2.25.25 Germany’s most conservative party, ending no-fault divorce, and taking care of holocaust survivors

Summary

Podcast Summary: The World and Everything In It Episode Title: Germany’s Most Conservative Party, Ending No-Fault Divorce, and Taking Care of Holocaust Survivors
Host/Author: WORLD Radio
Release Date: February 25, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The World and Everything In It, WORLD Radio’s Mary Reichard and Nick Eicher delve into three pivotal topics shaping global and societal landscapes: the rise of Germany’s most conservative party, legislative efforts to end no-fault divorce in the United States, and the evolving care for aging Holocaust survivors. The hosts and their guests provide insightful analysis, expert opinions, and poignant personal stories to offer listeners a comprehensive understanding of these complex issues.

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1. The Rise of Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party

Shifting Political Landscape

Mary Reichard opens the discussion by highlighting the significant shift in Germany’s political scene, emphasizing the surge of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The AfD, known for its nationalist and conservative stance, recently secured second place in national elections—a performance not seen since the 1930s.

Mary Reichard [06:48]: "Germany's most conservative party took second place in national elections. The AfD has not achieved this much popular success since the 1930s."

Political Shockwaves and Public Reaction

Nick Eicher and Grace Snell report on the political shockwaves caused by the AfD’s success. Concerns about a potential slide back toward fascism are juxtaposed with the view that the AfD represents a viable alternative to an unsatisfactory status quo for many voters.

Grace Snell [08:45]: "We don't want AfD in our country."

Origins and Evolution of the AfD

The party’s transformation from a Eurosceptic, free-market group founded by economics professors to a populist right-wing faction opposed to mass immigration and Muslim migration is examined. Georgetown University’s Professor Eric Langenbacher provides historical context on the AfD’s ideological shift.

Professor Eric Langenbacher [09:29]: "The AfD quickly evolved into a populist right radical party, particularly against migration from Muslim-majority countries."

Impact of Immigration and Terrorism on AfD’s Popularity

The influx of over a million asylum seekers welcomed by Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015, coupled with economic downturns and terrorist attacks, has fueled AfD’s anti-immigration rhetoric and policies aimed at tightening asylum laws and protecting Germany’s borders.

International Connections and Influence

The episode explores the AfD’s alignment with the MAGA movement in the United States, noting similarities in tax policies, climate change skepticism, and opposition to gender ideology. Vivek Ramaswamy and Andrew Walker discuss the implications of international endorsements, including Elon Musk’s support for the AfD.

Vivek Ramaswamy [12:16]: "The wind is in the Right's sails like never before."

Coalition Challenges and Future Projections

Despite the AfD’s strong performance, other German political parties have refused to form coalitions with them, maintaining a "firewall" against extremism. This political deadlock suggests that unless structural issues are addressed, the AfD’s influence may continue to grow in future elections.

Andrew Walker [14:24]: "If the next government can't address Germany's structural problems, the AfD will be even stronger four years from now."

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2. Legislative Efforts to End No-Fault Divorce in the United States

Current State of No-Fault Divorce

Nick Eicher and Kent Covington transition to the topic of divorce laws in the United States, focusing on the proliferation of no-fault divorce and recent legislative attempts to make divorce more restrictive, especially for couples with children.

Andrew Walker [15:15]: "Divorce shattered Steve Grissom when his wife filed the paperwork to end their marriage."

Personal Impact and Legal Perspectives

Through the narrative of Steve Grissom, founder of the ministry Divorce Care, the episode illustrates the emotional and financial toll of divorce, arguing that no-fault divorce legislation has made it too easy for marriages to dissolve without substantial deliberation.

Steve Grissom [15:15]: "Divorce shattered me when my wife filed the paperwork to end our marriage."

Legislative Proposals and Debates

Several states, including Indiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and South Carolina, are considering or have proposed bills to add more requirements before couples with children can obtain a divorce. These proposals range from mandatory witness testimonies to requiring signatures from both spouses.

Andrew Walker [17:17]: "The argument that this makes divorce take longer is probably a good thing."

Expert Opinions and Unintended Consequences

Experts like Rick Lovett warn that making divorce more difficult could lead to messy, prolonged legal battles and financial strain, potentially disadvantaging less affluent spouses and adversely affecting children’s well-being.

Rick Lovett [18:35]: "Making divorce more difficult sometimes leads to making it even messier and more acrimonious."

Balancing Accessibility and Support

While some lawmakers believe stricter divorce laws could mitigate the ease of dissolving marriages, others argue that no-fault divorce has contributed to declines in domestic violence and partner-related homicides. The debate centers on finding a balance between facilitating necessary divorces and preventing impulsive separations.

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3. Caring for Aging Holocaust Survivors

Aging in Trauma: Nate Leipziger’s Story

The episode transitions to the sensitive topic of Holocaust survivors, focusing on the challenges faced by aging individuals like Nate Leipziger, who, at 97, continues to grapple with traumatic memories from his time in Auschwitz.

Nate Leipziger [22:49]: "When you get older, your mind is not as sharp, and the images come flooding back."

Innovative Care Approaches

Geriatric care specialist Paula David discusses the unique needs of Holocaust survivors in care facilities. Traditional care methods proved inadequate, prompting David and her team to develop specialized systems to address trauma-induced behaviors and triggers.

Paula David [24:14]: "There were some really unique problems."

Personal Healing Through Storytelling

Marilyn Tergal’s journey as a child of a Holocaust survivor highlights the intergenerational trauma and the healing power of storytelling. Her efforts to share her father’s experiences have provided both personal peace and communal support.

Marilyn Tergal [26:33]: "He used to say, 'The Nazis didn't come tonight to kill me. I think they'll poison me.'"

Building Supportive Communities

Paula David emphasizes the importance of community and shared narratives in assisting survivors and their descendants. Through group therapy and structured storytelling sessions, survivors can find solace and understanding, fostering resilience despite their fading numbers.

Paula David [28:26]: "Community and sharing stories is one of the most helpful things for survivors and their children."

Challenges and Continuing Efforts

As survivors pass away, the urgency to provide adequate care and support intensifies. David’s ongoing work aims to refine care practices and expand resources, ensuring that the remaining survivors receive the compassionate attention they deserve.

Paula David [24:48]: "It's been a very, very challenging and exciting and rewarding journey."

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Conclusion and Reflections

The episode concludes with a reflection on the interconnectedness of political shifts, social policies, and historical legacies. Andrew Walker warns against complacency in political victories, emphasizing the need for a moral and spiritual foundation to sustain societal progress.

Andrew Walker [30:49]: "If the American Right stops the political and fails to rebuild the moral and social fabric of the nation, we are merely winning skirmishes while losing the war."

Listeners are left with a thoughtful consideration of how current events in politics and social policies are deeply intertwined with historical contexts and human experiences.

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Notable Quotes:

• Andrew Walker [03:12]: "We're getting very close to getting an agreement where we get our money back over a period of time."
• Grace Snell [07:47]: "Voters like this AfD event coordinator come from all over the political spectrum."
• Vivek Ramaswamy [30:49]: "Truth is about what it means to be men and women, about our responsibilities to each other, and about our duty to God and country."

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The World and Everything In It continues to provide in-depth analysis and storytelling, offering listeners a nuanced perspective on the events shaping our world today.

Transcript

[Mary Reichard]

Good morning. Germany's political landscape is shifting and voter frustration is rising. Where is the disconnect?

[Kent Covington]

The Germans keep voting center right and they keep getting governed center left.

[Nick Eicher]

Also today, some states want to bring an end to no fault divorce. But what about unintended consequences? Later, aging Holocaust survivors wrestle with reliving the nightmare.

[Mary Reichard]

The thoughts come back uninvited and they.

[Nick Eicher]

Come back at difficult times and world opinions. Managing editor Andrew Walker on lasting Change.

[Mary Reichard]

It's Tuesday, February 25th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Mary Reichard.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Eicher. Good morning.

[Mary Reichard]

Up next, Kent Covington with today's news.

[Kent Covington]

While talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine have only just begun, President Trump says he is feeling very optimistic. He told reporters at the White House.

[Andrew Walker]

I think the war can end soon. How soon? Within weeks. Weeks? Yeah, I think we could end it within weeks if we're smart.

[Kent Covington]

The president heard there in the Oval Office during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday. The two leaders talked trade and defense, but discussions about peace in Ukraine topped the list. For his part, Macron says he sees a real opportunity.

[Vivek Ramaswamy]

President Trump is a game changer and.

[Andrew Walker]

I think he has the deterrence capacity.

[Vivek Ramaswamy]

Of the US to re engage with Russia.

[Kent Covington]

But he emphasized that in his view, early concessions on Moscow's part should be measurable and must be verified. Meantime, in Kyiv, Ukrainians marked the three year anniversary Monday of Russia's full scale invasion. And President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hosted a summit of leaders from allied nations. And many of those leaders stressed the importance of keeping the pressure on Russia as peace talks begin. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pushed back on a recent comment by President Trump who said that in negotiations the Russians have the cards after capturing a lot of Ukrainian territory.

[Andrew Walker]

Russia does not hold all the cards in this war because Russia's economy is.

[Nick Eicher]

In trouble and because they have now.

[Andrew Walker]

Lost the best of their land forces and their Black Sea fleet in this pointless invasion.

[Kent Covington]

Starmer announced another new round of sanctions against Russia. And European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the west needs to speed up its delivery of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine and Washington is still backing Ukraine as well. Despite President Trump's recent criticism of President Zelensky, the Trump administration has not cut off support to Kyiv and a deal appears to be in the works regarding rare earth minerals that may help address President Trump's frustrations over US Aid provided to Ukraine. Thus far, the deal is being worked on.

[Andrew Walker]

We're I think getting very close to getting an agreement where we get our money back over a period of time.

[Kent Covington]

A partnership agreement would give the United States access to rare earth minerals in Ukraine. Those minerals are critical to making advanced technologies, both commercial and military, and right now China dominates the global supply. The White House says the partnership would also be lucrative for Kyiv, and it is believed that such a deal would contain some security guarantees for Ukraine. Israeli tanks were seen moving into the west bank on Monday. It was the first such deployment of more than 20 years when Israel responded to a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings. Israel's foreign minister said the tanks are necessary to keep his country safe.

[Vivek Ramaswamy]

What we are doing in what you.

[Mary Reichard]

Call west bank and we call Judea.

[Andrew Walker]

And Samaria is defending our security.

[Vivek Ramaswamy]

Its.

[Andrew Walker]

Military operations taking place there against terrorists.

[Mary Reichard]

And no other objectives but this one.

[Kent Covington]

Israel says the operation may last as long as a year, and in the meantime, west bank residents who fled cannot be allowed to return to their homes. Meantime, the parents of two Israeli hostages still held by Hamas say their sons were forced to witness the release of six of their fellow hostages on Saturday. A camera recorded their reactions and their pleas that they also be freed. Ilan Dullal is the father of one of the hostages.

[Andrew Walker]

On one end it is a sign of life, a good sign of life, but on the other hand, we saw the cruelty of Hamas where they just torture him by letting them see their friends go home and bringing them back to the tunnels.

[Kent Covington]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is delaying the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners, citing what he calls the humiliating ceremonies that take place when Israeli hostages are freed. Businessman and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is running for another elected office. I am honored to announce my candidacy to serve as the next governor of.

[Andrew Walker]

The state of Ohio.

[Kent Covington]

He made the announcement near his hometown of Cincinnati on Monday. If elected, Ramaswamy would succeed, term limited. GOP Governor Mike DeWine. Singer and pianist Roberta Flack has died. The Grammy winning artist was known for hits like Where Is the Love And Killing Me Softly. With his song she became an overnight star in the early 1970s after Clint Eastwood used her song the First Time Ever I Saw youw Face in one of his films, Black Night Monday, surrounded by her family. She was 88 years old. I'm Kent Covington and straight ahead, German politics take a conservative turn in Sunday's election. Plus 80 year old memories of the Holocaust. This is the world and everything in it.

[Nick Eicher]

It's Tuesday 25th February. Glad to have you along for today's edition of the World and everything in it. Good morning. I'm Nick Iker.

[Mary Reichard]

And I'm Mary Reichert. First up, a political groundswell in Germany. Over the weekend, Germany's most conservative party took second place in national elections. The Alternative for Germany party is known by the German initialism afd. The D for Deutschland, a German nationalist party, has not achieved this much popular success since the 1930s.

[Nick Eicher]

The success of AfD set off political shockwaves. Many worry that Germany may be sliding back toward fascism. But others believe the AfD is their best chance to overturn an unsatisfactory status quo. One in five voters in Germany backed the AfD. As Germany grapples with mass immigration and a string of terror attacks.

[Mary Reichard]

What does all this mean and how could it alter Global Politics? World's Grace Snell has the story.

[Grace Snell]

On Saturday, pro AfD Germans gathered in Erfurt, Germany's main square.

[Vivek Ramaswamy]

Five years ago, we had mostly older, older people, but now mostly young people.

[Grace Snell]

Voters like this AFD event coordinator come from all over the political spectrum, from German nationalists to immigration skeptics. All agree the German system isn't working. That's AfD regional leader Bjorn Huka proclaiming a new era of freedom in Germany. German courts have twice convicted Hooke for using the Nazi slogan Everything for Germany. At his rallies across the square, protesters outnumber and outshout AfD supporters. Waving Rainbow flags and homemade cardboard signs. They're chanting Nazis out. Nazis out. And they're here for a single reason, too.

[Andrew Walker]

Because we don't want DFD in our country.

[Grace Snell]

And Laura is a 16 year old who supports Germany's left wing party Die Lenke. She and her friend Kim came to protest the AfD policy of mass deportation or remigration.

[Andrew Walker]

And we wanted Germany for everyone and not for just a few people.

[Grace Snell]

For them, a vote for the AfD is a vote for Nazis. Rows of police cars and a metal barricade keep the protesters far away from the AfD campaign rally. Like Germany's national public square, the country's left and right extremes face off over a rapidly eroding political center. The AfD hasn't always been this controversial. Here's Georgetown University professor Eric Langenbacher.

[Kent Covington]

When it was founded, it was a very different party. It was founded by economics professors, economics.

[Grace Snell]

Professors who resented Germany footing the bill for European Union bailouts of debt ridden members like Greece. They formed the Alternative for Germany as a Eurosceptic and free market party in 2013. But Langenbacher says the AfD soon morphed into something quite different.

[Kent Covington]

You know, very quickly they kind of evolved into a populist right radical party. That in particular is very much against migration and especially migration from Muslim majority countries.

[Grace Snell]

In 2015, German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed over a million asylum seekers into the country. Most were fleeing conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq that created a massive cultural collision and an added financial burden to the country's welfare system. The AfD's party platform talks about protecting Germany's borders, tightening asylum law and ending cash benefits for asylum seekers. Though leaders have often used stronger language to describe the migration crisis facing Germany, support for the party ticked up as the country grappled with an economic downturn. And a string of terrorist attacks carried out by migrants also rocked the country. One of the AfD's most controversial tactics is to say Germany focuses too much on Hitler and the Holocaust and should remember more of its nation's previous millennia of history. Here's Langenbacher, the state leader in the.

[Kent Covington]

Eastern state of Thuringia.

[Grace Snell]

He's referring to Bjorn Hooker said that.

[Kent Covington]

You know, the Germans are the only people that would build a monument to shame in their nation's capital. Referring to the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe, which was opened back in 2005.

[Grace Snell]

Langenbacher says many AFD voters aren't as extreme as party leaders like Hooke, but they feel frustrated and fed up with their current political options. On Sunday, one in five Germans voted for the AfD, a high tally in a parliamentary system with lots of political parties vying for power. But it's still a minority overall. In the German parliament, parties must form governing coalitions to secure the majority needed to pass legislation. And all of Germany's other political parties refused to work with the AfD, calling the move a firewall against the AfD's extremism. That means Germany's victorious center right party, the Christian Democratic Union, only has left leaning or left wing coalition partners to choose from. As a result, the Germans keep voting.

[Kent Covington]

Center right and they keep getting governed center left.

[Grace Snell]

Langenbacher says there's a lot of overlap between the AFD's platform and and the MAGA movement in the United States. Both groups support tax cuts, express climate change skepticism and oppose gender ideology. And the Trump administration seems to be taking note.

[Kent Covington]

I think you want more self determination.

[Grace Snell]

For Germany and for the countries in.

[Nick Eicher]

Europe and less from Brussels in December.

[Grace Snell]

Elon Musk endorsed the AFD as, in his words, the last spark of hope for Germany's future. And one of the AfD's co chairs attended Trump's inauguration. Then Chancellor Olaf Scholz was not invited.

[Kent Covington]

President Trump has made abundantly clear he.

[Vivek Ramaswamy]

Believes that our European friends must play.

[Kent Covington]

A bigger role in the future of this continent.

[Grace Snell]

More recently, at the February 14th Munich Security Conference, Vice President J.D. vance urged German politicians to abandon their firewall and invite the AFD to the table.

[Andrew Walker]

No American senior politician has ever done something like that before.

[Grace Snell]

Constanze Stelzenmuller is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. She says Wanze's speech stunned mainstream German politicians, especially since Germany's domestic intelligence service has named the AfD a suspected anti constitutional threat.

[Andrew Walker]

The AfD is overtly pro Russian and overtly pro Chinese, and it's befuddling to many of us why an American administration should think that that was a good thing to have governing Germany.

[Grace Snell]

Stelzenmuller says the US Government's decision to court Germany's political pariah threatens to drive a serious wedge between the longtime allies. She says many German politicians admit the country should do more to take ownership of its own security.

[Andrew Walker]

But espousing the view that the alternative for Germany is, as it were, the salvation of democracy in Germany is, I think, a step too far for more than 80% of of Germany's voters.

[Grace Snell]

In the meantime, Germany seems to be headed for another grand coalition, an alliance between its center right and center left political parties. It's the same political configuration that dominated German politics for several terms under longtime Chancellor Angela Merkel. Once again, the CDU leader has vowed to shun the AFD as a coalition partner, and Georgetown University's Langenbacher says that means Germany's next election will be one for the history books.

[Kent Covington]

If the next government can't start to address the multiple serious structural problems that Germany has right now, I think the AFD will be even stronger four years from now.

[Grace Snell]

Reporting for world, I'm Grace Snell in Erfurt, Germany.

[Nick Eicher]

Coming up next on THE WORLD and everything in it, divorce and the children of divorce, there is little question. No fault divorce has sped up the process, but at least one state wants to add extra steps before couples with children can walk away from their marriages. World's Juliana Chan Erickson has the story.

[Kent Covington]

Thank heaven I had a an office with a door and I could close my door and I would close my door and sob.

[Andrew Walker]

Divorce shattered Steve Grissom when his wife filed the paperwork to end their marriage. Grissom said there were days when he could not function at work. The couple initially shared custody of their daughter.

[Kent Covington]

I became an every other weekend and Wednesday night dad until my wife relocated to another city and that throttled my contact.

[Andrew Walker]

Grissom, founder of the ministry Divorce Care, is one of hundreds of thousands of Americans who've gone through a divorce with children. His happened in the 1990s, but he says walking away from a marriage is too easy.

[Kent Covington]

Now, every divorce has its own story, and there are many nuances, but in general, we've made it too easy for people to get a divorce. And that's through the enactment of no fault divorce legislation.

[Andrew Walker]

In all 50 states, anybody who wants a divorce can get one without having to prove their spouse did anything wrong, like abuse or adultery. They can file for what's called a no fault divorce. California was the first to make it legal in 1969, and ever since then, many credit no fault with streamlining the process. But it also raised the likelihood that marriages would end in divorce. Divorcees like Grissom and family advocates say speedy court proceedings don't give people enough time to think about the toll divorce takes on their emotions, their finances and their children. That's led some state lawmakers to try to make filing for divorce harder. House Bill 1684 specifically impacts couples who share custody of children. Last month, an Indiana state lawmaker proposed a bill that would require couples with children in the state to have a witness testify that the marriage was, quote, irretrievably broken. Micah Clark is the executive director of the American Family association of Indiana. In his state, couples have a 60 day waiting period before a divorce is finalized. Clark says that's not long enough.

[Nick Eicher]

The argument that this makes divorce take longer, I actually think is probably a good thing. Attorneys don't like it, but the reason.

[Andrew Walker]

Is a longer divorce takes the more of a cooling off period. They have more of a time for consideration, more of a time for counseling. The Indiana bill isn't expected to get far. That hasn't stopped other states from trying.

[Mary Reichard]

Newly sworn in Oklahoma senator wants to make it harder to get a divorce in Oklahoma.

[Andrew Walker]

That senator recently tried a second time to end no fault, and a legislator in South Dakota has tried four times. Neither have been successful. Another proposal in South Carolina would require signatures from both spouses to file a no fault divorce application. Current law only requires one. That proposal is not likely to get anywhere either. Getting rid of no fault won't be easy. Still, some wonder if it's even the right approach. Experts say that since no fault became an option in the United States, rates of domestic violence have declined. So have homicides committed by a partner. Removing no fault also won't help those who need to leave a marriage quickly, like in cases of abuse. Rick Lovett, a divorce lawyer in North Carolina, says laws that slow down the process won't will make divorce even messier and more acrimonious. It could also bankrupt spouses.

[Kent Covington]

A lot of people don't have the.

[Vivek Ramaswamy]

Money, don't have the funds.

[Kent Covington]

They can't afford to go to court.

[Vivek Ramaswamy]

1, 2, 3, 4 times for these kinds of actions. So the more powerful person with the money in the assets wins.

[Andrew Walker]

Lovett says making divorce more difficult sometimes leads to another unintended consequence. Divorcing parents could make concessions based on potential legal costs instead of what's best for the children.

[Vivek Ramaswamy]

The harder you make it, the more.

[Andrew Walker]

Often justice is not done because the.

[Vivek Ramaswamy]

Moneyed spouse beats the other spouse down. They give up and they either waive alimony or they waive the right to retirement account division.

[Andrew Walker]

They waive something big or they waive custody. Said that's fine. I'll give you 50, 50 custody even if you're an unfit dad. I just need to get it over. Lovett added that family courts don't have enough judges to handle longer divorce battles. Still, the extra legal hurdles, the added expense and the longer wait times might make some reconsider filing for divorce. But not everyone Reporting for World I'm Julianna Chan Erickson.

[Kent Covington]

Additional support comes from Dort University. Student musicians at Dort enjoy opportunities to discover, develop and share the gift of music and bring glory to God until all is made new from the Joshua program at St. Dunstan's Academy in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Work, prayer and adventure for young men. St. Dunstansacademy.org and from compelled Podcast. Ron Husband was a legendary Disney animator. Before that, he explored UFOs, lost cities and Jesus. Compelledpodcast.com.

[Nick Eicher]

A Million Dollar project to dam a river in the Czech Republic hit a wall of the bureaucratic sort. Permits, environmental studies, all grinding progress to a halt. But while officials haggled over every Latin phrase in the legal code a T, a team of engineers just got busy. Castor fiber, to be precise. That is Latin for the Eurasian beaver. They needed no permits, no committees, no delays, just results. In the very spot where conservationists had planned to build a wetland, the beavers just built one. So maybe next time, public works ought to start with a pile of sticks, not a pile of paperwork. It's the world and everything in it.

[Mary Reichard]

Today is Tuesday, February 25th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Mary Reichard.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Eicher Next up on the WORLD and everything in it. Reliving the nightmare. This winter, Auschwitz and other concentration camps are holding memorial events commemorating those who died in the Holocaust and celebrating those who survived. Every year, survivors return to the camps to tell their stories, but their numbers are dwindling.

[Mary Reichard]

As of January, there remain fewer than a quarter of a million Holocaust survivors, and most over the age of 90. World's Mary Muncie discovered that as these survivors age, their care becomes a bit more complicated. The thoughts come back uninvited and they come back at difficult times. Nate Leipziger is a Holocaust survivor. He was taken to Auschwitz when he was 11 and liberated when he was 15. Now he's 97.

[Andrew Walker]

When you get older, when you the.

[Mary Reichard]

Ability to move and your ability to do things is reduced, your mind is not as sharp as it was before. You're bothered with dreams, you're bothered with images. The images come flooding back. When he picks up his great grandchildren, you imagine how my grandparents must have helped when they picked up their children, grandchildren, and they knew that they're going to die for no reason other than the fact that they were born Jewish. Leipziger has been telling his family story since his father died in 1972, and he's still telling it at schools and events. But every week it gets harder. It's more difficult to express yourself. It's more difficult to relive it. You're more frail, your mind wanders, your ability to talk diminishes, your physical strength diminishes. And he's not alone. Thousands of Holocaust survivors all over the world are dealing with the same problems as they age. And until relatively recently, resources were few and far between. But geriatric care specialist Paula David and is trying to change that with survivors.

[Andrew Walker]

There were some really unique problems.

[Mary Reichard]

Her first job in geriatric care was at a facility in Toronto with a large population of survivors. She says they were often labeled problem patients because they would hoard food, panic when they felt like they couldn't leave or they wouldn't wear something like an institutional wristband, among other things.

[Andrew Walker]

There was no history of care and how to support people properly, effectively, and apply best care practices to a group with really unique needs.

[Mary Reichard]

So out of necessity, David and her team took it upon themselves to come up with systems for caring for older adults with trauma. And it started with a lot of trial and error, usually error, and we.

[Andrew Walker]

Would have some kind of catastrophic reaction based on best intentions of good practice. And when in hindsight, some of them extremely obvious, some of them we had to be hit on the head with.

[Mary Reichard]

For example, on one Jewish holiday, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra volunteered to do a concert for David's patients. So they gathered the people together. But as the music started, a few people started having negative reactions.

[Andrew Walker]

That was the music that the Jewish prisoner survivor musicians would be told to play as they were marching Auschwitz survivors into the gas chambers.

[Mary Reichard]

Other triggers were more subtle, but they made sense when David and her team put themselves in their patients shoes. Things like a lack of privacy, crowded spaces, and hearing other patients crying or in pain. As they learned more, they created lists of triggers and started distributing them to other care facilities around the world. And about this time, David started noticing another group of people who could use their resources. Survivors, children. So my name is Marilyn Tergall. Turgall's father, Sam Gardner, was taken to a Nazi glass making factory when he was 13 and worked in labor camps for almost four years. But as a child, all Tergal knew was that her father was a survivor and that her family was different.

[Andrew Walker]

And it was always a very big problem for me because I was always told not to upset my dad. He was very highly strung and got upset very easily.

[Mary Reichard]

She didn't hear his story in detail until she was in her 40s and the Spielberg Institute interviewed her father. I said to him, why did you.

[Andrew Walker]

Never tell me your story? And he said, I didn't want you to feel sorry for him.

[Mary Reichard]

Me? But it was because he couldn't face it. But it allowed her to face it.

[Andrew Walker]

When I heard his story, I grieved terribly and he was very sorry. He told me and I said, but didn't you know, dad, I needed to grieve my grandparents.

[Mary Reichard]

That first conversation opened a door. Her father started sharing his story with other interviewers, historians and school children. Tergal says it helped bring him peace, even if neither of them truly got over their losses. In his last few years, the memories started bubbling up when he didn't want them to and dementia set in.

[Andrew Walker]

He used to say to me, the Nazis didn't come tonight to kill me. I don't think they're going to shoot me, but I think they'll poison me.

[Mary Reichard]

Tergal and her family did their best to care for him as he declined. But eventually he needed more care than they could give. About a year before he died, they had to persuade him to go into a care facility. It was hard on all of them.

[Andrew Walker]

Because in those days they didn't have psychiatric help. They didn't know how to help people's trauma, so. And that affected his whole life. The trauma.

[Mary Reichard]

After he died, Turgal joined a group for children of Holocaust survivors in the uk and now she spends her free time telling her father's story. Back in Toronto, Paula David started a silver similar group for the second generation there. She says that community and sharing stories is one of the most helpful things for survivors and their children.

[Andrew Walker]

It's been a very, very challenging and exciting and rewarding journey I've been on and find myself still on because so much of what we started exploring very simplistically at the beginning continues to evolve.

[Mary Reichard]

When David started, she just wanted to help the people in her care, but it's turned into a life of trying to understand trauma. A few years in, she started a group for survivors in the facility. They would sit in a circle for an hour. David would ask questions about their past, usually with a theme, things like starvation or abuse.

[Andrew Walker]

Nobody really said anything to me for the first year.

[Mary Reichard]

She offered to stop the group a few times, but the survivors always insisted that she had to keep it going.

[Andrew Walker]

And then when they opened up, it was like a dam broke. And that's when my real education began.

[Mary Reichard]

She learned each of their stories and asked if she could write them down. She says as they aged, they started leaning on each other more and more, not just her. It took time, patience and a lot of listening. But she feels like she's helped in a small way, even though she knows the work is never done.

[Andrew Walker]

And now I'm in awe of how much has been learned in the last four decades, how much heartbreakingly, we still have to learn and understand because war and trauma and genocide hasn't stopped reporting.

[Mary Reichard]

For World I'm Mary Muncie.

[Nick Eicher]

Today is Tuesday, February 25th. Good morning, this is the world and everything in it. From listener supported World Radio, I'm Nick Iger.

[Mary Reichard]

And I'm Mary Reichard. Cultural and political winds have changed direction of late, but world commentator Andrew Walker warns it's a mistake to assume they'll continue.

[Vivek Ramaswamy]

There is an air of triumphalism in many corners of the American right since Donald Trump's reelection and inauguration. After years of feeling like political and cultural underdogs, victories are stacking up. Big changes are evident everywhere. Mainstream media's influence seems to be at an all time low. Corporate America is repealing its commitments to woke capitalism. Censorship regimes are falling while renewed commitments to free speech spring forth. The demographics are destiny. That Democrats base their future upon is now matched by a Republican coalition that is diverse as it ever has been. Add to that the rapid fire sequence of executive orders undoing Four years of Joe Biden's chaos at the border. Lawfare and gender ideology. It seems like the wind is in the Right's sails has never been stronger. But let me offer a word of caution. As welcome as all this newfound momentum is, it will be for nothing but a halfway revolution if we do not combine our cultural momentum with a moral vision. Until we address the deeper cultural rot that has corroded our national soul, we are celebrating prematurely. The mere act of defeating an opponent does not mean we have built something in its place. Owning the libs may make for an entertaining political spectacle, but it is not a strategy to build a culture of marriage, stem the tide of pornography consumption, or revive our civic and spiritual health. What would it mean for America to be back? In short, it would mean that a cultural consensus emerges that uniformly celebrates the Declaration's famous dictum. We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. American society must return to God. Not just the idea of God, but God himself. The pillars of a Western civilization that had Judeo Christian values as their foundation would once again be normal. Only by returning to the truths of nature and Nature's God could America ever really be back. If the American Right stops the political and fails to rebuild the moral and social fabric of the nation, we are merely winning skirmishes while losing the war. The real battle is not over tax rates or regulatory reform, but over the nature of the family, the dignity of the human person and virtue itself. The Progressive Left did not create all of these problems, but its policies and philosophies have exacerbated them. The Right's response must be more than just defeating them at the ballot box. It must be about offering something better. Conservatives should hope that our efforts create a new mainstream. Most importantly, we must reclaim the idea that truth exists and that human nature is not infinitely malleable. We know that human flourishing is found not in endless self reinvention, but in anchoring ourselves to eternal truths. Truth is about what it means to be men and women, about our responsibilities to each other, and about our duty to God and country. This is the revolution we need, a counter revolution to the chaos of the last six decades. If you are wondering how to start this revolution, begin at home. Eat dinner together around the table. Take yourself and your family to church. Read your Bible. Tell someone you care about that you love them. Invite another family over for dinner. Make ordinary things normal again. If we fail to seize the opportunity before us. If we are content simply to play defense while the cultural decay continues, then all current victories will be temporary. A nation cannot thrive on policy wins alone. It must be built on a moral and spiritual foundation to sustain those wins. I'm Andrew Walker.

[Nick Eicher]

Tomorrow, Washington wins. Next day, what does America first mean when it comes to confronting totalitarians around the world? We will hear from a variety of conservatives, and we will meet a mother thrust into the national spotlight after an illegal immigrant allegedly murdered her daughter. That and more tomorrow. I'm Nick Iger.

[Mary Reichard]

And I'm Mary Reichard. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is building biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. Jesus said, one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much. And one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. Verse 10 of Luke 16, Go now in grace and peace.

[Andrew Walker]

SA.