{"podcast":{"title":"History for the Curious - The Jewish History Podcast","slug":"history-for-the-curious-the-jewish-history-podcast-4092442","podcast_index_feed_id":4092442,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/rabbiaubreyhersh/feed.xml","website_url":"https://rabbiauberyhersh.podbean.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/11909840/Curious-_podbean78t0s.jpg","author":"JLE","episode_count":200,"summary":"History for the Curious The most talked-about Jewish History Podcast History for the Curious features the dynamic historian and famous tour guide & lecturer: Rabbi Aubrey Hersh, live from Olami UK in London, hosted by myself: Mena Reisner Join us as we cross continents, sail through the centuries, tracing lives, uncovering events and following epic journeys, to reveal the untold stories, the scandals, and the mysteries, that have impacted our history and shaped us into who we are today. Encounter leaders, visionaries, spies, heroes & traitors and unpack 2,000 years of Jewish heritage. Go back to the story of Jews in the Temple of Jerusalem. Confront the dilemmas of the Holocaust. Visit Paris, Prague, Vilna, London, Venice, New York & the Cairo Geniza. Meet The Russian Czar, Ramchal, Maharal, Maimonides, Churchill, Shabbetai Zvi and the Hapsburgs.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-22T02:18:10.907967+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-for-the-curious-the-jewish-history-podcast-4092442"},"episode":{"title":"#197: Tisha B'av: Two Harrowing Letters - Two Powerful Testimonies","slug":"197-tisha-b-av-two-harrowing-letters-two-powerful-testimonies","published_at":"2026-07-21T11:04:05+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-for-the-curious-the-jewish-history-podcast-4092442/197-tisha-b-av-two-harrowing-letters-two-powerful-testimonies","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-for-the-curious-the-jewish-history-podcast-4092442","url":"https://rabbiaubreyhersh.podbean.com/e/197-two-harrowing-letters-two-powerful-testimonies/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/mkcij3hiywrmdenp/HC092_-_Ep_197_-_Holocaust_Part_3_Assembled_mixdown_1_6as18.mp3","summary":"Join our WhatsApp group for weekly exclusive content: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FEgoaCOQoyU2VX49SwA8Aw?s=cl&p=a&ilr=4 Be Courageous, be Honest, be a Jew. Those were the words with which a parent took leave of his son during the Holocaust. However much we are aware of the terrible years that befell our People, the words and testimonies shake us and make us rethink Faith & Suffering Mrs Zahava Ungar & Mr Yisrael Diamond are living proof to the tragedies and perseverance that took them through 5 years of torment. They are both heads of a families today which have continued the Yiddishkeit of pre-war generations. Their words need to be heard. Timestamps: [0:00:00] – Survivor vignette: sneaking out for water, sister taken [0:00:38] – Podcast introduction and dedication [0:01:50] – Framing the episode: from numbers to personal stories; link to Tisha B’Av [0:03:33] – Reading and discussion of the three Holocaust letters (to ~[0:07:30]) [0:07:37] – Introduction to Mrs. Sahava Unger [0:08:17] – Early life, Nazi occupation, father taken to labor [0:10:28] – Ghetto, deportation to Auschwitz [0:13:47] – Birkenau, living conditions, selection, loss of sister [0:18:47] – Liberation, aunts in “Canada,” uncle in Sonderkommando, journey after the war ~[0:24:27]–[0:29:00] – Reflections on fear, hunger, cold; her later life and family [0:29:00] – Introduction to Mr. Yustral Diamond [0:29:23] – Leaving Antwerp; journey to Montpellier, south of France [0:31:08] – Round-up orders; warning and help from French gendarmerie chief [0:38:21] – Hiding in villages, resistance environment, daily terror [0:45:32] – Post-war: yeshiva, return to Antwerp, move to Golders Green, religious perseverance [0:48:07] – Introduction to Rav Yeshua Grunwald [0:49:57] – Excerpts from his writings;…","meta_description":"Join our WhatsApp group for weekly exclusive content: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FEgoaCOQoyU2VX49SwA8Aw?s=cl&p=a&ilr=4 Be Courageous, be Honest, be…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3256,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/history-for-the-curious-the-jewish-history-podcast-4092442/episodes/197-tisha-b-av-two-harrowing-letters-two-powerful-testimonies/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-for-the-curious-the-jewish-history-podcast-4092442/197-tisha-b-av-two-harrowing-letters-two-powerful-testimonies.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}