The Weight of Silence

Some stories are told openly. Others remain buried for decades. In this episode of Chosen For What?, host Tommy Schnurmacher explores the silence that often followed the Holocaust, and the lasting emotional impact that silence can have on survivors, their children, and even future generations.

Trauma therapist Brent Diaz explains how unresolved trauma can continue to shape families long after the original event, especially when painful experiences remain unspoken. The conversation examines how silence can affect identity, emotional regulation, relationships, and the ability to fully process grief and fear. The episode also explores an important question many descendants of survivors wrestle with: can trauma still be felt, even when the details were never shared?

The episode also features Cindy Silverman, a third-generation descendant of Holocaust survivors who only uncovered her grandparents' story years after they had already passed away. Cindy reflects on piecing together fragments of family history, learning about her grandparents' escape from Vienna, and what it was like to discover such a significant part of her identity later in life. Together, these conversations explore inherited trauma, family silence, Holocaust memory, and the emotional weight of stories left untold.

Chosen For What? is brought to you by the Foundation for Genocide Education, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that every student understands the history and lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides. To learn more about their work, or to make a donation, please visit GenEd.org.

*Note: You will hear the terms 2G and 3G used frequently in this podcast. This refers to second-generation and third-generation descendants of Holocaust survivors.