective Crankinessthat , and the forthcoming Snoodles, Kidoodles, Poodles, and Lots and Lots of Noodles. Sign up to stay informed.https://www.stevenjosephauthor.com/Support the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca

AJC Passport
The Oldest Holocaust Survivor Siblings: A Tale of Family, Survival, and Hope

AJC Passport

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2025 19:19


When the USC Shoah Foundation named three sisters and their brother from Sanok, Poland the oldest surviving siblings of the Holocaust, Canadian Jewish filmmaker Allan Novak, the son of one of those shvesters (sisters in Yiddish), realized it was time to use the footage he'd been collecting for years to tell their story.  The result? Crossing the River: From Poland to Paradise – a heartwarming short documentary about how members of one family miraculously survived the Holocaust by staying together with each other and their parents. Listen to this conversation with Novak on his family's dream of moving to Israel, unwavering resilience, and positive outlook, despite losing 80 family members to the horrors of Nazism.  *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC.  Watch: Crossing the River Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: with Hen Mazzig, Einat Admony, and more. People of the Pod:  Israeli Hostages Freed: Inside the Emotional Reunions, High-Stakes Negotiations, and What's Next Bring Them Home: Understanding the Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal and Its Impact Pack One Bag: Stanley Tucci and David Modigliani Uncover His Jewish Family's Escape from Fascism and Antisemitism in 1930s Italy Gov. Josh Shapiro and AJC CEO Ted Deutch on Combating Antisemitism Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. __ Transcript of Conversation with Allan Novak: Trailer: Ruth Zimmer:  That's a camera. Allan Novak:  No, this records sound. Sally Singer: [in Yiddish: It's so small.] Ruth Zimmer:  Ok, Sally. Allan Novak: Meet the shvesters: Auntie Ruthie, Auntie Sally, and my mum, Anne. Anne Novak: I'm the quiet one. Ruth Zimmer:  And I'm the pisk (loudmouth). Allan Novak: Along with my uncle Saul, they've been together since the 1920s. As they began to hit 100 the media started to take notice, and when the USC Shoah Foundation named them the oldest Holocaust survivor siblings in the world, I knew I needed to tell their story now. Ruth Zimmer: What do you want us to . . you want to ask questions? Okay, that's easier.  Allan Novak: I want to talk about the war. ____ Manya Brachear Pashman:   When the Shoah Foundation named three sisters and their brother from Sanok, Poland the oldest surviving siblings of the Holocaust, filmmaker Allan Novak, the son of one of those sisters, realized it was time to use the footage he'd been collecting for years to tell their story. The result? Crossing the River: From Poland to Paradise – a heartwarming short documentary about how members of one family miraculously survived the Holocaust by staying together with each other and their parents. Allan is with us now to talk about his extraordinary aunts, uncle and mom and this equally extraordinary Holocaust story.  Allan, welcome to People of the Pod. Allan Novak:   Thank you, Manya, great to be here. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So you had been recording interviews and kind of a life with your family for decades, right, while kind of working on various other projects. But what finally moved you to make this a project? Allan Novak:   Sure, well, I've been filming them since I got my Bar Mitzvah Super Eight camera a while ago, in the 70s, actually. And, yeah, I've been collecting footage, you know, at different times. Was inspired to interview, to capture their story, but really, more is just kind of a personal archivist kind of project. But then when the Shoah Foundation identified them as the oldest Holocaust survivor siblings in the world, as you mentioned, I kind of posted that in my social media. And then there was a huge reaction.  People just loved this idea that these people survived all this, and we're still together and survived, and we're thriving, in fact. And actually had a producer friend of mine inquire about where the rights available to their story. So I had to laugh, because, you know, I'm a filmmaker, so I immediately realized that somehow, you know, my little family story had kind of broken in a way, and it didn't deserve to be told and shared with the world. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So without giving too much away, can you tell our listeners a little bit about these extraordinary family members and what your relationship with them was like growing up? When did you realize they had such an extraordinary backstory? Allan Novak:   Well, you know, they often talked about, you know, Siberia, which is where they survived the war. And they were, they were kind of small little stories. And I understood they were hungry and it was cold and that kind of a thing, but it was always kind of light hearted, and there was laughter. You know, my auntie Ruthie, who is prominent in the film, she was an actress in the Yiddish theater, and she's really a natural comedian, and so she would always, they would make it funny. And my uncle, Saul, I call him the most positive person in the world. He actually also would look on the bright side of things.  So although they went through, you know, really tremendous trauma, somehow the way they processed it was with a positive outlook. And that kind of rubbed off on me. So I never felt, you know, unlike the people whose parents were unfortunate enough to have been in places like Auschwitz and under the Germans, I didn't have that sort of really, really dark sense of a traumatic story, but rather kind of this sort of triumphant survivalist story. So survival is kind of the key word and positivity together. So that's how I saw them growing up, as sort of somewhat fun old country of uncles and aunts. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Now one of the reasons your mother and most of her siblings survived is because the river that ran through Sanok also divided it into German and Russian territory, and your family fled to your great grandparents home on the Russian side, but about 80 of your family members stayed on the Nazi occupied side of Sanok and were murdered. One of them was your uncle Eli? Allan Novak:   Yeah, yeah. Eli. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Eli, yeah. Who did not stay with the siblings and parents. He had a bad feeling about where the Russians might take them. Did you ever get a sense of why the rest of the family stayed on the west side of the river in Nazi occupied Sanok? Allan Novak:   You know, it's a sad thing, but part of it was economic. You know, my grandfather had a relatively prosperous butcher shop. It was unusual because he supplied meats to the Polish military regiment there, but also to Jews. So he sort of had a half kosher, half not kosher shop, which was, I didn't even realize that could exist, but it did. He was quite Orthodox, and so they were sort of comfortable, but they shared a house, for instance, with my grandfather's brother, and he had like nine kids, and he wasn't so successful.  And so when I asked them, like, Why didn't everybody go over to the other side? It's like they didn't have the money to hire a driver, horseman, get across the river. And so it was just unfortunate. And as well, it was my mother's grandmother that had the property, so on the father's side, they didn't really have that option to sort of show up on the other side of the family. So it was kind of cruel twists of family and economics and also nobody knew, like they didn't know that that would be the right side. Nobody knew what would happen. You know, the week the Germans marched into Poland in September. So, you know, they went with their instinct, stay with the grandmother. But nobody knew what would happen. And of course, Eli, the brother, thought he was making the clever choice. He thought he was going to survive because he didn't want to get on the train. Manya Brachear Pashman:   How old were these people when they made these decisions to stay together or stay in Sanok? Allan Novak:   So there were five siblings. Sally, the oldest, would have been 19. So they were like 1917--15, 13, and 11. So Eli was 11, so they stuck together. They were young, you know, it probably seemed like a bit of an adventure, you know, to a 13 year old Auntie Ruthie, they didn't know, nobody knew what was to come. But Eli was 11, and he was, by all accounts, a stubborn child and a willful kid. A tough cookie, as my uncle Saul says. And so there's a point in the story where everybody was told you have to get on this train by the Russians, and the family huddled together. And this 11 year old boy who thought he was smarter than everyone and was more willful, said, I'm not getting on that train. I'm going to stay with my grandparents, who were not being sent out. The others were deported because they were Polish citizens, and on the other side, they weren't. So that's what happened. So he was 11, strong willed, and he made a choice. And then in the end, obviously, like one of those sort of lessons of the story is families that stay together do better than not. Manya Brachear Pashman:   As you mentioned, your family ends up in Siberia. That's where this Russian train takes them. I'll let listeners kind of watch the film to find out exactly how that unfolds. There is a story that did not make it into the film, but I read about the spilled milk, and I'm hoping that you can share that story as I think it's so sweet, but it also just gives listeners an idea of the conditions that your aunts, uncle and mom survived.  Allan Novak:   I mean, they were living essentially in a small wooden room inside of a long wooden barrack, and every family didn't matter how many people you got this, this wooden room. There were no beds. There were just sort of boards that came down from the wall. And there was like a bucket where they would put wood in and that sort of all they had to kind of keep them warm. But sometimes they could do things like they could trade.  There were Siberian peasants around. And if you had an earring or something, you could get some milk, right, from a farmer nearby. And so, yeah, I think my Aunt Sally, she was able to kind of get this milk for the family. And it was this huge, huge treasure to have this small little pail of milk. And she put it under the bed for safekeeping until she could share it the next morning, and then she knocked it over in the night, and this precious, precious milk spilled on the floor, and she really like, for her whole life, she just had this deep sense of regret and shame for spilling this milk, because it was just so precious to have anything to eat other than the few grams of bread they were given. Manya Brachear Pashman:   She literally cried over spilled milk for decades.  Allan Novak:   Yes. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Did her siblings know about this? And I'm just curious, what was the dynamic? You actually asked this very question in the film. You asked them, what is the dynamic between all of you? And they interpreted that as the difference. But I'm curious, just from your perspective, what was the dynamic of these siblings through the years?  Allan Novak:   Well, you know, they came from a traditional family. The father was Orthodox, you know, Shomer Shabbos, kosher, as probably were most of the Jews in Poland at that time, in the 20s and 30s. So they had a great deal of respect for the mother and father, would be nothing like today. It was just pure respect and love. And so between them, Sally, who's in the film, they called her the smart one. She was the most educated one. So she kind of ruled the roost, in a way. But Ruth, the youngest, she was a troublemaker. She's my auntie Ruthie, the comedian. And so she would make trouble.  She would follow them. If somebody had a date, like if Sally had a date with a boy, you know, Ruthie would be sneaking up behind and, like, harassing them and not going home, or chasing after them. She was kind of wild and incorrigible. My mother was always the middle child, so she was the peacemaker, which you see in the film, always trying to bridge between Sally and the younger Ruth. And Saul was kind of, he was the boy, the only boy, and they really just cherished him. He was good with his hands. He could fix anything.  There's a story in the film of how he had to kind of steal little parts, pieces of wood and things to end up building a cart that he could sell to get milk, that kind of thing. So they really appreciated each other, and they each had their positions, you know, judging by birth order, in a way. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You also talk in the film about how Saul and your aunt Ruthie, they were determined to fulfill their dream of going to Israel and going to a kibbutz in Israel. Spoiler alert, they did not make it, because, again, they put family first. Was this family first theme, a through line of your upbringing? And also, did they ever make it to Israel as just tourists?  Allan Novak:   Yeah, family first, certainly. Yeah. I grew up with a lot of cousins, the uncles and aunts, and they all lived very close to each other for their entire adult lives. You know, every night, one of the uncles and aunts would be walking over down the street and sitting there, so yeah, and we would hang with my cousins during the summer. So yeah, family first, definitely. We were all very close with our cousins, and we still continue to be. With respect to Israel, I mean, it was really something. They really wanted to be in Israel. You know, they were part of Zionist groups called Akiba growing up. My father, this story isn't in the film, was actually the head of, like, a whole group of Kibbutzim in Poland, and he ran the organization getting people over to Israel, you know, in 1947-48 and it was actually a great embarrassment to him that he ended up going with his new wife to Canada versus Israel. And he was very embarrassed because, you know, Oscar, you know, she and Novak, the organizer, ended up going to Canada. So it was a bit awkward. But, you know, they went where they got their immigration, and there was already family there. And just a very quick sidebar, so my father had one sister. My father lost like nine siblings, but he had one sister who emigrated to Palestine at the time in the 20s, and she had one son. And so my only living relative in Israel was the greatest living soccer star of his era. It's the equivalent of like having Pele as your cousin. His name is Nahum Stelmach. They called him Rosh Zahav, the golden head, because he won a famous match against Russia in the 60s. And this small country beat Russia, and he won. Sidebar.  So they did get to Israel. It took until the mid 60s to get there to visit his, you know, Nahum, and then they went subsequently a few more times, but, you know, it was expensive, particularly, you know, in the 50s, and you know, until the 60s. So it took until the 60s, till they got there. But, yeah, it was a lifelong regret, but it was just kind of the twists of fate. Well, it's in the film. They might have ended up in Israel. They were on the Exodus. They were booked on the boat the Exodus, and then my grandfather had a stroke just before. So part of the themes of the film is kind of the random twists of fate and the choices that we make, and what happens is unknowable. Manya Brachear Pashman:   The film includes footage of your mother turning 100, the birthday party, and she would always say that the best revenge against Hitler was to live long lives. What do you think has kept your family members alive for so long, what has kept them alive? Allan Novak:   Coincidentally, Uncle Saul just had his 100th birthday party three days ago. Now, three of them hit 100 and over, and Ruthie just is gonna have her 90th birthday next week. One of the things I say is they live with intense moderation. Everything they did was moderate. They didn't eat too much, they didn't tan too much, they didn't smoke, they didn't travel, just everything was just kind of this moderate lifestyle and exercise, right? So I believe that's part of it. They really were well preserved, physically and mentally like, right to the end.  And then, of course, you know the closeness, I think, the social cohesion that the fact that they, three of them, moved in together to assisted living facilities, you know, in their late 90s together. You know, as they lived in a condo. They all had three apartments next to each other for 20 years as well, with Saul close by. So I think that family cohesion and closeness and they didn't fight. They never fought, never saw a feuding moment. So, you know, we know things like stress and all of that contribute to long lives. So I think they sort of had this mild and loving long life.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   I'm sure their experience gave them some perspective. There's nothing really worth fighting about when you've survived what you did together.  Allan Novak:   Yes, absolutely right.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   What has kept them so young, not so old? What lessons can we take away from the shvesters story today? Allan Novak:   Certainly take care of your siblings. Stay close. Keep them close, keep relations good. Choose togetherness over isolation when the chips are down. Positive spirit, Uncle Saul's positive spirit and their positive outlook. Again, never wallowing in what had happened to them and the things that were lost, even the family members that were lost, moving forward and cherishing what they have. And you know, loving your children, if you have them, and their caring family gave them a lot of meaning.  They did everything for us, everything for the kinder, even to the point of when the film initially premiered, actually at Lincoln Center last January, and my mother was in the hospital at 100 and a half, and she stayed alive and alert until we had this premiere. We flew back, and then it was kind of like three days later, she let herself go with us there and said proper goodbyes. And I firmly believe that she just held on for the kinder, as they would say, for the children. So I think that's part of what kept them vital and youthful and alive.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Thank you so much. Allan, thank you for making this documentary and sharing it with the world.  Allan Novak:   My complete and utter pleasure, and I hope people take as much joy and uplifting positive and laughter, which is ironic for a film dealing with that time period, but they won. Hitler lost, and they won.  And so it's kind of a triumphant story. And there's a final image which people would see of them on their balcony, you know, all around 100. In the snow in Winnipeg, holding hands, just persistent and alive. And they're together, immortalized now in the film. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Thank you so much, Allan.  Allan Novak:   My pleasure.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   To watch the short film, head to the link in our show notes.  And a special thank you to Debi Wisch, AJC Board of Governors member and the producer of Crossing the River, for her work to further Holocaust education through the arts. If you missed our last two episodes, be sure to tune in for my conversations with AJC Jerusalem Director Avital Leibovich and AJC Managing Director of Policy and Political Affairs Julie Fishman Rayman about the high stakes negotiations to bring the October 7 hostages home.

Living The Next Chapter: Authors Share Their Journey
E489 - Author Darlene Campos Shares the Amazing Story of Holocaust Survivor Pete Philipps

Living The Next Chapter: Authors Share Their Journey

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2025 48:12


EPISODE 489 - Author Darlene Campos Shares the Amazing Story of Holocaust Survivor Pete PhilippsHello! Hola! I'm Darlene P. Campos, an Ecuadorian-American author who is also a proud Houstonian.I earned my BA in English-Creative Writing with a Medicine and Society Studies minor from the University of Houston (Go Coogs!) and my MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso (Go Miners!).I am the author of the young adult novels Behind Mount Rushmore, Summer Camp is Cancelled, and Heaven Isn't Me, traditionally published by Vital Narrative Press.Pete Philipps' InterviewPete grew up in Essen, a major industrial city on Germany's Ruhr River. His father worked as a cattle hide dealer for an international trading company in nearby Mühlheim. His mother was a designer for a fashionable women's dress shop. Pete, his younger twin brothers, and parents lived together in an apartment.1933–39: Pete had barely passed his first birthday when the Nazis came to power. His father realized the danger that now faced Jews in Germany, and the family left for Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1936. Pete attended Jewish school there, but the times were unsettling. In fall 1938, the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia, was incorporated into the Nazi Reich, and the following March, German troops marched into Prague. Shortly thereafter, Pete's family left for Italy, where they settled in the Genoa suburbs. There, they were attacked by local antisemitic fascists. Soon after Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, the Philippses immigrated to Ecuador.1940–45: In Quito, the Philippses joined the growing colony of refugees from Germany. Pete attended a private boys' school. His father set up business making margarine, while his mother did clothing alterations and knitting. In May 1941, just six months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Philippses arrived in the United States. Pete's father returned to his former company.After the war, Pete learned that his paternal grandmother, who had fled earlier to the Netherlands, had been deported to Auschwitz, where she perished. He completed his education and, after a tour of military duty in Germany, became a journalist for the New York Times.https://www.ushmm.org/remember/holocaust-survivors/volunteers/pete-philippshttps://www.ushmm.org/https://www.darlenepcampos.com/___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Support the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca

The Katie Halper Show
Israeli Son Of Holocaust Survivors ARRESTED Over Pro Palestine Speech

The Katie Halper Show

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2024 53:10


Watch more exclusive interviews here: https://www.patreon.com/thekatiehalpershow Haim Bresheeth Zabner, the Israeli son of two Holocaust survivors, talks to Katie about being arrested over a speech he gave at a non-violent protest outside the residence of Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely in north London. Haim Bresheeth Zabnner was Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at University of East London and then a Professorial Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).He is Filmmaker, photographer, film studies scholar, and historian. His films include “A State of Danger,” a documentary on the first Palestinian Intifada. His books include "An Army Like No Other: How the Israel Defense Force Made a Nation." Haim is the son of two Holocaust survivors and was raised in Israel. He is a member of Holocaust survivors and Descendents Against the Genocide and a founding member of Jewish Network for Palestine. On November 4, Haim was arrested over a speech he gave at a pro Palestine demonstration outside the residence of Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely in north London. **Please support The Katie Halper Show ** For bonus content, exclusive interviews, to support independent media & to help make this program possible, please join us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thekatiehalpershow Get your Katie Halper Show Merch here! https://katiehalper.myspreadshop.com/all Follow Katie on Twitter: @kthalps

Morning Wire
Holocaust Survivor Condemns Harris & Immigrant TB Scare | Afternoon Update | 10.25.24

Morning Wire

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2024 6:00


Developing stories you need to know just in time for your drive home. Get the facts first on Morning Wire. Cloaked: Get 20% off your subscription when you use promo code DAILYWIRE at checkout: https://cloaked.comZbiotics: Remember to head to ZBiotics dot com slash WIRE and use the code WIRE at checkout for 15% off.