Ep 88: Raised by Survivors with Bernie Furshpan and guest Gail Kastenholz on hmTv

Send us Fan MailEpisode 88 – Carrying the Torch: Gail Kastenholz on Building Holocaust Education for the FutureSecond–generation survivor, educator, and longtime HMTC volunteer Gail Kastenholz sits down with host Dr. Bernie Ferspan to trace a remarkable life spent turning family trauma into public service. Born to two Polish survivors who rebuilt their lives in Brooklyn and Queens, Gail explains how a single comment—“you don’t look like a 2G”—pushed her to found one of Long Island’s first children-of-survivors groups, collect testimonies with Yale’s Fortunoff Archive, and create pioneering programs that now train every Suffolk–Nassau police cadet and scores of nursing students in ethical decision-making.From memories of Coney Island beaches and Yiddish card games to the hard facts of DP camps, lost relatives, and post-war silence, Gail reveals why Holocaust education has shifted from graphic footage to empathy-driven storytelling—and why today’s middle-schoolers may be the most engaged generation yet. If you’re curious how museums, 2G/3G activists, and October 7th have reshaped the conversation, this episode delivers a front-row seat.Listen for:The birth of Long Island’s 2G movementBehind-the-scenes of the cadet and nursing-ethics seminarsTips on fostering Jewish pride and moral courage in a restless worldSubscribe to Raised by Survivors on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and help us keep memory alive—one story at a time.Support the show