© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

A Conversation With Connecticut Holocaust Survivor Rabbi Philip Lazowski

Chion Wolf
/
WNPR
Rabbi Philip Lazowski.

When Rabbi Philip Lazowski was just eleven years old, the Nazis invaded his hometown and began the mass slaughter of Jewish residents.

This hour we sit down with Rabbi Lazowski, a Holocaust survivor and longtime leader in the Greater Hartford Jewish community, to hear his story. After witnessing one of the worst sides of humanity, how did he maintain his faith and find the strength to help others?

And last year, Connecticut passed legislation requiring Holocaust and genocide education for students in the state. A professor from the University of Hartford will join us to talk about why it is important for young people to learn about this dark chapter in modern history.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

GUESTS: 

  • Rabbi Philip Lazowski - Holocaust survivor and Connecticut resident. He was Rabbi of Beth Hillel Synagogue in Bloomfield for 45 years, and is currently Chaplain for the State Senate. His autobiography is Faith and Destiny.
  • Avinoam Patt - Professor of Modern Jewish History at University of Hartford; Director of the Holocaust Education and Resource Outreach (HERO) Center

READING LIST:

CT Mirror: Holocaust bill gets a vote, and CT House gets a blessing (May 2018) – “Rabbi Philip Lazowski, a Holocaust survivor who has watched the rise of a neo-Nazi movement that denies history, blessed the House of Representatives on Monday after it unanimously passed a bill requiring schools to teach a lesson about genocide.”

NPR: Survey: Holocaust Is Fading From American Memory – “Two-thirds of millennials and 4 out of 10 Americans overall don't know what Auschwitz was. And while 6 million has long been accepted by historians as the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust, nearly a third of Americans think it was far fewer. And just over half of Americans think Hitler came to power by force. In fact, he was democratically elected.”

University of Hartford: Rabbi Philip and Ruth Lazowski Interview Videos – Rabbi Lazowski and his wife share their experience as Holocaust survivors for University of Hartford's Hartford Remembers the Holocaust exhibit.

Faith and Destiny, by Philip Lazowski (2006) – Rabbi Lazowski’s autobiography, recounting his life before, during and after the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired on January 3, 2019.

Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.
Carmen Baskauf was a producer for Connecticut Public Radio's news-talk show Where We Live, hosted by Lucy Nalpathanchil from 2017-2021. She has also contributed to The Colin McEnroe Show.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content