hmTv at HMTC Podcasts Ep 12: Deep Dive with Jonny Daniels and guest Mireille Taub P2 on hmTv
A Journey of Survival and Resilience – Conversation with Mireille Taub Part II
In this episode of Humanity Matters, host Jonny Daniels sits down with the remarkable Mireille Taub, a Holocaust survivor who shares her extraordinary journey of escape, resilience, and the importance of remembering history.
Mireille was born in Paris in 1938 to Polish Jewish parents who had immigrated to France for a better life. Her father, a skilled leatherworker, and her mother, a singer with Parisian elegance, built a happy home—until war broke out and changed everything. As the Nazi occupation spread, Mireille’s grandmother foresaw the impending danger and urged the family to secure visas to America.
Her father’s cousin in Chicago worked relentlessly to obtain their travel documents, but the escape was not easy. When the war reached France, Mireille’s father attempted to enlist in the French army but was eventually forced to take his family and flee. Their journey took them by train toward Bordeaux, which was bombed en route. Forced to flee on foot, they miraculously encountered an American consulate officer, who helped them continue their escape.
Crossing through Spain and Portugal, they finally boarded a Greek freighter as part of a convoy navigating the treacherous Atlantic waters. Three months later, they arrived at Ellis Island, marking the beginning of a new life in the United States.
Throughout the conversation, Mireille reflects on the power of resilience, identity, and the kindness of strangers—a theme that also defined her husband’s survival as a hidden child during the war. She passionately emphasizes the importance of Holocaust education and the responsibility we all share in ensuring history does not repeat itself. In today’s world, where anti-Semitism is once again on the rise, she urges listeners to stand tall, be proud, and never stay silent.
This deeply moving episode is a testament to human strength, hope, and the enduring power of storytelling.