Chosen For What?
What does it mean to grow up in the shadow of survival? Chosen For What? is a powerful new podcast that dives deep into the personal stories of second and third generation Holocaust survivors. Hosted by acclaimed broadcaster and author Tommy Schnurmacher (whose own mother survived the horrors of Auschwitz), this original series features raw, unfiltered conversations with the children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren of those who endured and survived the Holocaust. This insightful podcast bridges personal histories and the present with heart, depth and some classic Jewish humour. Unpacking the unexpected ripple effects from survivors who surmounted and defied all odds. These lived experiences of inherited trauma, resilience, and identity are harrowing, heartbreaking, inspiring and deeply human. Through each episode, listeners gain intimate access to voices shaped by survival, silence, and the unshakable question: What does it mean to carry this important legacy forward? Brought to you by The Foundation for Genocide Education, Chosen For What? is a vital act of remembrance and a call to never forget. To make a donation or to learn more about The Foundation for Genocide Education, you can visit their website at GenEd.org
Episodes
Throughout this season of Chosen For What?, we've explored how the Holocaust continues to shape the lives of survivors, their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. In this final episode, host Tommy Schnurmacher turns his attention to an essential question: Why do we continue to teach these stories, and why does Holocaust and genocide education matter more than ever?
The episode brings together...
Identity is shaped by many things: family, culture, memory, and sometimes by stories that were never fully told. In this episode of Chosen For What?, host Tommy Schnurmacher explores what it means to inherit the legacy of the Holocaust, even for generations who did not experience it firsthand.
Through conversations with descendants of survivors, the episode examines how family history can quietly in...
Some stories are told openly. Others remain buried for decades. In this episode of Chosen For What?, host Tommy Schnurmacher explores the silence that often followed the Holocaust, and the lasting emotional impact that silence can have on survivors, their children, and even future generations.
Trauma therapist Brent Diaz explains how unresolved trauma can continue to shape families long after the original...
Faith can be a source of comfort, but it can also be deeply challenged by trauma. In this episode of Chosen For What?, host Tommy Schnurmacher explores how the Holocaust reshaped the relationship between faith, identity, and belief for survivors and their descendants. The conversation looks at how people make sense of suffering, and how religion can both anchor and unsettle those navigating the legacy of unimaginable l...
Trauma does not end when the event is over. It can live on in the body, in relationships, and across generations. In this episode of Chosen For What?, host Tommy Schnurmacher explores what trauma looks like beyond the moment it is experienced, and how it continues to shape the lives of Holocaust survivors and their descendants.
Through conversations with trauma therapist Brent Diaz, second-generation surv...
Hate doesn't always look the same. It shifts, adapts, and often disguises itself in language that can seem reasonable on the surface. In this episode of Chosen For What?, host Tommy Schnurmacher explores how hate evolves over time, how it takes root in societies, and how it continues to impact individuals and communities today.
Neal Dalzell is a social studies teacher who teaches a class on the sociology ...
The new season of Chosen For What? begins with a timely and urgent conversation about the rise of antisemitism globally, and what that means for Jewish communities today. Host Tommy Schnurmacher brings together multiple voices to explore how antisemitism is showing up in modern society, how it is being experienced across generations, and why these conversations matter now more than ever.
Rabbi Lisa Grushc...
After the incredible success of season one of Chosen For What?, we're thrilled to announce that season TWO begins on April 29th.
Season two of Chosen For What? starts April 29th, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday. Be sure to follow or subscribe, so that you don't miss a single episode!
Heidi Berger, founder and president of the Foundation for Genocide Education, joins Tommy Schnurmacher on Chosen For What? to share the story behind her life's mission: ensuring that every student understands the history and lessons of genocide.
Inspired by her late mother's experience as a Holocaust survivor, Heidi began her work as an educator and film producer, creating an interactive video presentatio...
In this episode of Chosen For What?, host Tommy Schnurmacher sits down with Dr. Benjamin Goldstein, an Israeli-Canadian physician and third-generation descendant of Holocaust survivors. Drawing from personal reflection and lived experience, Dr. Goldstein explores how inherited fear and anxiety can quietly shape family dynamics, identity, and worldview, often without being recognized until much later in life.
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This week, Chosen For What? host Tommy Schnurmacher speaks with Monica Mendel, a second-generation Holocaust survivor whose life has been profoundly shaped by her parents' wartime experiences.
Monica shares the moving story of her family's survival, the silence that often surrounded those memories, and the emotional journey of uncovering the details later in life.
Together, Tommy and Mon...
In this episode of Chosen For What?, host Tommy Schnurmacher speaks with Emma Berger, the great-granddaughter of Holocaust survivor Anne and granddaughter of Heidi Berger, President of the Foundation for Genocide Education.
As the first fourth-generation guest on the podcast, Emma offers a unique and deeply personal perspective on how the memory of the Holocaust continues to shape identity, values, ...
What does it really mean to inherit trauma? In this episode of Chosen For What?, host Tommy Schnurmacher speaks with Dr. Eva Fogelman, a renowned psychologist, author, and pioneer in the study of Holocaust trauma and its intergenerational impact.
Dr. Fogelman challenges the common assumption that the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors directly inherit trauma. Instead, she explains that what ...
Holocaust education isn't only about teaching history; it's about ensuring that the human stories behind that history are never forgotten.
On this episode of Chosen For What? host Tommy Schnurmacher speaks with Barbara Goldstein, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors and a dedicated advocate for Holocaust education in the United States.
Barbara shares her personal journey of growing up...
On this episode of Chosen For What?, host Tommy Schnurmacher sits down with Agneta Hollander, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors who chose to speak openly about their experiences.
Her mother was deported to Auschwitz at just 14, and her father spent four and a half years imprisoned in camps. For Agneta, growing up in a home where these stories were part of daily life profoundly shaped her understanding of identity, resilience,...
In the premiere episode of Chosen For What?, host Tommy Schnurmacher sits down with Barbara Cieply, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, to explore how her family's history of loss, resilience, and survival has shaped her life.
Through Barbara's story, we gain an in-depth, personal understanding of why Holocaust education is so important; not just to remember the millions of Jews who were murdered, but to ensure that future generat...
Chosen For What? is a powerful new podcast that dives deep into the personal stories of second and third generation Holocaust survivors.
Hosted by acclaimed broadcaster and author Tommy Schnurmacher (whose own mother survived the horrors of Auschwitz), this original series features raw, unfiltered conversations with the children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren of those who endured a...
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