Getting out is only half the battle. After separating from her abusive husband, Anna Maria faces the most dangerous period of the relationship… and long-term emotional fallout that follows her for years. If you or someone you know is affected by intimate partner violence, you can find a list of resources <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/resource-list-welcome-to-paradise-1.6328619" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. Find transcripts of the series <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/welcome-to-paradise-transcripts-listen-1.6803405" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.

Getting out is only half the battle. After separating from her abusive husband, Anna Maria faces the most dangerous period of the relationship… and long-term emotional fallout that follows her for years. If you or someone you know is affected by intimate partner violence, you can find a list of resources here. Find transcripts of the series here.

Getting out is only half the battle. After separating from her abusive husband, Anna Maria faces the most dangerous period of the relationship… and long-term emotional fallout that follows her for years. If you or someone you know is affected by intimate partner violence, you can find a list of resources <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/resource-list-welcome-to-paradise-1.6328619" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>. Find transcripts of the series <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/welcome-to-paradise-transcripts-listen-1.6803405" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.

Welcome to Paradise | EP 4: The Long Tail

As a child, Alex Kurzem faced a choice: be killed or join the killers. In the midst of the Second World War, he was separated from his family and taken in by a group of soldiers as one of their own. He was made a member of Hitler’s army – a toy soldier with his own rifle and miniature SS uniform. But what the soldiers didn’t know and what no one would know for decades: he was a Jewish boy masquerading as a Nazi to save his life. Alex lives with this false identity for so long, he no longer remembers who he was before – forgetting his parents’ faces, his birthday, his own name. But before he dies, Alex is determined to find the identity and family stolen from him during the Holocaust.&nbsp; This is the story Alex would tell the world decades later, but doubts quickly took hold and wouldn’t let go. Could a story so unbelievable be true? Or is this a con to profit from the Holocaust? Eighty years on, is it possible to uncover who Alex really is? Host Dan Goldberg unravels the true story. Get lost in someone else’s life. From a mysterious childhood spent on the run, to a courageous escape from domestic violence, each season of Personally invites you to explore the human experience in all its complexity, one story — or season — at a time. Hear episodes early and ad-free on <a href="https://apple.co/cbcstories" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CBC Stories Premium on Apple Podcasts</a>. Season 1 | Run, Hide, Repeat: a story of a childhood spent on the run.Season 2 | Welcome to Paradise: a courageous escape from domestic violence.Season 3 | Short Sighted: an attempt to explain what vision loss feels like by exploring how it sounds.Season 4 | Sorry About The Kid: an emotional, deeply personal meditation on the loss of a sibling.

Society & Culture

Documentary

As a child, Alex Kurzem faced a choice: be killed or join the killers. In the midst of the Second World War, he was separated from his family and taken in by a group of soldiers as one of their own. He was made a member of Hitler’s army – a toy soldier with his own rifle and miniature SS uniform. But what the soldiers didn’t know and what no one would know for decades: he was a Jewish boy masquerading as a Nazi to save his life. Alex lives with this false identity for so long, he no longer remembers who he was before – forgetting his parents’ faces, his birthday, his own name. But before he dies, Alex is determined to find the identity and family stolen from him during the Holocaust.  This is the story Alex would tell the world decades later, but doubts quickly took hold and wouldn’t let go. Could a story so unbelievable be true? Or is this a con to profit from the Holocaust? Eighty years on, is it possible to uncover who Alex really is? Host Dan Goldberg unravels the true story. Get lost in someone else’s life. From a mysterious childhood spent on the run, to a courageous escape from domestic violence, each season of Personally invites you to explore the human experience in all its complexity, one story — or season — at a time. Hear episodes early and ad-free on CBC Stories Premium on Apple Podcasts. Season 1 | Run, Hide, Repeat: a story of a childhood spent on the run. Season 2 | Welcome to Paradise: a courageous escape from domestic violence. Season 3 | Short Sighted: an attempt to explain what vision loss feels like by exploring how it sounds. Season 4 | Sorry About The Kid: an emotional, deeply personal meditation on the loss of a sibling.

As a child, Alex Kurzem faced a choice: be killed or join the killers. In the midst of the Second World War, he was separated from his family and taken in by a group of soldiers as one of their own. He was made a member of Hitler’s army – a toy soldier with his own rifle and miniature SS uniform. But what the soldiers didn’t know and what no one would know for decades: he was a Jewish boy masquerading as a Nazi to save his life. Alex lives with this false identity for so long, he no longer remembers who he was before – forgetting his parents’ faces, his birthday, his own name. But before he dies, Alex is determined to find the identity and family stolen from him during the Holocaust.&nbsp; This is the story Alex would tell the world decades later, but doubts quickly took hold and wouldn’t let go. Could a story so unbelievable be true? Or is this a con to profit from the Holocaust? Eighty years on, is it possible to uncover who Alex really is? Host Dan Goldberg unravels the true story. Get lost in someone else’s life. From a mysterious childhood spent on the run, to a courageous escape from domestic violence, each season of Personally invites you to explore the human experience in all its complexity, one story — or season — at a time. Hear episodes early and ad-free on <a href="https://apple.co/cbcstories" rel="noopener noreferrer">CBC Stories Premium on Apple Podcasts</a>. Season 1 | Run, Hide, Repeat: a story of a childhood spent on the run.Season 2 | Welcome to Paradise: a courageous escape from domestic violence.Season 3 | Short Sighted: an attempt to explain what vision loss feels like by exploring how it sounds.Season 4 | Sorry About The Kid: an emotional, deeply personal meditation on the loss of a sibling.

Share Welcome to Paradise | EP 4: The Long Tail

Sign up to save your podcasts

Welcome to Paradise | EP 4: The Long Tail

Welcome to Paradise | EP 4: The Long Tail

More shows like Personally: Toy Soldier

DNTO

Storylines

Back Story

Someone Knows Something

Love Me

Sleepover

Now or Never

On Drugs

Alone: A Love Story

Sea of Lies from Uncover

The Shadows

The Copernic Affair | Canadaland Investigates

Asking For It

Wiretap

Deep Cover

The Binge Cases: Baby Broker

Chameleon: Dr. Miracle

Life Jolt

The Next Call with David Ridgen

Recovering Filipino

The Binge Crimes: Finding Mom's Killer

Limited Capacity

Sorry About The Kid

Welcome to Paradise

Suspicion: Murder on Mount Olive

Unlocking Bryson's Brain

The Con: Kaitlyn's Baby

Let's Not Be Kidding with Gavin Crawford

In Her Defence: 50th Street

Crime Story

Split Screen: Who Replaced Avril Lavigne?

Broomgate: A Curling Scandal

Come by Chance

Tested