370: Walking Where History Happened: A Daughter's Holocaust Journey
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Guest
Irene Stern Frielich is the daughter of a German Jewish Holocaust survivor—but for much of her life, the story remained unspoken. In 2017, after rediscovering her father’s testimony, Irene set out to physically retrace his escape route from Nazi Germany through his survival in Holland. The result was a journey of reconciliation and healing. Her award-winning memoir, Shattered Stars, Healing Hearts, explores trauma, courage, and connection across generations.
Why This Episode Matters
In this deeply moving conversation, Irene discusses the memoir that retraces her father's footsteps across Germany and Holland during World War II. Sparked by the 2017 Charlottesville rally, she embarked on multiple research trips to understand her father's wartime experience, including his escape during Kristallnacht at age 12 and being hidden for two-and-a-half years in an attic. Through visiting actual locations and meeting descendants of both rescuers and perpetrators, Irene discovered the concept of inherited family trauma and began her own healing process. The conversation explores themes of courage, historical memory, and the power of standing where history happened.
Three Important Takeaways
Inherited family trauma affects multiple generations - Both descendants of Holocaust victims and perpetrators carry psychological impacts from their family histories, often without fully understanding these influences until later in life.
Physical presence at historical sites creates a profound connection - Standing where events occurred provides emotional and spiritual experiences that reading about history cannot replicate, offering deeper understanding and healing opportunities.
Human connection transcends historical divisions - Meeting descendants of both rescuers and those who harmed her family allowed Irene to find common ground and begin healing conversations across historical divides.
Referenced
Website, including available presentations: www.shatteredstars.org
About the book: Book trailer
Follow the journey: https://www.facebook.com/ShatteredStarsHealingHearts
Stolpersteine laying video with English subtitles: https://youtu.be/XZkZx6ynJls
Chapter-by-chapter Book Notes, including photos: https://shatteredstars.org/book-notes/
About Jeff
Jeff Ikler is the Director of Quetico Leadership and Career Coaching. “Quetico” (KWEH-teh-co). He works with leaders in all aspects of life to identify and overcome obstacles in their desired future. He came to the field of coaching after a 35-year career in educational publishing. Prior to his career in educational publishing, Jeff taught high school U.S. history and government.
Jeff has hosted the “Getting Unstuck—Cultivating Curiosity” podcast for 5 years. The guests and topics he explores are designed to help listeners think differently about the familiar and welcome the new as something to consider. He is also the co-host of the Cultivating Resilience – A Whole Community Approach to Alleviating Trauma in Schools, which promotes mental health and overall wellness.
Jeff co-authored Shifting: How School Leaders Can Create a Culture of Change. Shifting integrates leadership development and change mechanics in a three-part change framework to help guide school leaders and their teams toward productive change.
Show Credits
"Getting Unstuck" is commercial-free. It’s brought to you by Jeff Ikler, his amazing guests, and Neil Hughes, the best engineer a podcaster could ask for.
"Getting Unstuck" theme music: Original composition of "Allegro ben ritmato e deciso" by George Gershwin. Arrangement and recording courtesy of Bruno Lecoeur.