A Film by Jeffery B. Giesener featuring the Handler family from Canada. Willie, Mary Anne, and Sarah join together to share their life experiences of marrying into and for Sarah growing up with Holocaust grandparents. Mary Anne also shares her Jewish conversion from Catholicism and how she integrated into Willie’s Holocaust parents’ home.

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the author of Out From the Shadows, Willie Handler! Willie discusses his books, growing up as a child of Holocaust survivors, the programs at the Toronto Holocaust Museum, antisemitism in Toronto, and much more!

In this empowering episode, Kat has author Willie Handler on to share his powerful journey of uncovering generational trauma from his parents, Holocaust survivors. He talks about the emotional impact of confronting his family history, the process of writing his memoir, and the therapeutic healing he experienced along the way. We also dive into the role of storytelling in healing, the importance of preserving family stories, and the need for community support in addressing trauma. Willie discusses the challenges of dealing with inherited trauma, the rise of antisemitism, and the importance of advocacy and Holocaust education. This episode is a deep exploration of Jewish identity, mental health, and how we can break cycles of pain for future generations.

Willie has made it his missions to actually talk about the generational trauma and the plight of the descendants of Holocaust Survivors who have been brought up with the fear and the behavioral patterns of their moms and dads and their generation which has seen a trauma that many of us can’t even imagine.

Willie Handler, author of Stepping Out of the Shadows, a memoir exploring what it means to be the child of Holocaust survivors, discusses how trauma, silence, and survival shape generations long after the war ends. Willie’s parents carried extraordinary stories of loss, brutality, courage, and resilience… but they also carried secrets. The pieces they didn’t share left him with questions that followed him into adulthood. Years later, Willie decided he needed to know the truth. His search uncovered painful family history, hidden trauma, and revelations that forced him to see his parents — and himself — in a new light.

Dr Shafer sits down with Willie Handler, Canadian Author known for his humor-filled works of fiction including Loved Mars Hated the Food, The Road Ahead and Deep Into The Weeds, whose writing turned biographical during the COVID 19 Pandemic, culminating in his memoir, Out from the Shadows: Growing Up with Holocaust Survivor Parents. When faced with a desire to know more about his family, Willie uncovered decades-old secrets of his family, including a sibling he never knew existed who was tragically killed in the Holocaust. The son of two Holocaust survivors, Willie Handler shares his story of familial trauma, growing up in the shadow of the Holocaust’s tragedies, and how he is working to help others share their family’s stories as well. Willie discusses his new book, healing through storytelling, and how he aims to break the cycle of passing on trauma within his family system.