First Person: Holocaust Survivors On Raising A Family

Monday, September 12, 2016

By Michael Lipkin

Photo by Ron Stein

An undated photo of Holocaust survivors Max and Rose Schindler in their Del Cerro home.

Aired 9/12/16 on KPBS Midday Edition

First Person: Holocaust Survivors On Raising A Family

GUESTS:

Max and Rose Schindler, Holocaust survivors

Transcript for audioclip 31366

Special Feature First Person

KPBS Midday Edition's First Person series tells the stories of average and not-so-average San Diegans in their own words. Their experiences, both universal and deeply personal, offer a unique lens into the news of the day.

Rose and Max Schindler have told their story to thousands of people. How as teenage Jews in Eastern Europe, they were swept up by the Nazis and held prisoner in concentration and labor camps.

Rose, 86, spent months in Auschwitz. Max, 87, was sent to a series of work camps over several years, eventually going to Theresienstadt, a fortress-turned-concentration camp. Their parents and many of their siblings were killed. Rose and Max met in London after the war as refugees and moved to San Diego in the 1950s.

But despite sharing their personal story so many times, one of their sons wanted to know more about how they felt raising children after losing their own parents so young. Ben Schindler spoke to his parents as part of our First Person series.

Hit the play button above to hear their story.

Do you have a story to share? Email it to kpbsmiddayedition@kpbs.org

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