hmTv at HMTC Podcasts

Send us a textEpisode 427 – The Dana DownloadIn this heartfelt and high-energy episode of The Dana Download on hmTv, host Dana Arschin Kraslow sits down with longtime friend and former fellow reporter Justine Ray for a conversation that blends career pivots, media life, friendship, and love.Justine shares her journey from musical theater kid to multimedia journalist, working her way through local newsrooms before making the bold leap into public relations with LMPR Communications. The two dive into the realities of life in television news, the grind behind the glamour, and how storytelling skills never go to waste, even when careers evolve.They also revisit the unforgettable Style It Forward fundraiser they collaborated on, celebrating fashion, community, and meaningful causes, and reflect on how purpose-driven events can uplift and connect people in powerful ways.On the personal side, Justine opens up about meeting her fiancé Neil, blending Catholic and Jewish traditions, and planning a wedding that honors both faiths. The conversation highlights modern interfaith love, shared values, and how relationships can expand our understanding of culture and community.With laughter, nostalgia, and genuine warmth, this episode is about growth, reinvention, and the people who shape our lives along the way.Support the show

Send us a textEpisode 426 – Disrupting HateIn this episode of Disrupting Hate on hmTv, host Ken Schachter speaks with Finnish political analyst and media host Risto Huvila about the evolving landscape of antisemitism, faith, and geopolitics in Europe. Broadcasting from Helsinki, Huvila offers a rare perspective on Jewish life in Finland, Christian support for Israel at the grassroots level, and the complex political alliances shaping attitudes toward Israel across the continent.The conversation explores the role of education in countering hate, the rise of anti-Israel activism on campuses and in public discourse, and the importance of Holocaust remembrance as a tool for moral clarity. Huvila shares how his personal faith journey led him into decades of study on Jewish history, theology, and modern Israel, and why he firmly rejects replacement theology in favor of deeper Jewish Christian understanding.This episode is a clear-eyed look at how misinformation spreads, how alliances form, and what individuals can actually do to push back. From engaging political leaders to highlighting Israel’s global innovations, the message is simple: education, courage, and honest dialogue are still the strongest tools for disrupting hate.Support the show

Send us a textEp 425 | Legacy ChroniclesOn 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.Support the show

Send us a textEp 424 | Inheriting MemoryWhat does it mean to carry history you did not live through, yet feel every day? In this powerful episode of Inheriting Memory on hmTv, host Rebecca Sparacio speaks with Tamara Healy, a third generation descendant of Holocaust survivors, about identity, resilience, and the quiet ways trauma and strength travel through families.Tamara reflects on growing up surrounded by pride, gratitude, and deep family connection, while also navigating antisemitism and ignorance outside her community. She shares how her grandparents’ survival stories, her parents’ values, and her own experiences as a school counselor and mother shape the way she responds to hate today. From childhood memories and intergenerational anxiety to the urgency of Holocaust education and the impact of October 7, this conversation bridges past and present with honesty and heart.This episode explores how memory becomes responsibility, why education still matters, and what each of us can do to stand against hatred with facts, dignity, and humanity.A meaningful conversation from hmTv, a podcast of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County.Support the show

Send us a textEp 422  The Fog of War and Humanity (Part 2)In part two of this moving conversation, host Richard Acritelli continues his discussion with Army veteran Gary Glick, commander in the Jewish War Veterans, as they explore how military service, memory, and identity shape a lifetime of purpose.Gary reflects on the lasting impact of visiting Dachau concentration camp memorial site as a young soldier and how that moment still lives vividly in his mind more than five decades later. He shares how his time as a chaplain’s assistant deepened his respect for faith, tradition, and the diversity of religious life within the military.The episode moves beyond the battlefield into what happens after service. Gary’s return home, meeting his wife, building a career through the GI Bill, and eventually finding his calling with fellow veterans all reveal how lives are shaped by both fate and choice.Most powerfully, Gary speaks about Holocaust survivors who later served in the U.S. military, forgotten heroes whose stories remain largely untold. From Korean War Medal of Honor recipient Tibor Rubin to resistance fighters and former prisoners of camps who wore American uniforms, this episode highlights the urgency of preserving living history before it disappears.This is a story about memory, responsibility, and the unbreakable thread connecting past sacrifice to present duty.Support the show

Send us a textEp 423  The Fog of War and Humanity (Part 3)In the powerful conclusion of this three-part conversation, host Richard Acritelli and Army veteran Gary Glick bring history home — literally.What begins with stories of Holocaust survivors and forgotten heroes like Tibor Rubin expands into a deeply personal reflection on how local encounters with history can shape a lifetime. Richard shares a vivid memory from his youth delivering appliances in Nassau County, where a chance moment inside a customer’s home revealed Holocaust artifacts and a survivor’s journey from Auschwitz to Israel to America. Decades later, physical evidence of camp currency resurfaces, confirming what he saw and underscoring how much history still lives quietly among us.Gary speaks about the emotional responsibility that comes with meeting survivors, attending funerals where few others show up, and ensuring that names and lives are not erased with time. From Kindertransport children who became nurses, to community members connected through the Jewish War Veterans, the episode highlights how remembrance is not abstract. It is personal, local, and urgent.Together, they explore the challenges of Holocaust education, the limits of classroom time, and the necessity of dedicated programs to teach genocide, warfare, and humanity. The conversation also touches on the long history of Jewish service in the U.S. military and why preserving those records remains essential to combating denial and distortion.This episode is a reminder that history is not just in museums or textbooks. It lives in neighborhoods, in stories passed quietly, and in the responsibility we carry to make sure humanity truly matters.Support the show

Send us a textEp 421   The Fog of War and HumanityIn this powerful first conversation, host Richard Acritelli sits down with Gary Glick, commander of the Jewish War Veterans Post 652, for a deeply personal journey through service, identity, and memory.Gary reflects on growing up in a diverse Brooklyn neighborhood, enlisting in the Army during the Vietnam era, and confronting antisemitism both in the United States and abroad. From basic training in the South to deployment in Germany, his story reveals the emotional weight of wearing a Star of David in uniform at a time when prejudice was still painfully visible.A visit to Dachau concentration camp memorial site becomes a life defining moment, shaping Gary’s understanding of history, responsibility, and the need for remembrance. His later work with military chaplains and lifelong commitment to veterans and Holocaust education connect past to present in urgent ways.This episode is about more than military service. It is about heritage, courage, faith, and the responsibility to teach the next generation what happens when hate goes unchecked.Part one of a moving two part story you will not forget.Support the show

Send us a textEpisode 420 The Fog of War and Humanity | Part 2In Part Two of this powerful conversation, host Richard Acritelli continues his discussion with Liam Carballal, diving deeper into the aftermath of the Spanish American War and the complex legacy of American expansion overseas.This episode explores the U.S. takeover of the Philippines, the rise of guerrilla warfare, and the moral gray areas that emerged as America shifted from liberator to occupier. The conversation does not shy away from difficult truths, including wartime conduct, the brutal realities of counterinsurgency, and how disease and environment shaped military outcomes as much as bullets did.The discussion then moves to Theodore Roosevelt and the Panama Canal, examining how medical breakthroughs, political boldness, and gunboat diplomacy helped define America’s arrival as a global power. Strategic necessity, national pride, and ethical compromise collide as the hosts ask a tough question that echoes into today’s headlines: when does security justify intervention, and at what cost?Blending military history, foreign policy, and human consequences, this episode highlights how decisions made over a century ago still influence global strategy today. History may not repeat perfectly, but it certainly rhymes.Support the show

Send us a textEp 419: The Fog of War and Humanity (Part 1)In this episode of The Fog of War and Humanity, host Richard Acritelli sits down with historian Liam Carballal for a deep and thought-provoking conversation about American imperialism, foreign policy, and the long shadows of war.Beginning with the Spanish-American War, the discussion explores how media influence, political ambition, and national identity shaped the United States’ rise as a global power. From the explosion of the USS Maine and the era of yellow journalism to the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt and the strategic importance of naval power, the episode examines how narratives, fear, and opportunity can push nations toward conflict.The conversation also looks at the shift from “liberation” to occupation in the Philippines, the birth of modern American imperial policy, and how these early 20th-century decisions still echo in today’s geopolitical realities. Themes of power projection, military presence, and the moral costs of expansion connect past wars to present-day foreign policy debates.This is Part 1 of a two-part discussion that blends local history, global strategy, and human consequences — a reminder that behind every policy decision lies the enduring fog of war.Support the show

Send us a textEp 418: Ordinary HeroesIn this inspiring episode of Ordinary Heroes, host Bernie Furshpan welcomes two remarkable young leaders, Tatum Sosnik and Phoebe Weinschel, to hmTv at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County.Both high school students serve as technical directors in the hmTv podcast studio, working behind the scenes to help powerful stories reach the community. But their impact goes far beyond production. Bernie speaks with them about what it means to grow up in today’s world, the challenges of hate and antisemitism in schools, and the responsibility of young people to become upstanders rather than bystanders.Tatum and Phoebe share their perspectives on education, social media, division in society, and why learning from Holocaust history still matters. The conversation explores how ordinary young people can shape a more respectful, united future through awareness, empathy, and action.The episode also highlights Phoebe’s family connection to the Kindertransport and the importance of passing legacy and responsibility from one generation to the next.This is a hopeful and honest look at the next generation — thoughtful, aware, and ready to help repair the world.Support the show