About this episode
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
Get every episode summarized
Each time ABC Rewind publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
