Episode 24

Host: Jill Mastroianni

Guest: Kari Alterman, sharing the incredible story of her father, Emery Grosinger

How One Boy Survived Auschwitz and Found His Dog

Jill speaks with Kari Alterman about the extraordinary life of her father, Emery Grosinger, a Holocaust survivor who lost his parents and his home in the Holocaust. Born in a small village in Hungary, Emery survived Auschwitz, endured a death march, and was ultimately liberated from Mauthausen just before his 13th birthday, May 8, 1945, Victory in Europe Day. Kari shares the story of his survival, resilience, and legacy, and how it inspired her life and work through Good Name Advisors.

What We Discussed

  • Emery’s idyllic childhood in Transylvania and the close-knit community he grew up in

  • How scarlet fever and a delayed hospital discharge upended the family’s chance to hide from the Nazis

  • Life in the ghettos and the horrific conditions aboard cattle cars to Auschwitz

  • Slave labor at Auschwitz, including the senseless task of building walls to be torn down each day

  • Emery’s separation from his parents, and the small moments of reconnection with his mother through a fence

  • A narrow escape from death thanks to Kari’s father following a group of Polish boys to another barracks

  • The brutal death march and train transport to Mauthausen

  • Liberation on his 13th birthday, and the train journey back to his village

  • The miraculous survival of Emery’s family dog

  • The journey to the United States, including fake passports, a six-week visa, and overstaying to build a life in Detroit

  • How Kari’s father’s values, humor, and resilience live on in her family, and inspired her business, Good Name Advisors

  • A brief explanation of the Claims Conference and symbolic reparations for Holocaust survivors

Resources & Links

Connect with Kari Alterman:

Connect with Jill:

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Next

Episode 23: What Happens When a Pregnant Woman Is Declared Brain Dead?