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 presentation that brought her mother's story to life. But what began as a personal project soon revealed a shocking truth; many students (and even teachers) had never learned the meaning of the word "genocide." That realization led Heidi to establish the Foundation for Genocide Education, a registered non-profit dedicated to helping governments integrate genocide education into high school curriculums across Canada and beyond.

In this podcast, Heidi discusses the powerful story of her mother's survival, the urgent need for genocide education, and the ongoing challenge of keeping these lessons alive for future generations. She also shares what it's like speaking to students across North America and the reactions that continue to move her the most.

Chosen For What? is brought to you by the Foundation for Genocide Education, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that every student understands the history and lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides. To learn more about their work, or to make a donation, please visit GenEd.org.

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.

He shares vivid memories of his grandparents' habits (like never leaving food on the plate or clinging tightly to loved ones) that once seemed harmless but now reveal the deep imprint of survival trauma. Dr. Goldstein describes how his understanding of their fear has evolved, especially as a parent raising children in Israel.

This thoughtful conversation explores how trauma is transmitted through families, how it adapts across generations, and what it means to live with inherited vigilance in today's uncertain world. Dr. Goldstein's story is a reminder that the echoes of history are not always loud; they often live in our smallest fears, our deepest instincts, and our most protective acts of love.

Chosen For What? is brought to you by the Foundation for Genocide Education, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that every student understands the history and lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides. To learn more about their work, or to make a donation, please visit GenEd.org.

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 Monica explore how growing up with Holocaust survivor parents can influence everything from identity and values to parenting styles and worldviews. They discuss the importance of Holocaust education, the responsibility of descendants to preserve memory, and the lessons that can help prevent future atrocities. Monica's reflections offer a deeply personal perspective on resilience, remembrance, and the bonds of family.

Chosen For What? is brought to you by the Foundation for Genocide Education, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that every student understands the history and lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides. To learn more about their work, or to make a donation, please visit GenEd.org.

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, and family connection—even generations later. She shares how carrying her great-grandmother's Hebrew name has profoundly influenced her sense of self, and what it means to grow up honoring a legacy built on resilience and remembrance.

Together, Tommy and Emma explore how the stories of Holocaust survivors are being preserved by younger generations, why remembrance still matters in an age of misinformation, and how families can continue to pass down lessons of empathy, strength, and hope. Emma's reflections reveal the lasting power of memory, the importance of education, and the responsibility her generation feels to ensure that history is never forgotten.

Chosen For What? is brought to you by the Foundation for Genocide Education, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that every student understands the history and lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides. To learn more about their work, or to make a donation, please visit GenEd.org.

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 is often passed down are worldviews, communication styles, and relationship patterns shaped by survivor experiences. Together, Tommy and Dr. Fogelman explore how this legacy unfolds over time, through stages of shock, denial, mourning, and discovery, and why some descendants of survivors feel compelled to uncover their family's past while others choose distance.

The conversation also delves into the emotional complexity of survivor guilt, unconscious survival behaviors, and the ways in which many descendants have transformed pain into purpose. From creative expression to Holocaust education, from human rights activism to Jewish cultural preservation, Dr. Fogelman offers powerful insights into how inherited memory can inspire resilience and meaning for generations to come.

Chosen For What? is brought to you by the Foundation for Genocide Education, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that every student understands the history and lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides. To learn more about their work, or to make a donation, please visit GenEd.org

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 with survivor parents, each carrying profoundly different experiences of the Holocaust, and how those legacies shaped her own identity. She also reflects on her work as an educator in Florida, where she has seen firsthand both the challenges and the transformative power of teaching this history to students who may come to it with little knowledge or context.

Together, Tommy and Barbara explore why personal stories remain at the heart of Holocaust education, how educators can move beyond rote learning to inspire empathy and critical thinking, and why preserving these memories is vital for the next generation. Barbara's insights offer a meaningful reminder of resilience, responsibility, and the enduring importance of Holocaust remembrance.

Chosen For What? is brought to you by the Foundation for Genocide Education, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that every student understands the history and lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides. To learn more about their work, or to make a donation, please visit GenEd.org

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, and responsibility.

In their conversation, Agneta reflects on how traditions, recipes, and rituals became a way to honor the grandparents she never met. She also shares why she chose to dedicate herself to Holocaust education, serving as a docent at the Montreal Holocaust Museum for more than a decade and helping the Foundation for Genocide Education carry its mission forward.

Her parents' most enduring message "not to hate" is one she continues to live by and teach to future generations.

Chosen For What? is brought to you by the Foundation for Genocide Education, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that every student understands the history and lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides.

To learn more about their work, or to make a donation, please visit GenEd.org.

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 generations learn from the past and stand against hate and violence in all its forms.

Barbara shares just how her parents' remarkable journey, from surviving Nazi-occupied Poland to rebuilding their lives in a new country, impacted her upbringing and outlook, as well as the ripple effects that followed.

Barbara reflects on the unspoken trauma passed down through the generations, the cultural and emotional challenges of growing up in a Holocaust survivor household, and how she's found ways to honour her family's legacy.

This candid conversation offers insight into how Holocaust survivors coped and rebuilt their lives after the genocide , and how their stories can inspire today's fight against hatred and intolerance.

Chosen For What? is brought to you by the Foundation for Genocide Education, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that every student understands the history and lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides.

To learn more about their work, or to make a donation, please visit GenEd.org.