Holocaust Hero, Parenting

The Legacy of a Portuguese Diplomat Who Saved Thousands in WWII Guests: Gerald Mendes, grandson of Aristides de Sousa Mendes; Dan Mattis, visa recipient whose life was saved by de Sousa Mendes during WWII A remarkable story of heroism is Top of Mind this hour as we mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In the spring of 1940, as Germany invaded France, thousands of people lined up at the Portuguese embassy in Bordeaux, hoping to secure a visa to travel to Portugal and from there to some place safe from Hitler’s grasp. A Portuguese diplomat named Aristides de Sousa Mendes saved their lives in what one historian has called “the largest rescue action by a single individual during the Holocaust.” The Number of Great-Grandpa’s Arm Guest: Amy Schatz, Director, “The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm” Earlier we heard about a Portuguese diplomat who helped tens of thousands of people flee Nazi occupied France, and paid a great personal price for his heroism. Now we’re going to hear the story of Elliott and his 90-year-old great-grandpa Jack who are the central figures in a short film debuting Saturday, Jan. 27 on HBO called, “The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm.” We watch an intimate conversation between the two of them, interspersed with hand-painted animation to tell the story of Jewish life in Eastern Europe before and during the Holocaust.  What Would You Have Done? Guests: Jessica Hammer, PhD, Co-Designer, Rosenstrasse, Assistant Professor, HCI Institute, Entertainment Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon University; Moyra Turkington, Co-Designer, Rosenstrasse  If you’ve been listening to these stories of heroism during the Holocaust and found yourself thinking,  “I would have resisted. I’d have stood up to injustice, no matter the cost,” how can you know for sure? That question intrigued game designers Jessica Hammer and Moyra Turkington enough for them to design a role-playing board game called Rosenstrasse. Players take on the perspective of people living in 1943 Berlin when a large protest took place on