Ep 306: Legacy Chronicles with Donna Rosenblum and guest Jack Hersh on hmTv

Episode 306: Legacy Chronicles with Donna Rosenblum and Guest Jack Hersh

In this powerful episode of Legacy Chronicles: Honoring the Past and Shaping the Future on hmTv, host Donna Rosenblum, Director of Education at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center, sits down with Jack Hersh, author, speaker, and proud son of Holocaust survivor David Hersh.

Jack shares the extraordinary true story of his father’s survival through Auschwitz, Mauthausen, and Gusen—how he escaped the Nazis twice, was hidden by a courageous Austrian family, and rebuilt his life with resilience, humor, and kindness. Together, Donna and Jack explore what it means to grow up as a second-generation survivor (“2G”), the impact of inherited memory, and how one man’s humanity endured even after the darkest of times.

Jack also reflects on discovering hidden chapters of his father’s story, his decision to write Death March Escape, and how the lessons of courage and faith remain urgently relevant in the world today—especially in the face of rising antisemitism and global conflict.

An unforgettable conversation about remembrance, resilience, and the responsibility to speak truth.

🎧 Legacy Chronicles — where every story honors the past to shape a more compassionate future.

Transcript

Episode 306: Legacy Chronicles with Donna Rosenblum and Guest Jack Hersh on hmTv

 Donna Rosenblum:
Welcome everyone. I’m Donna Rosenblum, your host of Legacy Chronicles: Honoring the Past and Shaping the Future. I’m the Director of Education here at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center, and I have the great fortune of welcoming my guest today, Jack Hersh.

Jack Hersh:
Thanks for having me.

Donna:
It’s wonderful that you’re here. We’re going to be talking about many things today. Jack is a second-generation survivor — a “2G” — and he’s going to share insights into that experience. But first, Jack, let’s start by giving our audience a brief understanding of your father’s story.

The Story of David Hersh

Jack:
Sure. My father, David Hersh, was a Transylvanian Jew from a town called Dej. When he was 18 years old, he was put in a cattle car and sent to Auschwitz in June 1944. After three days there, he was sent to Mauthausen and then to one of its satellite camps, Gusen. Those camps in western Austria were primarily granite mines — Hitler’s “Thousand-Year Reich” needed granite. My father worked in those mines, starting out at 160 pounds and six feet tall, and by early 1945 he was down to 80 pounds.

In late 1944, he was transferred to a tent camp outside Mauthausen’s walls — one of the most abominable places in Europe. In April 1945, as the Nazis began the death marches, he escaped — was caught and returned — then escaped again two weeks later. This time, he was hidden by a local family for three weeks until the Americans liberated the area. After a year and a half in the hospital, he went to Israel and later immigrated to the United States.

Growing Up as a 2G

Donna:
What an incredible story. So, growing up as his son, did you always know he was a survivor?

Jack:
Always. From my earliest memories, I knew. My father was charismatic, funny, and he loved to tell stories. He escaped twice from the Nazis — if you did that, you’d tell people too! Most of his friends were survivors, so our social circle was filled with people who shared those experiences. They’d play cards and talk about the camps — sometimes even laugh about things. That was their therapy.

Donna:
That’s really profound. Did you notice any lingering trauma — habits or behaviors shaped by the past?

Jack:
Not in the classic sense. He wasn’t overly cautious or fearful. But every Passover, during the Seder, he’d pause the Haggadah reading to tell the story of his escape. As kids, we heard it twice a year — every year — until we could recite it ourselves.

Family and Survival

Donna:
Was he the only one from his family to survive?

Jack:
No, he was one of eight children. Four were killed at Birkenau, along with his mother. He and three siblings survived. After the war, they all reunited briefly in their hometown before going separate ways — one brother to Turkey, another and a sister to Israel. Eventually, all three surviving siblings settled in Netanya, Israel, within a few blocks of each other. My father visited several times a year. I joined those trips starting in 1971 and kept going regularly through college and beyond.

Discovering His Hidden Story

Donna:
In your book, you talk about learning things after your father passed — like his return visit to Mauthausen. Tell us about that.

Jack:
That was a surprise. He despised anything German — the cars, the language, everything. Yet in the late 1990s, without telling me, he returned to visit the camp. I only learned about it later from my cousin in Israel. He must’ve needed that closure — his own private way of confronting the past.

Donna:
And he used to say, “You should never know,” right?

Jack:
Exactly. That was his phrase whenever he told stories about the camps. He said what he shared was “only 10%” of what happened. The rest — the daily horrors, the roll calls, the deaths — he spared us from. “You should never know” was his shield for us.

The Nicest Man Everyone Knew

Donna:
There’s a touching story in your book about his funeral — all these people showing up you didn’t know.

Jack:
Yes. He used to walk the Long Beach boardwalk every day, chatting with everyone. When he passed, all these people came to the funeral — neighbors, strangers — and told me how kind and warm he was. They said, “Your father was the nicest man we ever met.” Imagine that — after everything he endured, he chose kindness. I just wanted to be like that.

Writing the Book

Donna:
That brings us to your book. Why did you decide to write it?

Jack:
It started when my cousin found my father’s photo on the Mauthausen website — a headshot from before the war that I’d never seen. That sparked years of correspondence with historians to uncover his story. But the real turning point came when I shared his story at a business dinner. The next day, a colleague called me and said, “That story changed my life.” That’s when I realized: people need to hear this. So, I wrote the book — part research, part love letter — in my father’s voice. He wasn’t a gloomy man; he smiled through survival. I wanted that tone to come through.

Carrying the Mission Forward

Donna:
You’re now a member of HMTC’s second-generation speakers. You talk to students about your father’s experience. How does that connect to what’s happening in the world now, especially since October 7th?

Jack:
It’s strengthened my mission more than ever. The line between antisemitism and anti-Zionism has blurred — and it shouldn’t surprise anyone. Judaism and Israel are inseparable; “Jew” literally derives from Judea. Our people are indigenous to that land. The Holocaust led directly to the founding of Israel — and telling these stories gives that history context.

We can debate Israeli politics — and we should — but denying Israel’s right to exist? That’s antisemitism. Until the world, including the Palestinian leadership, accepts Israel’s existence, this conflict won’t end.

Donna:
Beautifully said. History, context, and humanity — all essential to understanding today’s world.

Closing Reflections

Donna:
Jack, thank you so much for sharing your story and your father’s legacy with us. For those listening, the book is truly eye-opening — heartfelt, accessible, and deeply human.

I’m Donna Rosenblum, your host of Legacy Chronicles on hmTv. Please like, share, and subscribe. Until next time — let’s keep honoring the past and shaping the future.