Extra-Ordinary Interview by 86-Year-Old TV Host of
Holocaust Survivor Gerda Klein
Comcast, CNN show for senior citizens by Suzanne
Roberts begins on Sunday, May 4
Gerda Klein
Suzanne Roberts
April 21, 2008 - Suzanne Roberts, the 86-year-old
host of the Comcast and CNN television show targeting older Americans,
"Seeking Solutions with Suzanne," will provide a rate glimpse into an
extraordinary story of survival and courage in recognition of Holocaust
Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) with the premiere of "One Survivor
Remembers" -- an interview Roberts taped last month with holocaust
survivor and noted author Gerda Weissmann Klein.
Comcast will carry it on Sunday, May 4 as a
half-hour segment at 6 p.m. on CN8, The Comcast Network, and on Comcast
systems across the country (check
local listings). It will also be in the 5-minute format on Saturday,
May 10 on CNN Headline News at 11:55 a.m., 4:55 p.m., and 9:55 p.m.
Just 15 years old when the Nazis invaded Poland,
Gerda endured six years under Nazi rule, losing her parents, brother,
and friends, and ending in a harrowing 350-mile death march.
Two-thousand girls began the journey; fewer than 150 survived – Gerda
among them.
Liberated by Lt. Kurt Klein, an American soldier
whose own parents died at Auschwitz and who ultimately became her
husband of more than 50 years, Gerda Klein has since become a noted
author and lecturer, making it her mission to encourage and teach
tolerance and understanding by relating her own experiences.
Part of the new Living History Series on "Seeking
Solutions with Suzanne," the show provides a "powerfully personal
glimpse" into a world most of us could never even imagine – the memory
of a survivor, according to the announcement by Comcast.
"Gerda speaks eloquently and matter-of-factly about
losing her brother, being forced into the Jewish ghetto, watching her
father taken away and being separated from her mother, what it was like
in the labor camps and how she managed to survive the death march.
"Compelling in its simplicity, the interview
reveals fascinating details, such as Gerda's answer to Suzanne's
question, "To what do you credit your survival [on the death march]?”
The ski boots her father made her wear the day they were separated, and
imagination.
Klein also talks to Suzanne about the "love of her
life" -- her liberator and husband, Kurt, whose unexpected death in
April 2002 was both a shock and a reaffirmation to Gerda to carry on his
– and their – legacy to teach tolerance, through the Gerda and Kurt
Klein Foundation.
Established in 1998, as a way to create the
opportunity for young people to understand the world and translate that
understanding into positive actions, the Foundation promotes tolerance
for differences, respect for others and the empowerment of students
through education and community service.
The Kleins have used their experiences as a
catalyst for helping to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and to draw
on the lessons learned from that dark period of history. While our world
today may be different from that which Gerda and Kurt faced as young
adults, many of the same issues continue to confront us, increasing
violence in our schools to the lack of tolerance for diversity, and the
loss of respect for personal differences.
About Suzanne Roberts
"She is, quite simply,
the seniors' senior. An actress, director, lecturer and moderator,
Suzanne Roberts has spent a lifetime seeking the best for others, and
now, at the age of 86, is a woman on a mission to provide America's
fastest growing demographic with ideas and thought-provoking information
to improve their quality of life," states her Website.
A two-time Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award-winner, Suzanne
Roberts is called a visionary pioneer who, recognizing the dearth of
quality television programming for the over 50 audience, created Seeking
Solutions in 2000 – and a brand new career for herself at the age of 80.
Comcast says that since its inception, the show has
helped to change the landscape of informational television with a
landmark product that gives the 50+ population the kind of innovative
programming they need and want, which prior to its launch didn't exist
on a national scope anywhere else on the small screen. Aiming to both
enlighten and entertain, the show provides ideas, information, tips and
insight on topics that impact the older adult audience -- from facelifts
to prostate cancer, intergenerational conflict to finance, breaking the
rules of aging to weight training – all within the context of an
adventurous guide map to making the most out of life, regardless of age.
"Seeking Solutions with Suzanne" is a production of
Philadelphia-based Stage 3 Productions and is comprised of five-minute
segments that air three times daily on CNN Headline News at 11:55 a.m.,
4:55 p.m. and 9:55 p.m., and a half-hour show that airs weekly on CN8
and Comcast Cable systems nationwide.
Links:
>>
The Gerda and Kurt Klein Foundation creates the opportunity for
young people to understand the world and translate that understanding
into positive action. This public non-profit foundation promotes
education which teaches tolerance and respect for others, and encourages
community service focusing on ending hunger.
