Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger | How Discovering My Father's Nazi Past Made Me Connect to Jews and Judaism

• Episode 35: Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger "My Nazi Father & Jewish Soul" (Part 1 of 2)
• As a teenager, Bernd Wollschlaeger uncovered a very dark secret about his family: that his father was a decorated, high-ranking Nazi who was very proud of his role as a tank commander in Hitler’s army and played a part in the mass murder of innocent people, including children. This discovery, coupled with the murder of Jewish athletes by Palestinian terrorists at the Olympic games in Munich, led Bernd to study history and question everything he was taught. Dr. Wollschlaeger tells us what compelled him to connect to and work for holocaust survivors in Germany, convert to Judaism, make aliyah, join the IDF, marry a Jewish woman and eventually write a memoir, A German Life: Against All Odds Change Is Possible, and how he explained his journey to his own children. As a successful doctor, proud American citizen and Zionist, he dedicates his time to speaking about the dangers of antisemitism in the modern age and repenting for the sins of his father. His unlikely story is one of inspiration in a time when we really need to hear it.
• FYI: WE SPLIT UP THE VIDEO VERSION OF THE PODCAST INTO CLIPS (BY TOPIC), SO IF YOU WANT TO VIEW THE FULL EPISODE IN SEQUENTIAL ORDER CLICK HERE:
• Judaism Demystified: A...
• IF YOU PREFER TO LISTEN TO THE FULL AUDIO VERSION (WHICH INCLUDES AN INTRO), CLICK HERE:
open.spotify.c...
• Bio: Bernd Wollschlaeger, MD, FAAFP, FASAM is a board-certified family physician in private practice (Aventura, FL). He received his medical education in Germany and Israel and completed his residency training at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL. He received additional training in addiction medicine and is a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Wollschlaeger also serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Miami School of Medicine, The Florida International and the Florida State University College of Medicine. He is a former Board member of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians (FAFP) and is the Past President of the Dade County Medical Association and the Past President of the Florida Society of Addiction Medicine. In 2012 Dr. Wollschlaeger was honored as the FAFP Family Doctor of the Year. His medical office also received the NCQA Patient Centered Medical Home Recognition (PCMH) and offers high quality medical services utilizing state-of-the-art medical information technology solutions. Dr. Wollschlaeger is also a book author, and his book “A German Life: Against All Odds Change is Possible” describes his struggle growing up in Germany in the shadow of his Father, a highly decorated WWII tank commander and Nazi officer. He eventually converted to Judaism, emigrated to Israel and served in the Israel Defense Forces as a Medical Officer. In Spring 2023 he will release his novel “Samson’s Shadow” and in Summer 2023 his book “Stauffenberg: My Live in the Shadow of a Hero.”
• Visit his website here: bwollschlaeger....
• Welcome to JUDAISM DEMYSTIFIED: A PODCAST FOR THE PERPLEXED | Co-hosted by Benjy & Benzi | Conversations with renowned figures (of various academic disciplines) about topics that aren't part of mainstream Orthodox curriculum. We don't claim to know all the answers, but we aim to ask all the big questions! We welcome your topic and guest suggestions so please follow us on Instagram / judaism.demystified (DM for inquiries) and share our content with those you feel would be interested or benefit from our podcast. Please SUBSCRIBE to this KZbin Channel and hit the BELL so you can get alerted whenever new clips get posted, thank you for your support. We welcome your contributions to the show, which helps us grow and improve: www.patreon.com/judaism