hmTv at HMTC Podcasts Ep 425: Legacy Chronicles with Zachary Graulich and guest Vivian Rick on hmTv
Ep 425 | Legacy Chronicles
On this powerful episode of Legacy Chronicles, Zachary Graulich of the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County sits down with second generation survivor Vivian Rick for an intimate and deeply moving conversation about memory, silence, and responsibility.
Vivian shares the remarkable survival stories of both of her parents. Her father escaped Nazi Europe, served in the U.S. Army as a multilingual interrogator, and searched for his missing parents in the ruins of Vienna. Her mother endured life under Nazi occupation in Vienna, showing quiet defiance even as her family lost everything. Together, their journeys reflect resilience, displacement, and the complicated aftermath of survival.
Growing up, Vivian knew something had happened but was raised in a household where trauma lived in silence. It wasn’t until later in life, after becoming a mother herself, that she felt a calling to step into Holocaust education. For the past 16 years, she has served as a docent, transforming history from dates and statistics into human stories that students can feel and understand.
This episode explores the emotional legacy carried by second generation families, the impact of unspoken trauma, and why personal testimony remains one of the most powerful tools in combating hatred today. Vivian’s message is clear: we owe remembrance not only to our families, but to the millions whose voices were lost.