Ep 67: Ordinary Heroes with Bernie Furshpan and guests Tinamarie Otero and Connie Dong on hmTv

 In Episode 67 of Ordinary Heroes, Dr. Bernie Furshpan welcomes two outstanding students from W.T. Clarke High School—Tina Marie Otero and Connie Dong—fresh off their first‑place win at Long Island History Day. Together, they discuss how a viewing of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas sparked their deep dive into the Nuremberg Trials, from witnessing the liberation of the camps to coining the term “genocide.” They share the “aha” moments that drove their National History Day project—examining rights, responsibilities and the legacy of holding perpetrators accountable—and explain why survivor testimonies remain vital to preventing future atrocities. Tune in to hear how these young historians are keeping Holocaust memory alive and inspiring a more just, tolerant world. 

Transcript

Dr. Bernie Furshpan: Hello and welcome to Ordinary Heroes here on HMTV. I’m your host, Dr. Bernie Furshpan. I have two very special guests with me today—some phenomenal students right here on Long Island who have won an incredible and prestigious award. I’d like to introduce them to you, and talk about the reason why they were recognized for their incredible work. We have Tina Marie Otero and Connie Dong. Hello—how are you today?

Tina Marie Otero: Good, and you?

Dr. Furshpan: Very good, thank you. You’ve received an award in recognition for a project that you worked on. You worked on a project regarding the Nuremberg trials, is that correct? What school do you attend right now?

Tina Marie: We go to W.T. Clarke High School in Westbury.

Dr. Furshpan: Right—and you’re in the 10th grade?

Tina Marie: Yes.

Dr. Furshpan: In 10th grade they really delve into events of the Holocaust, correct? They want you to do research so you have a better understanding of what happened, what tragedies occurred. Well, to an extent—you were taught this in your social studies classes—but you picked this topic because you personally wanted to focus on the Holocaust. What motivated you?

Tina Marie: When I was little, I watched The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and that really sparked a lot of emotions in me. That’s part of why I wanted to focus our project on the Holocaust.

Dr. Furshpan: Very good. That film doesn’t depict everything—it only touches the surface. You learned a lot more about what actually happened, and it was pretty atrocious. It’s incredible how ordinary people can be lied to and manipulated into doing bad things. Isn’t that one of the lessons of the Holocaust—that ordinary people like you and me can be manipulated to do awful things to our fellow human beings? Did you enjoy doing the project?

Tina Marie: We did.

Dr. Furshpan: Why did you pick the Nuremberg trials in particular?

Connie Dong: We both value equality and justice, and over the summer Connie was telling me about The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I watched it myself, and it made me want to research more—leading me to the Nuremberg trials, which held Nazi offenders accountable for their crimes.

Dr. Furshpan: So that film was your portal into the world of the Holocaust, and you realized it’s a bottomless pit of information—six million Jews were killed, many injured or tortured, and others survived, like my father. My father was the sole survivor of eight children in his family; he escaped into the forest at ten, and came out at thirteen. He had quite a story to tell. We honor both those who survived and, of course, those we lost. It’s great that you delved into it—what did you learn? What were your “aha” moments when studying the Nuremberg trials?

Connie: What was incredible was how many people globally finally realized the mass atrocities occurring behind the battlefronts. People didn’t believe the Holocaust until they saw the concentration camps with their own eyes.

Dr. Furshpan: Right—people don’t believe what they hear until they see it, and by then it’s too late. Did you learn that the world knew but chose not to intervene? That they could have prevented further killings by bombing the rail lines and crematoria, but looked the other way because it wasn’t their problem?

Tina Marie: Yes.

Dr. Furshpan: That’s a lesson in itself—too many of us don’t stand up for justice. You had that realization watching people react in shock when the liberators arrived. Who were the principal defendants you studied at Nuremberg?

Connie: About 24 high-ranking Nazi offenders were tried, but many others—like Hitler—committed suicide and were never held accountable. Some Jews believe not all the criminals faced true justice.

Dr. Furshpan: Was Hitler ever posthumously implicated?

Connie: No—he was the architect, but he died before the trials began, so he could not be tried.

Dr. Furshpan: And the term “genocide”—was it coined at Nuremberg?

Tina Marie: Yes. Afterward, we could classify future atrocities as genocide. Some nations still refuse to acknowledge certain events—like the Armenian genocide—but the term emerged from those trials.

Dr. Furshpan: Excellent. Tell me about your project itself—what did you do?

Connie: We researched the themes of rights and responsibilities, and how the Nuremberg trials paved the way for human rights. We showed how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights emerged in the aftermath, and how leaders can now be held accountable.

Dr. Furshpan: And you used resources from the Holocaust Museum, the National WWII Museum, the Harvard Library, and the Yale Avalon Project for primary documents?

Tina Marie: Exactly.

Dr. Furshpan: This is a wonderful project. What recognition did you receive?

Tina Marie: For Long Island History Day, we placed first at Hofstra on March 23rd, and in eight days we’ll compete at New York State.

Dr. Furshpan: Fantastic—if you win New York State, you’ll go on to nationals in Washington, D.C. What are your future goals? Teaching social studies, any history path?

Tina Marie: Honestly, not necessarily history professionally—it’s more about broadening my knowledge. We’ve been doing this for three or four years, and we don’t want to give it up, even with busy school lives.

Dr. Furshpan: That’s wonderful. Did your school celebrate your win?

Tina Marie: No official parade or party, but they were proud.

Dr. Furshpan: We’re all proud of you—students like you are true heroes, standing up for justice and educating others to be kinder and more tolerant. What would you like young people to take away from this?

Tina Marie: Survivor testimonies are vital. Survivors should visit schools to share their stories, even if painful. Children learn about the world through teachers who must convey the truth of past atrocities to prevent them in the future.

Dr. Furshpan: And as survivors pass on, second-generation voices—like mine telling my father’s story—keep their lessons alive. Do you think that personal connection fosters empathy and understanding, helping prevent hate and, ultimately, genocide?

Connie: Absolutely.

Dr. Furshpan: How long did your project take?

Tina Marie: We began last May, solidified our topic by summer, and spent the year researching—covering deportations, camp life, liberation, trial establishment, and multiple perspectives.

Dr. Furshpan: As you prepare for your next competition, what might you learn more about at the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center?

Connie: We’d like to explore how people who weren’t held accountable feel about that—and broaden perspectives on justice.

Dr. Furshpan: Finally, do you believe the lessons of Nuremberg apply to today’s world?

Tina Marie: To an extent—the International Criminal Court builds on that legacy, but preventing genocide requires proactive action, not just information. It starts with words; propaganda can incite hate, which can lead to violence.

Dr. Furshpan: It often feels like an uphill battle, but I believe good ultimately wins over evil. Thank you both for joining me today on Ordinary Heroes here on HMTV at the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center. Until next time, I’m Dr. Bernie Furshpan. Take care.