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In Episode 581, Part 1 of Raised by Survivors on hmTv, host Bernie Furshpan welcomes Jake Ehrenreich, acclaimed actor, musician, playwright, author, and proud son of Holocaust survivors, for a heartfelt and humorous conversation about identity, memory, family, and resilience.

Jake reflects on his beloved autobiographical work, A Jew Grows in Brooklyn, sharing how his one-man show and book grew out of his experience as the child of survivors growing up between Brooklyn and the Catskills. He and Bernie discuss the unique world of survivor families, the Yiddish phrases, Eastern European food, music, humor, guilt, love, and cultural memories that shaped their childhoods.

The conversation moves between laughter and deep emotion as Jake speaks about his parents’ survival, his mother’s grief, his father’s silence, and the power of storytelling to preserve what was almost lost. Together, Bernie and Jake explore how children of survivors carry history forward, not only through sorrow, but through humor, creativity, music, and a commitment to living fully.

This episode is a warm, funny, and deeply meaningful tribute to Brooklyn, Jewish identity, Holocaust memory, and the enduring strength of the survivor family legacy. 

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