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Playlist: Holocaust Remembrance

Compiled By: PRX Editors

 Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/poze_cu_mine_si_despre_mine/2528503337/in/set-72157600283312541/">cipri_todea</a>
Image by: cipri_todea 
Curated Playlist

Holocaust Remembrance Week is April 12-19, 2015.

Our Jewish History Picks playlist may also be of interest for Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Below are picks chosen by PRX editorial staff. You can find other options for Holocaust Remembrance by using our search.

Hour (49:00-1:00:00)

Confronting Hatred: 70 Years After the Holocaust

From United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | 54:27

This hour-long radio special, narrated by Morgan Freeman, brings together a broad range of voices to talk about racism, antisemitism, and the ways in which hatred can grow. We hear from a former skinhead, an imam, a prosecutor for the Rwandan genocide trials---people speaking from many perspectives---including heavy metal singer David Draiman, filmmaker Errol Morris, and Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel.

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Confronting Hatred: 70 Years After the Holocaust examines the ways in which the Holocaust continues to inform contemporary discussions about hate speech, propaganda, and human rights. We hear stories from people confronting hatred in their lives, their communities, and sometimes in their own hearts.

We hear how easily a young boy got recruited by skinheads in Pennsylvania, how one man is working to reshape international criminal law after the genocide in Rwanda, and how both an imam and a heavy metal rock band confront hatred in their communities. 

Confronting Hatred: 70 Years After the Holocaust is narrated by Morgan Freeman, and produced by United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and independent producer Melissa Allison. The program is available now for broadcast, marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27th, 2016.

 

Exodus '47: Inside Out

From Inside Out Documentaries | 59:25

This is the story of three men who served aboard the Exodus 1947, a Jewish refugee ship that tried to run thousands of holocaust survivors past the British blockade of Palestine in 1947. From WBUR's Inside Out Documentaries. Produced by Sean Cole.

Ex_small At the helm was "Big Bill" Millman, a 19-year-old Navy boxing champ who "wouldn't take any crap from anybody." Frank Lavine was part of the deck crew. He was 22, and completely unprepared for the kind of battle he'd soon face against the British marines. And in the engine room, an electrician named Nat Nadler helped keep the boilers lit, never imagining that he was about to participate in the birth of a nation. Before there was an Israel, these men, and nearly 40 others climbed aboard a rusted American ferryboat and set out from Philadelphia to transport thousands of Jewish holocaust survivors past the British blockade of Palestine. Other ships had tried it. But their ship, which would come to be known as the Exodus 1947, was the one that helped shape the political landscape of the Middle East for the foreseeable future. "Exodus '47: Inside Out" is an hour-long account of the journey undertaken by the Exodus and its crew. Reporter Sean Cole weaves together interviews with three men who experienced that journey, Bill Millman, Frank Lavine and Nat Nadler, punctuating their accounts with archival audio and music. "Exodus '47: Inside Out" is newly updated [4/08] and is an importtant addition to your programming in the 60th anniversary year of the founding of the state of Israel. This program may be considered "evergreen." For more information about this and other Inside Out Documentaries, please contact Namita Raina, National Program Administrator, WBUR Boston. (617) 353-8160 nraina@bu.edu

Never Again: A Holocaust Memorial - with Elie Wiesel and Abraham Foxman

From RadioArt(r) | Part of the ONLY IN AMERICA: 350 Years of the American Jewish Experience series | 58:56

This one-hour special includes Larry Josephson's recent exclusive interview with Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on behalf of humanity. While the piece's description may be outdated, the audio is evergreen and relevant for Remembrance Day 2009.

Wieselprx_small Holocaust Memorial Week,which commemorates the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis, is May 1-8. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps. NEVER AGAIN: A HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL: is a one hour special that includes Larry Josephson's recent interview with ELIE WIESEL, a Holocaust survivor and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on behalf of humanity. Wiesel barely survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald. He is the author of "Night," a deeply personal memoir of his time in the camps. ABRAHAM FOXMAN, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, tells of another story of survival. He was taken as an infant by his Polish nanny, baptized and raised as a Catholic. He was reunited with his parents after the war. We also hear from a woman who recounts in vivid detail her arrival in Auschwitz, and her encounter with the infamous Dr. Mengele. Josephson asks Wiesel whether we are born wired for evil and genocide, or is it learned? Elie Wiesel reads an excerpt from his Nobel acceptance speech: "....There is so much to be done, there is so much more that can be done. One person... a Martin Luther King, Jr. - one person of integrity can make a difference, a difference of life or death." This powerful program is intended for all listeners, Jew or Gentile, concerned with human rights and genocide, which has continued unabated since the Holocaust--from Cambodia to Bosnia to Rwanda. The program ends with a startling statistic: had there been no Holocaust, there would now be 26 to 32 million Jews in the world today, instead of 13 million. NOTE: The program is timeless. Holocaust Memorial Week is not mentioned. The 60th anniversary is mentioned, so the program can be run until 4/30/2006.

Holocaust Voices

From WHRV | 59:03

This program offers the personal accounts of five individuals who survived the Holocaust.

Playing
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From
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Holocau_1247599a_small This poignant one-hour program will offer the personal accounts of five area individuals who survived the Holocaust. Working with the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, WHRV producer Michelle Gabriele-Harrell conducted interviews with Anne Friedman, David Katz, Hanns Loewnbach, Dana Cohen and Kitty Saks. "No matter how much you read in history books or other written accounts, there is nothing that compares to a first hand telling," says producer Harrell. "It was humbling to work with these remarkable people as they shared their stories." WHRO/WHRV President and CEO Bert Schmidt added, "It's so critical to capture these stories while they can be told by those in our community who actually lived through the event. This is important material that will add incalculable value to available written accounts."

Beating The Odds

From Playing on Air | Part of the Playing on Air Hour Length Episodes series | 53:00

In Two Jewish Men in Their Seventies Jerry Stiller and Bob Dishy debate how much the little indignities matter. Waking Up juxtaposes an American urbanite and an African villager's experiences with the same medical threat. In the romance Dear Kenneth Blake, a Khmer Rouge refugee and a homeless man share their survival stories.

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Three short plays. In TWO JEWISH MEN IN THEIR SEVENTIES, by Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros, two great comedians Jerry Stiller (“Seinfeld”, “The King of Queens”) and Bob Dishy (Sly Fox, Along Came Polly) play two old friends visiting a new holocaust museum. They don't like it so much. They've seen better. WAKING UP juxtaposes an American urbanite and an African villager's triumph over breast cancer. Although the details from diagnosis to ultimate triumph are vastly different, their stories reveal the universality of the human spirit. In DEAR KENNETH BLAKE, a Cambodian refugee and a homeless man strike up a romance. TWO JEWISH MEN IN THEIR SEVENTIES by Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros (Pulitzer nom) with Bob Dishy, Jerry Stiller. WAKING UP by Cori Thomas with Lynette Freeman, Amy Staats. DEAR KENNETH BLAKE by Jacquelyn Reingold with Matthew Cowles, Jodi Long. Interviews with all three playwrights.


The Remarkable Life of Shlomo Breznitz

From AARP Radio | Part of the Prime Time Radio series | 59:54

From Holocaust survivor to renowned psychologist, teacher, researcher, member of the Israeli Knesset, and now a leader in using technology to improve brain function, Dr. Shlomo Breznitz has so much to teach us.

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From Holocaust survivor to renowned psychologist, teacher, researcher, member of the Israeli Knesset, and now a leader in using technology to improve brain function, Dr. Shlomo Breznitz has so much to teach us. In this special hour-long conversation, he talks with Mike Cuthbert about his incredible life and his work, using his research and work on memory and the brain to tap his own personal wealth of memories.


Half-Hour+ (30:01-48:59)

The Story of the Peat Bog Soldiers

From Arndt Peltner | 38:37

This feature about the Moorsoldaten or Peat Bog Soldiers is the story of a song written in the early days of the Third Reich in the concentration camp Boergermoor in northern Germany. Awarded with a Silver Reel at the NFCB conference in Albuquerque in 2004.

Rgbutton_small This feature about the Moorsoldaten or Peat Bog Soldiers is the story of a song written in the early days of the Third Reich in the concentration camp Boergermoor in northern Germany. The song went around the world and became one of the most important anti-fascist and protest songs of the century. You will hear the story and many versions in several languages. This feature was awarded with a Silver Reel at the NFCB conference in Albuquerque.


Half-Hour (24:00-30:00)

Jay Ipson: The Original Survivor

From Charles McGuigan | Part of the A Grain of Sand series | 27:52

Jay Ipson is the original survivor. He and his mother and father escaped selections in the the Kuvna ghetto in Lithuania. When Nazis tightened the noose the family escaped the ghetto and made it into rural Lithuania. There his father dug a hiding place where the family survived until liberation. This is a 3 part series. Part 2 and Part 3 are also 28 minutes long.

Jayipson1_small Jay Ipson and his family survived a number of selections and deportations in the Kuvna ghetto. His father, a lawyer by profession, used ingenuity and imagination to outsmart the Nazis. The family finally escaped the ghetto and were taken in by a Polish family in rural Lithuania. His father dug an underground lair that measued nie by twelve by four feet high. Other members of the Ip family moved into the hiding place. In all there were 13 of them and they lived under the earth for six full months until the Liberation.

What's the Word? Literature by Child Survivors of the Holocaust

From Modern Language Association | 30:01

In memoirs and fiction, child survivors write about the events they lived through. This piece includes interviews with the authors and critics. From Sally Placksin and The Modern Language Institute.

88253_small In recent decades, the field of Holocaust studies has expanded to include a wide variety of voices in many different media. One group of writers were children during the holocaust. In memoirs and fiction, they write about the events they lived through--and survived. Ruth Kluger talks about her memoir, _Still Alive: A Holocaust Girlhood Remembered_; Michael Rothberg discusses the novel _Fateless_ by Nobel Prize winner Imre Kertesz; and Sidra DeKoven Ezrahi explores Aharon Appelfeld's novel _The Age of Wonders_. Well-suited to Holocaust Remembrance Day on May 6, 2005. Photo Credit: USHMM, courtesy of Memorijalni Muzej Jasenovac Fifteen- and thirty-second promos available.


Segments (9:00-23:59)

Miep Gies: Protector of Anne Frank Dies at 100 (19:00 Lecture Excerpt)

From Paul Ingles | 19:01

Miep Gies, the Austrian woman whose family protected the family of Anne Frank during World War II and who found Anne's diary scattered on the floor of their attic hiding place after their family had been arrested, is featured in a talk given in the mid 1990's. Ms. Gies died Jan. 11, 2010.

Miep-gies_1557303c_small In the mid 1990's, a special series of lectures was presented in Albuquerque, New Mexico, devoted to the memory of Anne Frank, the Jewish teenager whose diary told the dramatic tale of her family's two years in hiding from the Germans in World War II.  The Franks were ultimately discovered and Anne died in a concentration camp before the end of the war.  Perhaps the most compelling lecture in that lecture series was delivered by Miep Gies, the Austrian woman whose family protected the Franks and who found Anne's diary scattered on the floor of their attic hiding place after their family had been arrested.

Miep Gies died at the age of 100 on January 11, 2010.

This program is an excerpt from the Miep Gies lecture, recorded by radio station KUNM and presented in a program called The Best of KUNM, hosted by Paul Ingles, who provides a suitable intro and outro.

Remembrance Day

From Julie Subrin | 11:48

A visit to a Rwandan memorial raises questions about when and how we remember genocide. During Warner's visit to this shockingly stark memorial, he meets two survivors, Francois Ursunganu and Wilton Ndasinga, as well as James Smith, a British Holocaust educator working to construct a memorial to replace the schoolhouse. In conversations with these three men, Warner, whose Jewish grandfather lost most of his family in the Holocaust, considers the challenges survivors of genocide face in trying to honor the memory of those who died, without being consumed with grief and horror. From Julie Subrin and Gregory Warner.

Murambi_hillside_small During a previous trip to Rwanda, Gregory Warner had heard about the genocide memorial in Murambi.  This time, he decided to see for himself.   The memorial is in a schoolhouse on top of a hill in the countryside where, in 1994, 40,000 Tutsis were massacred in just four days.  After the massacre, the murderers covered the bodies with lime to mask the smell.  As an unintended consequence, the lime preserved the bodies, and when relatives came looking for those who had died, they discovered those bodies, and decided to put them on display in the school - a kind of testimony to what occurred.  Today, the bodies of men, women and children fill twenty-four classrooms.

During Warner's visit to this shockingly stark memorial, he meets two survivors, Francois Ursunganu and Wilton Ndasinga, as well as James Smith, a British Holocaust educator working to construct a memorial to replace the schoolhouse.  In conversations with these three men, Warner, whose Jewish grandfather lost most of his family in the Holocaust, considers the challenges survivors of genocide face in trying to honor the memory of those who died, without being consumed with grief and horror.  This challenge is particularly acute in Rwanda, where, fifteen years after the genocide, victims and perpetrators must live side by side.

A Child Hidden in East-Flanders in 1942

From Charles Spira | 21:09

When the Germans started the deportation of Jews in Antwerp, Belgium in 1942, Charles Spira was 4 years old. This is the story how Charles, his mother and sister survived the occupation.

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When the Germans started the deportation of Jews in Antwerp, Belgium in 1942, Charles Spira was 4 years old.  This is a witness account of the narrow escape of his mother, his sister and himself and their life hiding in the home of the baker of a small village in East-Flanders.
We learn about the constant danger of discovery in the village of Nazareth, about daily life until the liberation of the village two years later by Canadian soldiers.  The story does not end there.  After their return to liberated Antwerp,  V1 and V2 rockets targeted at the harbor, caused numerous casualties among civilians and once more  Charles, his mother Fanny and sister Annette had to flee from Antwerp.

 

Stories of Liberation

From WAER Syracuse, NY | 11:12

Two World War II veterans recall memories of serving on the front lines and helping to liberate two concentration camps.

Default-piece-image-2 This year marks the 60th Anniversary of the end of World War II and the liberation of the concentration camps. An estimated 1000 veterans from World War II pass away each day, and many of them were reticent to talk about the war throughout much of their lives. Decorated Upstate New York veterans Bob Albro and Al Tarbell [Tar-'bell]recently began sharing their experiences during the war, including helping to liberate two concentration camps. Sixty years ago, both men were in the Anzio Beachhead invasion in Italy. They also both served for years on the front lines without sustaining any major wounds. Currently, the two men live only miles apart, near Syraucse, New York. Here, is an audio snapshot of their lives abroad. Runs: 10min 20sec with 50sec music bed at end Music: Herbie Mannie, "Eastern European Roots" Suggested Outro: Bob Albro and Al Tarbell received the Bronze Star, and numerous other medals. They were both honored in their hometown of Syracuse, New York during Holocaust Remembrance Week (May 1-7 2005), for their service in helping to liberate the Dachau and Wobblein concentration camps.


Cutaways (5:00-8:59)

"Hiding in the Spotlight" - a true Holocaust story of survival.

From Katie Ball | 05:38

A young Jewish piano prodigy, whose music saved her life during the Holocaust.

Hiding_spotlight_rev5b_small "Hiding in the Spotlight" is the remarkable true story of a young Jewish piano prodigy whose musical gifts saved her life during the Holocaust. Learn why it took author Greg Dawson 30 years for this book to come to fruition; one reason stemmed from his mother's initial reluctance to share her story.

Steve Reich's Different Trains meets the Borromeo String Quartet -- on ThoughtCast!

From Jenny Attiyeh | 14:00

Tells the story of Steve Reich's early childhood -- his train trips between the East and West coasts to visit his separated parents -- and of the train trips Jews were forced to take during the Holocaust. 4:30 version also available.

Borromeopix_small Steve Reich is perhaps the preeminent composer living today, and one of his most heart-wrenching and affecting works is called "Different Trains for String Quartet and Tape". It tells the story of Steve Reich's early childhood -- his train trips between the East and West coasts to visit his separated parents -- and also of the train trips Jews were forced to take during the Holocaust. The piece, commissioned by the Kronos Quartet in 1988, is notoriously difficult to play. But the Borromeo String Quartet has recently taken up the challenge. ThoughtCast's Jenny Attiyeh attended a rehearsal at the New England Conservatory in Boston, where the Borromeo is currently in residence. Available in 4 versions: 7 mins in stereo - highly recommended - it's worth it! 7 mins in mono 4:30 mins in stereo with 10 extra secs of audio at close - totals 4:40 4:30 mins in mono with 10 extra secs of audio at close - totals 4:40

I'm a Jew

From Tali Singer | 06:34

Devorah Spilman tells the story of how she became an observant Jew.

Playing
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Img_0269_small Devorah Spilman grew up Jewish. And she always believed in God. But her religion and spirituality did not always go together. By the time she got to college, she abandoned Judaism for the New Age movement.  Then, one day, at one of her co-counseling classes, everything changed.


Drop-Ins (2:00-4:59)

Flory Jagoda

From With Good Reason | Part of the Folklife FieldNotes series | 03:30

"Don't open your mouth. Just sit and play. Keep on playing."

Flory_small Flory Jagoda is known as “the keeper of the flame” of the once rich Saphardic Jewish song tradition.  Flory sings songs she learned from her nona -- or, grandmother -- as a child in pre-WWII Sarajevo, songs which have been passed down in her family since they fled the Spanish Inquisition in 1492.  All of her ballads are sung in Ladino, a Judeo-Spanish language dating back centuries.  In 2002, Flory received a National Heritage Fellowship, the nation's highest honor given to traditional artists.

I visited with Flory at her home in Northern Virginia and she told me the remarkable role her accordion played as she escaped the holocaust as a young girl.

Bergen-Belsen

From Sound Portraits | 03:49

In 1945, the BBC broadcast one reporter's description and field recording of a Shabbat service conducted on the grounds of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in the days following its liberation.

Bergenbelsen1_small On April 15, 1945, British forces liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany. Sixty-thousand prisoners were living in the camp when the troops arrived, most of them seriously ill. Thousands more lay dead and unburied on the camp grounds. BBC reporter Patrick Gordon Walker was among the press corps that entered Bergen-Belsen with the British troops that day. Over the next few weeks, he documented what he saw, recording the first Sabbath ceremony openly conducted on German soil since the beginning of the war, interviewing survivors, and speaking to British Tommies about what they had witnessed at liberation. One of the people who heard Walker's radio dispatches was soon-to-be-legendary folk-music producer Moe Asch. An engineer at the time at New York radio station WEVD, Asch recorded the shortwave broadcast onto an acetate disc. Decades later, the record was re-discovered at the Smithsonian Institution by historian Henry Sapoznik. Recorded in Near Celle, Germany. Premiered April 20, 2002, on Weekend Edition Saturday.