In 1945, Laya Semler became the last Jew sent to a concentration camp from Wennigsen, Germany.  Her non-Jewish husband Adolf chose slave labour rather than abandon her.  They both survived. In 2022, the village of Wennigsen invited their Australian family back to commemorate Laya and Adolf’s bravery. Told by their great-grandchildren, Laya and Adolf’s story is testament to the power love has to bridge even the greatest differences.  But it’s also the story of a town only just coming to terms with the truth of its past.  A truth that, as Laya and Adolf’s descendants discover first-hand, not everyone in the town is ready to accept...

Joanna Kalowski at the opening of the new street in Wennigsen, Germany, named after her grandmother Laya Semler

Guests:

• Joanna Kalowski - internationally recognised mediator and granddaughter of Laya and Adolf Semler
• Michael Wittich - historian for the town of Wennigsen
• Franz Blazek - former mayor of Wennigsen
• Silke Stremlau - resident of Wennigsen

Credits:

Writers: Rick Kalowski and Michaela Kalowski

Presenters: Michaela Kalowski and Rick Kalowski

Producer: Claudia Taranto

Sound Engineer: Hamish Camilleri

Research assistance : Tadhg Kalowski