Iliza Shlesinger Discovers Horrors in Her Family's Journey | Finding Your Roots | PBS

Official website: to.pbs.org/fyr10 | #FindingYourRoots
Iliza Shlesinger discovers a story her family never shared, the tragic death of her great-grandmother's brother at Auschwitz during the Holocaust. Another sibling escaped Poland, then survived Nazi occupied France. Meanwhile, military service brought Iliza's grandfather to France, near struggling family he may not have known.
Iliza Shlesinger is an award-winning comedian, actor, writer, producer and author, selling out theaters around the globe with a devoted fan base who are known for creating their own Iliza-inspired swag to wear to her shows. Her Hard Feelings world tour, featuring all new material, kicks off Summer 2023, and she can currently be seen guest starring on Season 3 of HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones.
In 2022, Iliza released her 6th Netflix stand-up special Hot Forever and her second book All Things Aside. She coined the term "Elder Millennial" in her eponymous stand up special Elder Millennial (2018), which is also the subject of Iliza Shlesinger: Over & Over, her “fan-u-mentary” which took audiences behind-the-scenes of her life on tour. Her other stand-up specials are Unveiled (2019), Confirmed Kills (2016), Freezing Hot (2015) and War Paint (2013).This program is made possible by viewers like you. Support your local PBS station: www.pbs.org/donate
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#IlizaShlesinger #PBS #HenryLouisGates
Finding Your Roots
Renowned scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. guides influential guests into their roots, uncovering deep secrets, hidden identities and lost ancestors. Using genealogical detective work and cutting-edge DNA analysis, Gates guides influential guests deep into the branches of their family trees, revealing surprising stories of forgotten ancestors that transcend borders, illuminating an American root system fortified by its diversity.

[@jenw5056]

I believe this program should be showed in U.S. high schools. They really bring history to life.

[@LollieVox]

💯

[@mds2dab]

Field trips to Holocaust museums.

[@tudormiller887]

In all places of education all around the globe.🔯

[@tudormiller887]

​@@mds2dabThat's not enough unfortunately.

[@personbelowmeisadumbass8891]

@@tudormiller887 ur true acts will be revealed one day

[@AntoinetteMPetty]

"We're all alive because someone was lucky"....😢💔. Such deep sadness. I'm glad we are here to know our stories.

[@Taina2024]

She has the opportunity to not repeat this, but instead uses it to not have compassion for others!

[@Nebris]

@@Taina2024WTF are you talking about??

[@Taina2024]

@@Nebris I wasn't even addressing you!

[@shannonbarber6161]

It is not luck and calling it so is an insult to all of your ancestors. Note in particular that the Nazis disarmed the Jews and the socialist in America are trying to disarm you right now. If you choose to take action to counter-act that, or not, that isn't luck. Tick. Tock.

[@Taina2024]

@@shannonbarber6161 It was definitely luck, bc many people tried but didn't survive!!!

[@medusagorgon8432]

And to think that there are people today who deny this horrific madness! Justifying hate.😔💔

[@jimhoffman6979]

Exactly. It's obscene.

[@danawinsor1380]

Ignorance & hate: a terrible combination.

[@rukam3]

& here we are, same people doing the same in Gaza.

[@moatef1586]

well, to think that some people are denying another one that is happening right in front of them...

[@MikeA817]

And there's those that use this genocide to justify another...

[@gregorymaupin6388]

I knew a few Jewish people who survived the holocaust, one man after he migrated to the United States he joined the United States Navy he retired from the navy. Chief as we all called him worked for my father both he and his wife were inturned in a camp they were childhood sweethearts and both in different camps met on the ship to the states. I learned so much from them they were beautiful people.

[@retsub3]

Every one of these eps is powerful, but this one _really_ hit. Thank you Iliza for generously allowing us into such a shattering private moment. Prof Gates as always brims with class, empathy, compassion, intellect, and dignity. Role model status.

[@ewoksalot]

I love seeing this side of her. It's truly heart warming to see her NOT performing, just being her authentic self in the moment. Simultaneously, being the adopted son of an adopted man... I have done A LOT of digging and DNA work... it's amazing to see the patterns that emerge, the stories of heroism, savagery, and to have those big, impossibly heavy questions finally answered.

[@user-mt5zh2pz7q]

She's a keen and even brave observer of the human experience. I liked Iliza as a comedian...but I like her even more now that I see her ability to navigate the harsh, emotionally fraught landscapes of her family history and still find deeply meaningful incites for both herself and the rest of us.

[@JenniferPChung]

This was very well put and same.

[@lalah9481]

Oh how I hope she has more family out there in the world💖✨💖

[@billhorton2564]

Iliza is one of the funniest women in comedy. It breaks my heart to see her so sad...

[@shannonbarber6161]

Ah no; she isn't funny at all anymore. She's fallen into the same traps many of her fore-sisters have and has made a deliberate decision to stop being funny.

[@user-vv9lr2rw5d]

Is that like multiples of zero….are still zero.lol

[@quixoticPrancer]

Well the host kept badgering her for a reaction. "How does it feel... no REALLY, how does it feel? Let me describe in detail what happened to these poor people you were blissfully ignorant about... now how does it FEEL?" lol

[@rayelee1301]

"WAS" until she went ultra woke and killed the last of an already dying species

[@JenniferPChung]

Wow how do people find these lost history. It's really nice seeing this side of Illiza. I've only ever seen her in her comedy shows, which I love. But this side makes her human and it's very grounding.

[@courtneyholland6215]

This is such a powerful moment for her

[@olseneudezet1]

Heartbreaking. Best regards from Poland to all the Jewish people.

[@klara664]

Hugs from Poland ❤ the Polish Jewish legacy will stay forever in our hearts❤ and now we are restoring the Jewish life in Poland, once the most prominent in Europe😊

[@user-qu8tn7lb9q]

This is why I love this show, just so sad to see her hurting so much, but she is so strong to, but we all need to learn from the past

[@marcusvachon845]

She is so beautiful when she smiles with her crooked smile, it's heartbreaking to see how this sad family story took her smile. There are too many people that wake up wanting to take away a person's smile.

[@freedomfirst5557]

Discovering things like this in your families life HAS to change your life. Things will never be the same, nor should they.

[@coralclark5979]

I’m so sorry your family went through this . Every family member that stayed in Germany were murdered . We only found out details.recently. Horrific. Never forget.

[@elbradavid533]

She's so emotionally intelligent

[@kstadives3]

heartbreaking 💔

[@markorollo.]

"I dont think i want to" "could you please turn the page" rough translation "yeahhh well you gotta" My Grandmother was Polish (Im English) this sounds horribly familiar.

[@hatonordeck9657]

I am deeply ashamed and continuously shocked about what my german Ancestors did with the Holocaust. It is unbelievable cruel. I feel with all the victims and feel sorry for the pain that was caused.

[@philipgates988]

And look at you today. We are all proud of Germany.

[@TheVintessa]

You are not to blame. But people are trying to wipe us out again, so now is your chance to stand against antisemitism.

[@Tawadeb]

Well said. The Nazis were evil

[@user-ve2mi1xs2l]

This is a great, great series.

[@frenchtoast7742]

The Holocaust was AWFUL . My relatives were in Auschwitz and my grandmothers house was taken over by the Germans were her family had to escape to the forest. What she saw will forever be in her mind and my relatives mind . They do not talk about it and wil not say what they saw . I know very little but know they saw people set on fire and what you hear what happened is worse in person. Please stop comparing wars of today to the Holocaust. It is not the same. AT ALL . Watch documentaries on here . Hear the stories of what people saw and went through and expriments. We have cancer in our family because of this war because of the bombs being dropped and what was exposed to my great grandmother and my grandmother and her family. Holocaust was the worst ever in history. And it affected our family for life . 😢

[@carolynquenstedt9509]

No, today is not the same. But the same groundwork is being laid that was laid in Germany in the late 1930s.

[@hansscheltema3348]

"small little family that came out of nowhere" I really like that, it's the story of many of us whose European famielies fought and suffered under fascism

[@btcrazee1]

I cried at her pain. Such a terrible discovery.

[@doriscastillo8020]

Sad very sad even it was almost 80 years ,you feel for them it's like happening now.

[@justayoutuber1906]

it kinda is happening now

[@shivanshshukla5524]

I come from India and my country saw it's people suffering in British invasion and then persecution of Kashmiri Hindus by Pakistanis .... I feel very heartbroken when I get to read or watch anything related to that same way I feel terrible about Holocaust which was the deadliest series of events which affected so many Jewish people 😢

[@BillFarel]

Haven't been watching pbs for a very long time. Whats up with the commercials they have. I loved it because there wasn't any. Know it seems just like regular tv.

[@abpob6052]

Connection. No connection. The feeling of disgust at human atrocities should feel the same.

[@julzhepburn3688]

That would make an amazing book ,,,,in the stlye of "Suite francais "

[@reverendriff5597]

She is related closely to Sarah Silverman! So cool.

[@carlgreisheimer8701]

Really!?

[@danielleendswell9250]

She looks SO much like her Grandfather!

[@elbt101]

She looks a lot like grandpa Ben

[@ecamormex]

Iliza has the cutest mouse face! 😍

[@carlakenyon6073]

Oh you sweet woman- I’m so sorry how much this hurts you! 🫶

[@JSwan-bd1tc]

She has the eyes of her grandfather!

[@user-qv2tq1eh4u]

Beautiful Lady.

[@Taina2024]

Great episode as usual, unfortunately looking at her from the future is shocking!!

[@CollinsCorp]

😢

[@josemanuelgonzalez1506]

I wish he would stop asking; WHAT IT's LIKE.., especially when he already knows the information

[@bldrnr09]

heartbreaking to watch this

[@jmagic1375]

During WW2, France did not face the same horror as Poland whenever Germany took over.

[@CyberspacedLoner]

Always hope for the best, but prepare for the worst that can happen

[@flakeyjay]

I have always seen Liza a beautiful intelligent comedian but there had to be a lot of tragedy to bring deliver her to us the audience. Also puts a song I heard recently by Boy Genius "With you without them", rings even more true after watching this.

[@Tawadeb]

This must have happened to many families

[@BSU55]

"Obedience to Authority "by Dr Stanley Milgram should be required viewing, for all High school Seniors.

[@sasharivera4191]

Jeez get her a tissue

[@silviaquesada2499]

Jeez, you are rude. Guess your family never suffered any horrors. Otherwise you might be able to express some compassion.

[@sasharivera4191]

@@silviaquesada2499 look at you, misinterpreting my comment and being rude. I said get her a tissue as in she's being filmed and no one offered her a tissue. It would have been a kind gesture. Bye now.

[@silviaquesada2499]

@@sasharivera4191 I apologize for misinterpreting your comment. I definitely did!

[@colinlawrence3685]

...hiding with a French farmer? Doesn't this remind you of the opening scene of the film, Inglourious Basterds? 💯

[@richardc6269]

Caring so much about the past. Y not show the same passion for the present and future?? Hundreds of thousands of people are living this now.

[@marinats5873]

while some people did not have a choice, others did

[@richardc6269]

@@anahata2009 of course. You do know people put too much emphasis on the past. Yes??

[@LollieVox]

This is the direction of facism! No one wants a dictatorship! Vote for democracy!!!!

[@fuzzygloop]

Who is she?

[@sonnyc3826]

yes and people complain today about htings and the things millions had to endure during those times was much worse..and similar things are happening to people today we dont know about and even in Ukraine of people being tortured and such. tough to see or know..in the end Germany lost and was defeated..

[@willyhwang1059]

heard of Nanjing massacre? cover that too please

[@negationf6973]

If they have a guest on whose ancestors were involved (either as victims or perpetrators), they'll cover it.

[@kateri17]

cover? it's not a news story.

[@averageatom]

Yeah, but have you had your mom on your podcast?

[@donstaples4812]

Just think, if her one relative hadn't immigrated, we probably wouldn't have Iliza. Now multiply that by millions and you have the scope of their tragedy.

[@Tawadeb]

That's right. Horrific and so evil. Millions of innocent people

[@steveknick1978]

Must be tough for her as a comic to sit through this (although it is important to). A comic automatically retreats to humor when something like this is too serious to handle & this topic/setting doesn’t allow her that familiar escape.

[@SergioAndrade77]

And some of the GOP deny this happened, to this day!

[@silviaquesada2499]

who exactly? I thought that the Palestinian brigade shouting From the River to the Sea would deny it.

[@SergioAndrade77]

@@silviaquesada2499 you clearly haven't done your research or just willfully ignoring it?

[@partpartdieupark8889]

This is exactly the problem with humanity! Empathy shouldn't be based upon identification... If you don't identify with the victims, you don't feel concerned?! Unfortunately, that's how it is with most people.

[@booksellerbroad8842]

Unintended consequences 💔🇺🇸❤️📜 stand your ground, Americans.

[@scottrussell2281]

I'm not sure if it's because I grew up in Tennessee, or if schools all over in the 70's did this, but I was taught about the Jewish holocaust, but didn't know anything about the 27 million Russians who died in WW2 until I was in college. Why were the Jewish deaths not only taught, but emphasized, and the Russian deaths very nearly erased? The Soviet Union lost around 27 million people during the war, including 8.7 million military and 19 million civilians. 19 million civilians seems worthy of mention, yet history as it was taught in the 70's, ignored those deaths. Seeing the absolutely ridiculous things being taught in schools to children today and looking back at this from my own experience in the 70's makes me seriously question my own upbringing and subsequent education.

[@afcgeo882]

Being a jew from Russia, I can tell you the difference. First off, Russians only recognize 22 million dead, not 27 million. Second, those 22 million represent dozens of different ethnicities. Russians were killed because they were invaded, as were people of most European countries. They were not targeted for extermination. They were not threatened to be wiped out. Jews were the opposite (as were the Romani). They were killed ONLY because of their ethnicity and not at all because of any military action. They were from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy… everywhere, including those countries above that were never attacked by the Nazis. I’m sorry that you never learned recent European history in Tennessee. I went to High School in New York and we did cover this.

[@creativechaosify]

You make an interesting point. Some 40 million civillians from many countries died in WW2, but their stories are often forgotten. I suspect the reason is that occupation looked very different in each country and there would simply be too much information for a school curriculum. For example, most of the 27 million you mentioned were actually Ukrainians, and the Soviet Union spent the first 2 years of the war supplying Germany with raw materials and invading Eastern Europe with them (my own great-uncle was abducted by Soviets at night and killed for being 'too educated'). It's all simply too complex for school children to process.

[@silviaquesada2499]

I guess that the reason is because the people in the Holocaust were slaughtered and the millions who died because of WW2 died either in battle or were civilian casualities. They were not exterminated. Stalin created an artificial famine in the Ukraine in the 30s called Holodomor to break the resistance of the Ukrainians against his communist regime. All high school students should learn about both, but I doubt very much that this will happen these days because the official "party line" is to ignore the millions who died (also in China and Cambodia in the 60s and 70s) and focus on being outraged by not complying with the woke agenda.

[@gd5830]

Iliza Whosinger?

[@matthiashehn4410]

Some people have learned from history, others repeat it in Gaza

[@MrPhotonjockey]

The people responsible for suffering in Gaza are Hummus and their overlords in Iran and Qatar. No one else.

[@emmabennet888]

Yup. Iliza Shlesinger made it very clear months ago that she stands with Israel in their genocide of Palestinians. Hopefully her views have changed since another 20,000 innocent men women and children have been massacred but who's to say.

[@justayoutuber1906]

False equivalency: The Jews didn't launch missiles into Germany or take hostages...

[@ariellaabrahams]

You're so right. It's terrible the way Hamas is causing so much death and hasn't learned how to live in humane civilized society.

[@OhUiginn]

So the Jews suffered from mass extermination so they can learn something? Auschwitz and Treblinka were apparently Education Facilities.

[@joso5554]

Unfortunately, I don’t have a clue who she is. Never heard of her.

[@bobbyboygaming2157]

Is this show directed by Stephen Spielberg or something?

[@negationf6973]

Not at all.

[@averageatom]

No, Disney

[@hanahasan7350]

The same atrocities committed by your people against my people right now in G. A. Z. A

[@silviaquesada2499]

That truly shows your abject ignorance. How about Hamas hadn't attacked Israeli women, children and old peoples? Then the IDF would not have responded, right? Logic isn't your strong point, but then why would it if feelings matter more than facts.

[@srvanddt1]

What I learned from history is to NEVER, EVER give up your guns.

[@daisy9910]

The ghetto looks like Gaza does now.

[@justayoutuber1906]

But the Jews didn't launch missiles into Germany or take hostages...

[@Nebris]

Poland's Jews were not firing any rockets into Germany.

[@OhUiginn]

Did the Ghetto of Warsaw and Krakow had shopping malls and beach promenade?

[@cogitorium1089]

@@Nebris We've just commemorated the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising anniversary.

[@NunYa953]

That generation didnt talk about things like that. They werent weak crybabies like society is today.

[@batkat0]

Right when bad things happened to them they just pushed it all down, drank to oblivion, and punished everyone in their path. Cool 😎

[@djordan2725]

Not talking about things, didn't mean they were strong. My husband's grandfather purged his emotional baggage, in the year leading up to his death , in 2017.. He served on the USS Ormsby, and after sharing " the sea turned red with the blood of men we just dropped off" he cried... And wished he had spoken of this sooner. He carried it, in silence. There is no more honor in silence, than in speaking of these horrors.

[@coallie]

They were traumatized and instead of doing the work of processing that trauma (work that was discouraged at the time) it was pushed deep down. That trauma continues to resonate in generations that follow, it didn't simply disappear.

[@yodhin79]

What her ancestors went through is what the people of Gaza are going through RIGHT NOW !

[@silviaquesada2499]

Really? this shows your utter ignorance.

[@rukam3]

Yet they are doing a similar thing to the Palestinians… the irony!!

[@seanpalmer6639]

This time there fighting back NEVER AGAIN

[@justayoutuber1906]

But the Jews didn't launch missiles into Germany or take hostages...

[@afcgeo882]

Hanas is doing that to the Palestinians.

[@MikeA817]

I haven't kept up with Iliza since her statements following Oct 7th but I have a feeling this could further entrench her into her own psychotic zionism over the current genocide of Palestinians.

[@AA-wc3tw]

Who is this person? Probably a celebrity or a politician? I wish these heritage videos would showcase NORMAL people, not the über-rich. They already get enough attention. What about the rest of us? Are we not equally as interesting, even though we aren't billionaires?

[@lancegoodthrust546]

Barely funny

[@tatechasers2393]

she hates everybody, if you see her say hi, she's always mean, but still hot

[@frenchtoast7742]

No she doesn’t that’s your perspective because you don’t agree with what happened to her family.

[@ShaunHensley]

So similar to how Palestinians are being treated by a certain nation

[@neowuwei7851]

Those are horrific and tragic stories of what happened to the Jews during WWII. Now, the same scenario is being played out against the Palestinians in Gaza BY the Jews. Where is the compassion the Jews should have for persecuted minorities?

[@whowantstorunforpresident5531]

Has this show ever researched the family tree of someone who wasn't descended from African slaves or East European holocaust survivors?

[@debrap947]

Yes

[@negationf6973]

Of course. Off the top of my head: Michael Moore, Bill O'Reilly, Bob Odenkirk, Marisa Tomei, Nancy Pelosi.

[@DaneRates]

Alter propaganda scam missing just for laughs performance hss been alter and made not available once this was posted.

[@TheRedStateBlue]

now if she'd only spend that sort of effort trying to be funny...

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

The only person I see trying to be funny that isn't is you.

[@Yotrek]

Shout out to all the people that are choosing peace by being peace. To all that are choosing to Understand your own suffering so as to understand the suffering of others. To those that were abused, yesterday or two thousand years ago, and chose to forgive so not to become an abuser. 🫁🧠🫖🍵🙏

[@Taina2024]

This was beautiful, but unfortunately she did not learn from her family's history!