Ep 64: Ordinary Heroes with Bernie Furshpan and guest Martin Hausvater on hmTv

Episode 64: Ordinary Heroes with Bernie Furshpan and Guest Martin Hausvater

In this powerful episode of Ordinary Heroes on hmTv, host Bernie Furshpan sits down with author Martin Hausvater to explore the extraordinary legacy of his family’s survival, resistance, and resilience spanning three generations and multiple countries. From a poverty-stricken childhood in Romania to apprenticeship in Hungary, military heroism in World War I, secret currency operations, and ultimately escape from Nazi persecution—Martin’s grandfather lived a life shaped by faith, ingenuity, and unyielding strength.

Martin shares riveting, often harrowing stories handed down through his family: how his Orthodox grandfather upheld his Jewish traditions even while imprisoned in Italy; how he outwitted police in Hungary; and how his family funneled the equivalent of $120 million to support the Jewish underground during WWII. The episode also highlights the courage of Martin’s father, a U.S. Navy sailor who stood tall against antisemitism, and Martin’s own reflections on inherited strength in the face of hatred.

A moving reminder of the Jewish spirit to survive and fight back, this episode is a tribute to the unsung heroes in our families—and a call to action in the face of rising antisemitism today.

Now streaming on all major podcast platforms.
Martin Hausvater’s book “Hausvater” is available on Amazon Kindle and soon in hardcover.
#OrdinaryHeroes #hmTv #HolocaustEducation #JewishHistory #Resistance #SurvivorStories

Transcript

Episode 64: Ordinary Heroes
Host: Bernie Furshpan
Guest: Martin Hausvater
Series: hmTv – Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center

Bernie Furshpan:
Hello and welcome to hmTv. I’m your host of Ordinary Heroes, and today I’m thrilled to have an incredible guest—an author, a storyteller, and someone whose family’s history spans multiple countries, tragedies, triumphs, and generations. Please welcome Martin Hausvater.

Martin Hausvater:
Thank you, Bernie. Great to be here.

Bernie:
The name “Hausvater”—did I pronounce that right?

Martin:
Yes, you did. It’s a German name—it translates to “father of the house” or “house father.” Like the Yiddish term balabusta.

Bernie:
Love it. So fitting given the legacy your book captures. What inspired you to write this story?

Martin:
Well, about four years ago, I had a stroke. I was bedridden for months, and family and friends were worried I’d sink into depression. One friend dragged me out for a slice of pizza and said, “Tell me about your family.” I did. And he said, “That’s a book. You have to write it.” Took me three years—but here it is.

Bernie:
And the journey begins in Romania, correct? Around 1905?

Martin:
Yes. My great-grandfather was an Orthodox rabbi with 13 children. They lived in deep poverty. It was common back then to place children into apprenticeship programs. That’s how my grandfather, at just eight years old, ended up in Hungary training as a coppersmith.

Bernie:
At eight? That’s incredible. And he remained religiously observant?

Martin:
Yes. Despite living with a non-Jewish family, he wouldn’t work on Saturdays and wore his kippah proudly—got into fights over it, too. Anti-Semitism was already deeply rooted, even before World War I.

Bernie:
So young, yet so determined. And didn’t he become a bit of an entrepreneur as a child?

Martin:
He did. He would collect scrap metal, melt it, and mold it into tiny crosses, teacups, saucers—sell them on the street after school. It was survival instinct and creativity all in one.

Bernie:
And he eventually joined the Austro-Hungarian army?

Martin:
Yes. He became a major in the cavalry during World War I. His unit got trapped in the Italian forest—no food, no communication. My grandfather sacrificed his own horse so his men could eat—but he refused to eat it himself. It wasn’t kosher.

Bernie:
What incredible discipline. And I understand he was shot?

Martin:
By a sniper. He was wounded, captured, and taken to an Italian infirmary. Later imprisoned. One guard tricked him into eating pork, so my grandfather shoved his fingers down his throat and vomited it back up—right onto the guard. That’s how committed he was.

Bernie:
And you learned these stories from your father?

Martin:
From my father, grandmother, and aunt. They repeated them often. Eventually, I had to write them down.

Bernie:
There’s also a story of your grandfather helping to print currency, yes?

Martin:
Yes. In the 1920s, while in Czechoslovakia, he realized the Hungarian currency was being devalued. So, he created a metal stamp and offered “discounted” official stamps in the black market. The police almost caught him—he had red ink all over himself, so he poured red paint on everything and pretended he was painting his shoes. He escaped arrest that way.

Bernie:
Clever. Risky, but clever. Eventually, he made it to Brooklyn?

Martin:
Yes. In 1938, he escaped Vienna after killing Nazi officers during a riot. The family fled through Liverpool and eventually arrived in Brooklyn. He went into the sheet metal business—and two mobsters approached him with a deal. He wasn’t afraid.

Bernie:
Seems like courage ran in the family. And your father?

Martin:
Tough as nails. He joined the Navy, where he faced intense anti-Semitism. On one occasion, he threw a sailor off the deck after being taunted with slurs. Got in trouble—but he didn’t care. Stood his ground.

Bernie:
So, your story, your book—Hausvater—really reflects generational survival, strength, and a refusal to bend.

Martin:
Exactly. Every generation had to find their way to survive, resist, and push forward.

Bernie:
And we still do. Anti-Semitism is rising again. We have to be vigilant. We need stories like yours to remind us that Jews have always fought back—spiritually, intellectually, and physically when needed.

Martin:
Absolutely. And we have Israel now. That makes a difference. My father and grandfather always said that if Israel had existed in the ’30s, the Holocaust might not have happened.

Bernie:
I was born in Israel, and I couldn’t agree more. It’s a homeland we must protect. So where can our audience find your book?

Martin:
Hausvater is available now on Amazon Kindle, and the hardcover version will be released in about a week.

Bernie:
Fantastic. Martin, thank you for sharing your family's extraordinary journey. This was a powerful conversation.

Martin:
Thank you, Bernie. It was an honor.

Bernie:
And thank you to our listeners for joining us on another episode of Ordinary Heroes on hmTv. Don’t forget to follow us on social media and your favorite podcast platforms. Until next time, stay strong, stay inspired.