Episode 2: Michael LeRoy - Child of a Survivor

Michael LeRoy is the LER Alumni Professor of Labor and Employment Relations and affiliated faculty of the College of Law at UIUC, as well as long time C-U community member. His father, Otto Lefkowitz, or Robert LeRoy, was a survivor of Auschwitz. Michael talks about his fathers upbringing in the German town where his family had resided for over 350 years, and the ways that the area grew increasingly hostile after the Nazi regime came to power. He has the account of where most family members were taken, and if they did or did not survive. Michael also shares the way that the way his upbringing was effected by growing up as a child of a Holocaust survivor, and the difficulty with telling this story. 

"Not a day went by that my father didn't cry for his lost family"

This episode is generously sponsored by Alaina and Larry Kanfer.

Episode 3: Sharon Shavitt - Child of a Survivor

Sharon Shavitt is Professor Emerita at the Geis College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is also the daughter of a Holocaust Survivor. In this episode, Sharon talks about her mothers incredible story of survival, and how she used a combination of cleverness and luck to help her family evade the Nazi's. Her mothers' resilience in the face of atrocity will surely inspire and empower any listener. 

"That’s one set of [false identity] papers, but there was my mom and her sister. So my mom ... remembers just staying up, lying awake for hours just trying to figure out how she could make this work... what she could do to save both of them."

Episode 4: Larry Kanfer - Child of a Survivor

Larry Kanfer is a Midwest based, nationally collected photographic artist, and longtime resident of Champaign-Urbana. Many are familiar with his pictures and artistic work, but not many know he is the son of Frederik Kanfer, a Holocaust survivor. Larry shares his family's long journey to safety while they were running from the Nazis, and the kindness of strangers that allowed them to survive. His father's outlook on life affected his upbringing and his own worldview. 

"Another reason my father didn't want to talk about it is he didn't want to burden us with that negativity. He always pushed the idea to 'be the best you cant be' and don't be uncumbered that way."

Episode 5: Dr. Gene Robinson - Child of Survivors

Dr. Gene E. Robinson, who serves as the Director of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, holds a prestigious Swanlund Chair at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and is a professor of Entomology. A graduate of Cornell University with a Ph.D., Gene is also the son of Holocaust survivors Jack and Sonya. He shares the remarkable story of his chance encounter with bees and the harrowing journeys of his parents during the Holocaust. From his mother’s courageous work as a counselor on the Kindertransport to his father’s harrowing survival through camps, their paths of resilience and love will leave an impact on any listener.

"It was a generational thing. they didn't talk about it often. They certainly made it clear it was a priority for them to make sure we knew our roots. They made that clear, but they really didn't want to dwell on the story and it wasn't until much later that they felt they were getting on [in age] and it was important to share their story."

Episode 6: Tova and Shachar Meron - Daughter and Grandson of Survivors

Tova and her son Shachar share how their life has been shaped as descendants of Holocaust Survivors Dina and Meir Pschechatzki. Shachar teaches advertising strategy, creativity and campaign at UIUC, and Tova is a retired kindergarten teacher and social worker of 40+ years. This unique episode allows listeners to hear the multigenerational impact of the Holocaust through two separate perspectives. Listen as Tova shares her parents incredible and painful story of survival - her mother from 4 camps and her father from 7 - and their eventual immigration to Israel. Shachars additions and insights will help remind listeners of the importance of sharing these stories, now more than ever.

Their family story is also written in the book The Tree of Life: The Story of Meir and Dina, published in Hebrew. You can read their story HERE.

"My mom was hardly able to walk. She was bleeing in her feet. In the Death March, if you are unable to walk, you will be shot. A friend and her mother were holding my mom on two sides just to make her walk."