Ep 83: Raised by Survivors with Bernie Furshpan and guest Rabbi Anchelle Perl on hmTv

Raised by Survivors: “Rabbi Anchelle Perl”

How do you turn a family’s trauma into a lifetime of light? In this moving conversation, host Bernie Furshpan sits down with Rabbi Anchelle Perl, whose father survived Auschwitz and slave-labor camps before rebuilding his life—and his faith—in freedom. Rabbi Perl recounts that journey, the quiet heroism of keeping kosher in a death camp, and the steadfast refusal to hate that defined his childhood home.

Now the spiritual leader of Chabad of Mineola, founder of Long Island’s Good Deed Awards for teens, and a newly appointed Nassau County Human Rights Commissioner, Rabbi Perl explains how those early lessons fuel his mission to spotlight kindness, confront antisemitism through education, and help every person recognize the spark of holiness within.

Listen in for a testament to resilience, a blueprint for community leadership, and a reminder that the most powerful answer to darkness is a life devoted to bringing others hope.

Transcript

Episode 83: Raised by Survivors with Bernie Furshpan and guest Rabbi Anchelle Perl on hmTv, without timestamps and properly structured:

Bernie Furshpan:
Hello and welcome to HMTV’s series Raised by Survivors. I'm your host, Bernie Furshpan. I have a very special guest here today, Rabbi Anchelle Perl, who’s become a very dear friend of mine. Rabbi Perl was raised by his father and mother, and his father was a Holocaust survivor. He's here to talk to us about what it was like growing up in that household, and about all the great things he does today in his community. Welcome!

Rabbi Anchelle Perl:
Thank you, Doctor. It’s an honor to be here and to have the opportunity to speak about my father, a Holocaust survivor, and how we grew up—and how the impact he had on me still resonates to this very day.
Very briefly, my father came from a town called Schiff near Sighet. He was in the same class as Elie Wiesel, way back. In 1944, the Nazis finally reached his town, and they took everyone—his parents, brothers, and sisters—to Auschwitz.
He went through the infamous selections by Dr. Mengele. He was told to go in one direction, but he saw his father and tried to go back to him. A Nazi guard intercepted and told him, "Arbeit"—meaning "you go to work."
My father always said that guard, even though he looked like a Nazi, was his guardian angel, because that moment saved his life.
He spent a long time as a slave laborer in Nordhausen and Dora, laying down railroad tracks, working with cement, and doing brutal labor.
Despite everything, he tried to keep kosher as much as he could. He was given horse tails to eat, but he had a Jewish worker in the kitchen who smuggled him potato skins.
Years later, they even met again in New York City.

After liberation, my father went to Antwerp, then Paris, and eventually met my mother in London. They married and ultimately moved to the United States.

Bernie Furshpan:
Where were you born?

Rabbi Anchelle Perl:
I was born in London, England.

Bernie Furshpan:
And what age were you when you moved to the U.S.?

Rabbi Anchelle Perl:
I was about 19 or 20 years old.
Before that, I studied in Paris at a yeshiva, and later received my rabbinical ordination at Chabad headquarters in Brooklyn.

Bernie Furshpan:
I always thought I detected a slight British accent! Never said anything though. So you grew up in London and Paris?

Rabbi Anchelle Perl:
Exactly. And it was in those early years in London that I grew up surrounded by Holocaust survivors—not just my father.
It was hard at first to understand some of the behaviors, the anxieties, and the reactions. It took me a long time to fully appreciate what they had all gone through.
Despite the horrors my father endured, he never left us with a feeling of hatred.
On the contrary—he was inclusive, respectful of all people, Jewish and non-Jewish.
He spent his life rebuilding what had been stolen from him—his Judaism, his Yiddishkeit—and he passed that passion and positivity on to us.

Bernie Furshpan:
That's beautiful. I can relate—my parents were also survivors who focused on gratitude, not victimhood. They didn’t burden us with their pain but instilled a love for life, family, and kindness.
When you lose everything, like your father did, you appreciate every morsel of food, every friend, every moment.

Rabbi Anchelle Perl:
Exactly. And it shaped how I live and lead today. I’m named after my grandfather who perished in the Holocaust, and I carry that responsibility forward—to live positively, to honor them by rebuilding.
My father's greatest legacy was showing that you don’t need hatred to succeed. Shine your light instead.

Bernie Furshpan:
And you certainly have. You're the Rabbi at Chabad of Mineola. How have you brought your parents' values into your community?

Rabbi Anchelle Perl:
I focus on recognizing the holiness in every person—Jewish or non-Jewish.
I started the Good Deed Awards for Long Island Teenagers, honoring young people for acts of kindness, not just academic achievements.
Since 1994, we've honored over 1,500 teens!
It’s about encouraging good hearts, highlighting positivity, and building future leaders based on compassion.

Bernie Furshpan:
That’s incredible. How are the awardees chosen?

Rabbi Anchelle Perl:
Students are recommended by school counselors, principals, and even public officials. It's a wonderful collaboration.
It's important to focus on the goodness that exists. Most people are good—it’s just that the noisy few who spread hate seem louder.

Bernie Furshpan:
Yes, the majority are good. But silence can be dangerous, too.
Here at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center, we teach people to act—to stand up against injustice, not just record it on their phones.

Rabbi Anchelle Perl:
Exactly. Evil exists and needs to be confronted.
Many anti-Semitic actions come from pure ignorance.
Recently, I worked with someone mandated to spend time learning about Judaism after committing an anti-Semitic act.
I brought him and his family here, to your Center.
It was eye-opening for them.
Education and exposure are key—showing the beauty of Jewish life, not just the pain of the past.

Bernie Furshpan:
Absolutely. A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle—it only brightens the room.

Rabbi Anchelle Perl:
Perfectly said.
I've also been appointed as a Commissioner of Human Rights here in Nassau County.
It’s about giving equal opportunities in education, employment, and beyond—addressing discrimination wherever it appears.

Bernie Furshpan:
That's wonderful! Congratulations.
Is there anything that keeps you up at night?

Rabbi Anchelle Perl:
Mostly wishing I had more time!
I love our synagogue—it’s a beacon of light, and we extend far beyond our walls, helping people at the NYU Langone hospital nearby, supporting those alone on holidays.
It’s about outreach, hope, and positivity.

Bernie Furshpan:
You truly live it.
Thank you, Rabbi Perl, for sharing your story and your wisdom today.
And thank you all for joining us.
Please share our podcast.
Until next time—stay well.