Ep 126: Raised by Survivors with Bernie Furshpan and guest Susanne Seperson on hmTv

Episode 126 – “Raised by Survivors”
hmTv with Dr. Bernie Furshpan

How does the child of Holocaust survivors transform inherited trauma into a life-long mission for justice? In this powerful conversation, Dr. Bernie Furshpan sits down with Dr. Suzanne Bleiberg Seperson—UN representative, activist, and proud 2G—to explore:

• Identity & Legacy: why Suzanne keeps both “Bleiberg” and “Seperson” to carry her father’s name forward.
• Parents’ Survival Stories: a daring jump from a death-train, an escape from Janovska labor camp, and the righteous gentiles who risked everything to help.
• Act III Activism: how retirement became her busiest chapter—chairing the Committee to End Antisemitism & Promote Peace and pushing for the UN’s first resolution condemning Jew-hatred.
• Intergenerational Healing: turning a childhood without grandparents into a devotion to her own six grandchildren—and to every young person who deserves a hate-free world.
• Call to Action: why each of us must use our unique talents “for good,” and how even symbolic victories (a pebble in a pond, a butterfly’s wing) can ripple into global change.

Listen in for an inspiring reminder that memory fuels responsibility—and that raising our voices together can still turn the tide against antisemitism and all forms of hate.

Transcript

Episode 126 – “Raised by Survivors”
 hmTv | Host: Dr. Bernie Furshpan | Guest: Dr. Suzanne Bleiberg Seperson

Dr. Bernie Furshpan 
Hello and welcome to hmTv. I’m your host, Dr. Bernie Furshpan, and you’re listening to our series Raised by Survivors. Today’s guest is a remarkable Second-Generation (2G) Holocaust survivor—Dr. Suzanne Bleiberg Seperson.
Suzanne is:

• A representative of Generations United at the United Nations.
• Chair of the Committee to End Antisemitism and Promote Peace (an accredited NGO at the UN).
• Vice-chair of the Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity.
• An internationally recognized expert on financial elder abuse, human rights, and social-security policy.

Welcome, Suzanne!

A NAME THAT CARRIES A LEGACY

Bernie
You’ve kept both Bleiberg and Seperson in your professional name. Why?

Suzanne
I’m an only child, and there were no sons to carry my father’s name. Keeping “Bleiberg” is my way of honoring him. Professionally I’ve always published as Suzanne Bleiberg Seperson, and that’s how people know me.

JUGGLING MANY CAUSES

Bernie
How many organizations are you actively involved with?

Suzanne
It’s hard to count—once I rise to leadership, the workload narrows what I can take on. Right now my core commitments are:

1. UN Representative, Generations United
2. Vice-Chair, Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity
3. Chair, Committee to End Antisemitism and Promote Peace

The UN can be painfully bureaucratic, so even securing NGO status took two years of “cross every t, dot every i, delay, delay, delay.” But we did it, and year one has been very successful.

WHY “RETIREMENT” IS BUSIER THAN EVER

Bernie
We’re both “retired”—yet neither of us works less. What drives you?

Suzanne
I want Act Three of my life to have meaning. I had a rewarding academic career, but nothing compares to this phase—using whatever influence I have to change the world, even in small ways.

Bernie
I feel the same producing podcasts at the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center. It’s God’s work.

GROWING UP IN SURVIVOR HOUSEHOLDS

Bernie
We both had front-row seats to Holocaust PTSD. For me it felt “normal” until adulthood showed me otherwise. Was your childhood different?

Suzanne
Very. I was an only child in the 1950s when big families were the norm. Holidays were lonely—no grandparents, no siblings, few cousins. Today I pour that yearning into my six grandchildren; I’m the doting grandmother I never had.

PARENTS’ WAR STORIES

Bernie
Tell us about your parents’ experiences.

Suzanne

• Mother: Survived Auschwitz and other camps, later served as a docent at HMTC—this center was her second home.
• Father: Escaped the Janovska labor camp in Ukraine. Growing up, I’d listen to him and other men recount escape stories around our kitchen table—always framed as resistance, never victimhood.

Bernie
My father survived thanks to Protestant farmers in Ukraine—proof that goodness exists even in darkness.

LEARNING THE FULL STORY

Suzanne
I always knew about “the war,” but the puzzle pieces only fit together when Mom and I toured the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum before it opened. That was the first time I heard her story start to finish. It was strangely relieving—I finally had the whole narrative.

FROM MEMORY TO MISSION

Bernie
How do those stories power your UN work today?

Suzanne
Because history ignored is history repeated. My committee is pushing for a UN General Assembly resolution condemning antisemitism—there are already two condemning Islamophobia, none for Jew-hatred. Is it symbolic? Yes. But symbols matter: a pebble in a pond still sends ripples.

Bernie
Or a butterfly’s wings that spark a storm.

A CALL TO ACTION

Suzanne
Each of us has unique gifts; failing to use them for good is a sin against humanity. Whether you’re an artist, athlete, or teacher—speak out. Hate spreads like cancer if unchecked.

Bernie
Exactly. We do this work so our grandchildren inherit a kinder world.

CLOSING

Bernie (26:29)
Dr. Suzanne Bleiberg Seperson, thank you for sharing your story and your mission. To our listeners: explore Suzanne’s interviews and articles online, and follow hmTv for more conversations that honor the past and inspire the future.

I’m Dr. Bernie Furshpan. Thanks for joining us on Raised by Survivors. Until next time—stay informed, stay kind, and stand up to hate.

[Outro music]