Amid the death and desperation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, two inmates, David Wisnia and Helen Spitzer, found love.
On today’s episode, the story of how they found each other — first within the camp and again, seven decades later.
This story was written by Keren Blankfeld and recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publishers like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.
Duration
29m
Broadcast on
13 Dec 2020
Audio Format
other
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Amid the death and desperation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, two inmates, David Wisnia and Helen Spitzer, found love.
On today’s episode, the story of how they found each other — first within the camp and again, seven decades later.
This story was written by Keren Blankfeld and recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publishers like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
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This podcast is supported by TikTok. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries are the ones you weren't looking for. That happens every day on TikTok. A science experiment can spark a whole new interest. A recipe you stumble upon can become a meal you make for the people you love. And a restaurant you've never heard of might become your new favorite spot. That's the thing about TikTok. Follow your curiosity and see where it leads. Your next discovery is waiting on TikTok. (gentle music) - Hi, I'm Karen Blankfeld. I wrote a story for The New York Times last December about two Holocaust survivors who met and fell in love when they were prisoners in Auschwitz and then reunited 72 years later. So, I'm the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors who are Eastern European refugees. And I've been really interested in stories that are parallel to theirs. So a couple of years ago, I began researching stories about children who made it into the United States under very difficult circumstances. During World War II, it was incredibly hard to come into the United States. There was a lot of anti-immigration sentiment. Nativism was at an all time high. People were saying, keep America for America's children. And immigrants just weren't making it into the United States. So as I was researching, someone introduced me to David Wissnier. He was a prisoner in Auschwitz and he survived and he managed to come into the United States. So I was interviewing him and we were almost done with our interview. I was actually getting up at his kitchen table, putting my coat on when he mentioned this lover he had while he was in Auschwitz. I kind of sat back down, my coat half on. And he told me about Helen Spitzer or as he calls her a stippy. I was totally stunned when he told me this story. I would have never imagined that people were able to fall in love while they were in a concentration camp of all places. David and Sippy's story is a story about hope. It's a story about love. It's a story about finding music and beauty
Transcription truncated.
Amid the death and desperation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, two inmates, David Wisnia and Helen Spitzer, found love.
On today’s episode, the story of how they found each other — first within the camp and again, seven decades later.
This story was written by Keren Blankfeld and recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publishers like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.
