Latest news with #Live2Tell
CBS News
23-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Bearing witness: Portraits of Holocaust survivors
It was a photo shoot like few others: those posing for the camera on this day in Miami aren't fashion models, at least by trade. But they are models in their own way – models of courage, fortitude and grace, all formed in the crucible of the Holocaust. "It is something that we carry," said 87-year-old Judy Rodan. "It is something that cannot be washed off. No pills, no treatments, no psychology or psychiatry. I think I've done it all." Rodan was hidden at a Catholic convent in Budapest until the end of the war. "All of my immediate family were eliminated at Auschwitz," she said. Eighty-eight-year-old Miriam Klein Kassendorf spent the war on the run from her home in what was then Czechoslovakia. "My father was grabbed by his elbows, and he was dragged out of our home on a Shabbat evening," she said. And 95-year-old David Schecter survived not one, but two extermination camps. He talks about it now, he said, because, "It felt that our children need to know." There is indeed a need to know, but we're losing 8%-10% of our eyewitnesses every year. Of the 200,000 or so left, it's estimated half of all Holocaust survivors will be gone in the next 5-7 years. "This one woman said, 'What's gonna happen when I'm not here to tell my story?'" said photographer Gillian Laub. "'Who's gonna tell my story, and, like, say, This happened to me. Please believe me? '" Which is why Laub has been taking photos of as many Holocaust survivors as she can – more than 300 portraits so far, and she's far from done. Of her subjects she said, "There's pride, there's strength and resilience, and there's also sadness. Some people get emotional. Some people feel like, I am here. I am standing here proud and strong." We witnessed a moment when Kassendorf and another survivor, 89-year-old Stella Sonnenschein met for the first time … fellow travelers on a road neither of them wanted to be on. "It's our mission, it's our mission; that's why we survived," said Kassendorf. "My father was a rabbi, and he told me that when I grow up, I should tell the world." "So, we have a job to do," said Sonnenschein. "We have to live a very long time!" In January 2024, some of Laub's portraits became larger-than-life, when she projected them all over New York City (including on the Brooklyn Bridge) in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Laub didn't ask the city for permission; she just did it, under the cover of darkness – a respectful, yet bold project she called Live2Tell. "It was really, like, a caper, a renegade guerrilla art project," said Laub. One survivor, Pearl Field, said, "I'm really impressed one woman went through all of this to keep the Holocaust alive." Laub said she had no idea what would happen. What did happen was more survivors started to come forward. What drove many of them to Laub's camera, she says, were the events of October 7th, 2023. Kassendorf said, "I thought, My God, they're doing it again. They're killing the Jews!" "I was reliving my goddamn past," said Schecter, "and I couldn't shake it for several weeks." Rodan said, "When I see all this disaster and insanity around us, it's 6, 8 thousand miles away, but it's touching. It's un-nerving." Israel's response, aimed at eliminating Hamas, has levelled Gaza, displacing nearly 2 million people, which sparked protests in the United States. According to Laub, "They never saw or experienced the antisemitism that's happening right now in their lives in America." It comes at a time when awareness about the Holocaust itself is already dimming. "About a third of all Americans say that they've seen Holocaust denial and distortion on social media," said Greg Schneider. He is the executive vice president of the Claims Conference, an organization still negotiating with Germany and Austria for reparations to Jewish survivors. "As survivors are unfortunately leaving us in the greatest numbers, they're mostly concerned about their legacy," he said. Last month, the Claims Conference released a survey on Holocaust awareness in seven countries across Europe, and the United States. "We were shocked by some of the results," said Schneider. For example, a large swath of those questioned thought the number of those Jews killed in the Holocaust was 2 million or fewer, not the 6 million who were actually murdered. And nearly half of Americans surveyed couldn't name a single German concentration camp or ghetto. "So, they couldn't mention Auschwitz as an example," Schneider said. " Half of Americans. So, imagine what will be 20 years from now or 30 years from now, when we don't have Holocaust survivors who can go into schools and tell their stories." Survey: Growing Gap in Knowledge About the Holocaust, Especially in Young Adults (Claims Conference) Even Laub herself says she's left the past in the past far more often than she should. "When my grandfather used to talk about being beat up every day on his way to school for being a Jew, it didn't really sink in to me what that must have felt like," she said. "And I feel so guilty now." "You feel guilty 'cause you didn't ask enough questions?" I asked. "I didn't. I didn't. I was too young." Last month, Laub took her most recent Live2Tell portraits to Miami Beach, where Schecter, Rodan and Kassendorf saw themselves as the towering figures they really are … all of them beaming through the night on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. As Laub said, "I was looking and seeking wisdom. I found that light from all of the survivors who became part of this work." The children of the Holocaust – they are all we have left, those who never had the luxury of a childhood. Gillian Laub has given hundreds of them perhaps one last chance to bear firsthand witness to a brutality the world should never see again. Speaking at the Miami event, Miriam Klein Kassendorf said, "Who knew that this would be our revenge to the hate, and to Hitler, and to antisemitism and the Nazis? As we say in Yiddish, Mir zenen do... We are here." For more info: Photographer Gillian Laub Follow Live2Tell on Instagram Follow Gillian Laub on Instagram Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York City Claims Conference Story produced by Amiel Weisfogel. Editor: Carol Ross. See also:
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
This week on "Sunday Morning" (February 23)
The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) Hosted by Jane Pauley. COVER STORY: Are we heading toward a constitutional crisis?President Trump, who tried to overturn the 2020 election result, has been shattering norms upon returning to the Oval Office. Since the nation's founding, the guardrails that have kept presidents in check have been in the courts and Congress. But will they hold? "Sunday Morning" national correspondent Robert Costa talks with legal analysts about constitutional order and the limits of executive power. For more info: National Constitution Center, PhiladelphiaGillian Metzger, Professor of Constitutional Law, Columbia UniversityDonald McGahn, Jones Day ALMANAC: February 23"Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date. ARTS: Gallery owner Larry Gagosian on the "blood sport" of the art worldHe's been called "the biggest art dealer in the history of the world." With 18 galleries around the globe, Larry Gagosian has more exhibition space than most museums. He talks with correspondent Anthony Mason about his estimated billion-dollar-a-year business; New York's competitive art world; spotting the talent of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat; and why, at age 79, he thinks resting is "overrated." For more info: HISTORY: President William McKinley's AmericaPresident Trump has repeatedly expressed admiration for one predecessor in particular: William McKinley, our 25th president, who loved tariffs, and oversaw an expansion of U.S. territory around the globe. But McKinley is best remembered as being one of the four presidents that was assassinated, and for having his name attached to a mountain in Alaska. Correspondent Mo Rocca visits America's heartland in search of the legacy of the Gilded Age chief executive. For more info: McKinley Presidential Library & Museum, Canton, OhioPresidential historian Kevin Kern, University of Akron PHOTOGRAPHY: Holocaust survivors on bearing witnessIt's estimated that of the 200,000 survivors of the Holocaust still with us, half will be gone in the next 5-7 years, which is why photographer Gillian Laub has been taking photos of as many Holocaust survivors as she can – more than 300 portraits so far. Correspondent Lee Cowan talks with Laub about her project, called "Live2Tell." He also talks with some survivors – models of courage, fortitude and grace – who bear witness to the horrors they experienced, and to the antisemitism they see today in America. As 89-year-old Stella Sonnenschein says, "We have a job to do." For more info: Photographer Gillian Laub: Live2Tell - Survivors and StoriesFollow Live2Tell on InstagramFollow Gillian Laub on InstagramMuseum of Jewish Heritage, New York CityClaims Conference PASSAGE: In memoriam"Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week. NATURE: Why does a big elk sound so puny?In this animated video essay, "Sunday Morning" contributor Robert Krulwich and animator Nate Milton go inside one of Nature's mysteries, to examine why an adult male elk, weighing around half a ton, makes such an uncharacteristically high-pitched sound. For more info: HARTMAN: TBD TV: Behind the scenes of "Survivor" Season 48A pioneer of reality TV, the CBS show "Survivor" celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The game is simple: can one player outwit, outplay and outlast 17 others isolated on a South Pacific island to win the $1 million prize? "Sunday Morning" goes behind-the-scenes, as correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti visits Fiji, site of the "Survivor" challenge, to talk with host and showrunner Jeff Probst, along with cast and crew members, before the start of Season 48. Vigliotti also tests his stamina by taking part in a challenge rehearsal. Will he be voted out? To watch a preview of "Survivor" click on the video player below: For more info: Season 48 of "Survivor" premieres February 26 on CBS and Paramount+Follow Jeff Probst on InstagramFollow "Survivor" on Facebook"Survivor" merch (Paramount Shop)Mattel's "Survivor Outwit Outplay Outlast Game" BOOKS: "Resolute": Benjamin Hall on embracing the challenge of recoveryFox News correspondent Benjamin Hall and his crew were covering the war in Ukraine on March 14, 2022, when their car was struck by Russian missiles. Critically wounded, Hall was the only survivor. He wrote about the efforts to rescue him in his bestseller, "Saved." Now, he writes about his long road to recovery in his latest book, "Resolute: How We Humans Keep Finding Ways to Beat the Toughest Odds." Hall talks with correspondent Seth Doane about the importance of conflict reporting, and the tragedy he carries with him. For more info: "Resolute: How We Humans Keep Finding Ways to Beat the Toughest Odds" by Benjamin Hall (Harper Influence). In Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available March 18 via Barnes & Noble and AmazonFollow Benjamin Hall on Instagram NATURE: TBD WEB EXCLUSIVES: FROM THE ARCHIVES: Presidential History with Mo Rocca (YouTube Video)Watch as correspondent Mo Rocca delves into the lives of American presidents with his entertaining stories of some of history's best- (and least-) remembered leaders. "HERE COMES THE SUN": Adrien Brody and live movie music (Video)Actor Adrien Brody sits down with Tracy Smith to discuss his latest film "The Brutalist." Then, David Pogue learns about symphony orchestra concerts where a film coincides with a live performance of the music found in the movie. The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison. DVR Alert! Find out when "Sunday Morning" airs in your city "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) Full episodes of "Sunday Morning" are now available to watch on demand on and Paramount+, including via Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon FireTV/FireTV stick and Xbox. Follow us on Twitter/X; Facebook; Instagram; YouTube; TikTok; Bluesky; and at You can also download the free "Sunday Morning" audio podcast at iTunes and at Now you'll never miss the trumpet! DOGE cuts at 9/11 health program may impact first responders Border Patrol chief discusses asylum policy changes, possible DOGE cuts Thousands of IRS employees expected to be fired by Trump administration this week
