Life After Auschwitz: How European Jews Attempted to Assimilate in America After Unspeakable Tragedy

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.2 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 26 June 2018

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What happened to Jews after they were liberated from concentration camps? Some tried to return to their homes, only to find them occupied by neighbors who thought them dead and refused to give up their new dwellings. Others went on to build lives in the United States, but never truly found a place to call home. They wanted to tell their new compatriots about their experiences, but were silenced. “You’re in America now, put it behind you” is what they were told.

Today I'm speaking with Jon Kean, director of the new documentary After Auschwitz, a “Post-Holocaust” documentary that follows six women after their liberation from Nazi concentration camps. The women Kean follows became mothers and wives with successful careers, but never fully healed from the scars of the past. His film captures what it means to move from tragedy and trauma towards life.

Transcript

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0:00.0	What was it like to watch the Twin Towers collapse on 9-11?
0:03.8	How about to be sent to Auschwitz during the Holocaust?
0:06.7	Our past is a collection of stories that bring us to where we are and shape our perspectives.
0:11.2	Hi, I'm Josh Cohen, host of the Eyewitness History Podcast.
0:14.9	On my show, I interview guests who watch the events that shaped our world.
0:18.8	From heartbreaking war stories to hilarious memories from the SNL writers room,
0:23.0	no recollection is off limits.
0:25.2	To start listening now for free, go to pathnanpodcast.com
0:28.6	or search Eyewitness History on the podcast player of your choice.
0:55.2	Welcome to the History Unplugged Podcast.
1:05.2	The unscripted show that celebrates unsung heroes, myth busts historical lies,
1:11.2	and rediscoveres the forgotten stories that changed our world.
1:15.2	I'm your host, Scott Rank.
1:19.2	For a Jewish person who spent months or even years in a concentration camp,
1:32.1	once they were liberated by the Allies in 1945, there came a big question.
1:37.1	What do you do afterwards?
1:39.1	Americans who liberated Jewish survivors told them to go home,
1:42.8	but the problem was there was no home left for most of them in the devastated war-torn Europe.
1:48.1	Some of them went back to Germany, but found out that their neighbors were living in their houses,
1:52.4	wearing their clothes, and there were even thousands of Jews who were killed when they came home
1:57.2	over a property squabble. Others went to America, but they weren't allowed to share their experiences.
2:03.5	Others in the Jewish community wanted to put the past behind them, and for Gentiles,
	...

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