Synopsis

A preview of the upcoming series Born to Remember,  the inspiring and heart-wrenching stories of Claire Soria in her own words. From her life before WWII in Belgium, hiding as a Jewish child during the Nazi occupation, her voyage to the USA in late 1940s and so much more.

This is a tale that spans the world from a village in Poland to the shores of Ellis Island , a small apartment above a bread factory in Brussels to an orphanage in Cleveland.

Come on this multi episode journey to hear this Holocaust survivor share her life long journey and the story of her family and loved ones told directly to her grandson Joe Soria.

Welcome to Born To Remember: Claire Soria. 

Episode 1 Release Date: March 20, 2022

If you like what you hear, please subscribe on your preferred podcast platform to get the latest episodes as they are released.

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Note From The Creator

My grandma Claire Soria has always told me pieces of her stories forever and then would say “Remember when I told you…”

It’s a phrase we often hear but I think most people use it as a trigger not to firm up their memory.

Despite hearing so many tales for so many years, I still feel I had no ability to recollect details and info and family members and felt it necessary to get these stories in their best form, directly from the person in the ultimate oral tradition of the Jewish people.

A life well lived is worthy of making sure it is a life well remembered.

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CREDITS

Storyteller/Inspiration: Claire Soria
Written/Directed: Joe Soria
Edited: Joe Soria & Leland Holden
Produced: Joe Soria
Additional Guests: Jessica Soria Korsunsky, Jacqueline Soria
Episode Notes Research: Kate Lichota
Additional Music: Christopher Morgan
Special Thanks To Robert Soria for recording assistance and setup assistance for interviews.

Additional Info/Episode Notes:
Born To Remember Website
Born To Remember Facebook Page

Any proceeds from this show will go to various Jewish and Orphan charities including:
 
https://www.survivormitzvah.org/
https://bluecardfund.org/

The story of Claire's beloved cousin Nina Majster and her family in the days before and during WWII in Belgium, Auschwitz & beyond.

Born to Remember Podcast Website
Join The Born To Remember on Facebook

Each episode will also include a link to a select charity that any proceeds from the episode and series will go. Any support you wish to give will also be more than welcome.

Our first donation will go to The Jewish Federation of Volusia & Flagler County.

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Want to dive deeper into topics discussed in this episode?

Episode 1 Notes

Laeken, Brussels - Claire's Birthplace

Brussels, Belgium - Claire's Childhood Home

The history of Brussels

Belgium during World War II

Jewish cultural heritage sites in Belgium

Coal mining sites in Belgium

Languages spoken in Belgium

Rypin, Poland

Jewish underground fighters during the Spanish Civil War (including Claire’s father) 

Belgian Resistance during WWII

Why the Belgian Resistance Deserves More Attention

German invasion of Belgium in 1940

Additional articles

Siegal, Nina.“A Film Captures Jewish Life in a Polish Town Before the Nazis Arrived.” New York Times. January 5, 2022. Online edition.

Film clip available online via the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

International Review of Social History , Volume 60 , Issue S1: Migration and Ethnicity in Coalfield History: Global Perspectives , December 2015 , pp. 13 - 39

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CREDITS
Created, Directed, Written & Produced by Joe Soria
Edited by Leland Holden + Joe Soria
Additional Production Assistance By Kate Lichota
Original Music By Chris Morgan
A special thanks to Robert Soria, Jessica Soria Korsunsky and Jacqueline Soria.

And of course the biggest thanks goes to Claire Soria for her willingness to share her story.

Have a question? Email at borntorememberpodcast@gmail.com.

Part two tells the story of Claire's family life in Belgium at the dawn of World War II.

All Episodes: Born to Remember Podcast Website
Latest Updates/Photos: Born To Remember - Facebook / Instagram .

Each episode will also include a link to a select charity that any proceeds from the episode and series will go. Any support you wish to give will also be more than welcome.

Our second donation will go to The Hidden Child Foundation (ADL).

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Want to dive deeper into topics discussed in this episode?

Using Yiddish to fight the “othering” of Jews in Poland via the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Washington

The Sound of Jewish Life in Poland via the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Washington

Jewish Life in Argentina: A Cultural Guide via Wander Argentina

Argentina Virtual Jewish History Tour via the Jewish Virtual Library

Jews in Argentina via Google Arts & Culture

Jewish Immigration to Argentina via the Brown University Library Center for Digital Scholarship

How South America Became a Nazi Haven Via History.com

Ratlines (German: Rattenlinien) - a system of escape routes for Nazis and other fascists fleeing Europe via Wikipedia

The ‘hidden’ Nazis of Argentina via Historiamag.com

The Twentieth Train: The True Story of the Ambush of the Death Train to Auschwitz by Marion Schreiber - published by Grove Atlantic

Attack on the 20th Train Convoy via Wikipedia

Escaping the train to Auschwitz via BBC News

Deportation of Jews from Mechelen, Belgium via the Holocaust Encyclopedia (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)

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CREDITS
Created, Directed, Written & Produced by Joe Soria
Edited by Leland Holden + Joe Soria
Additional Production Assistance By Kate Lichota
Original Music By Chris Morgan
A special thanks to Robert Soria, Jessica Soria Korsunsky and Jacqueline Soria.

And of course the biggest thanks goes to Claire Soria for her willingness to share her story.

Want to reach out? Email at borntorememberpodcast@gmail.com.

Claire Soria details the story of the Sabauxs, the neighbors who took her in and hid her as their own grandchild during the Nazi occupation of Belgium  in World War II.

All Episodes: Born to Remember Podcast Website
Latest Updates/Photos: Born To Remember - Facebook / Instagram .

Each episode will also include a link to a select charity that any proceeds from the episode and series will go. Any support you wish to give will also be more than welcome.

Our third donation will go to The Survivor Mitzvah Project.

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Want to dive deeper into topics discussed in this episode? 

The Foreign Excellent Raincoat Company was the name of the Brussels company that was established in December 1938, by Polish-French Jewish businessman and ardent communist, Léon Grossvogel on behalf of Red Army Intelligence spy Leopold Trepper, as a cover organization for Soviet espionage operations in Europe during Nazi Germany.

Jewish Hidden Children in Belgium During the Holocaust: A comparative study of their hiding places at Christian establishments, private families, and Jewish orphanages by Charlotte Decoster, U of North Texas 2006. 

I Survived The Holocaust As A ‘Hidden Child’—Thanks to the Mercy Of Strangers by Suzanne Loebl, Forward.com

My Mother Was A 'Hidden Child' During The Holocaust. She'd Be Horrified By What's Happening At The Border by Edith Goldenhar, WBUR.org

'Hidden child' tells his story of surviving Holocaust by Brian Brackens, 88th Air Base Wing Office of Public Affairs

Hidden Victims // Rachelle & Jack Goldstein  Alan Goldstein, Tampa Bay Times

Coming Out of Hiding: Childhoods as Non-Jews  Frank J. Prial, New York Times

Bibliography of Hidden Children resources (USHMM)

Created, Directed, Written & Produced by Joe Soria
Edited by Leland Holden + Joe Soria
Additional Production Assistance By Kate Lichota
Original Music By Chris Morgan
A special thanks to Robert Soria, Jessica Soria Korsunsky and Jacqueline Soria.

And of course the biggest thanks goes to Claire Soria for her willingness to share her story.

Want to reach out? Email at borntorememberpodcast@gmail.com.

Young Clara leaves Belgium and makes her journey to America through England and NYC to find her new home in America. But it turns out her Aunt in Cleveland is not as welcoming as she hoped.

All Episodes: Born to Remember Podcast Website
Latest Updates/Photos: Born To Remember - Facebook / Instagram .

Each episode will also include a link to a select charity that any proceeds from the episode and series will go. Any support you wish to give will also be more than welcome.

Our next donation will go to Bellefaire JCB in Cleveland - Claire's transitional foster home and care facility.

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Want to dive deeper into topics discussed in this episode?

An Orphan of the Holocaust: His Journey to America - Prologue Magazine

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) actions (and inactions) during the Holocaust

The International Tracing Service and the ICRC

History Timeline of the Bellfaire Orphanage

The Kindertransport Association

HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society)

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Created, Directed, Written & Produced by Joe Soria
Edited by Leland Holden + Joe Soria
Additional Production Assistance By Kate Lichota
Original Music By Chris Morgan
A special thanks to Robert Soria, Jessica Soria Korsunsky and Jacqueline Soria.

And of course the biggest thanks goes to Claire Soria for her willingness to share her story.

Want to reach out? Email at borntorememberpodcast@gmail.com.

Claire and her family remember her beloved husband Gerard Soria and the pivotal importance of him and his family taking her in as their own. Learn about his fascinating roots in Tunisia and Italy plus his arrival with his parents and siblings in NY and OH post World War II and how they all ended up with a last name, Soria, that was a village in Spain.

May 2022 would have been Jerry's 88th birthday and Claire and Jerry's 66th wedding anniversary.

Each episode will also include a link to a select charity that any proceeds from the episode and series will go. Any support you wish to give will also be more than welcome.

This week's donation will go to Jewish War Veterans - https://www.jwv.org/, a cause Jerry supported and donated his time to during his retirement years.

All Episodes: Born to Remember Podcast Website
Latest Updates/Photos: Born To Remember - Facebook / Instagram.

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Created, Directed, Written & Produced by Joe Soria
Edited by Leland Holden + Joe Soria
Additional Production Assistance By Kate Lichota
Original Music By Chris Morgan
A special thanks to Robert Soria, Jessica Soria Korsunsky and Jacqueline Soria.

And of course the biggest thanks goes to Claire Soria for her willingness to share her story.

Want to reach out? Email at borntorememberpodcast@gmail.com.

On this final stretch of episodes of Claire will be discussing some of her favorite things and stories from weaving family connections to family vacations and much more.

Each episode will also include a link to a select charity that any proceeds from the episode and series will go. Any support you wish to give will also be more than welcome.

This week's donation will go to Jewish Family and Children's Services.

All Episodes: Born to Remember Podcast Website
Latest Updates/Photos: Born To Remember - Facebook / Instagram.

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CREDITS

Created, Directed, Written & Produced by Joe Soria
Edited by Leland Holden + Joe Soria
Additional Production Assistance By Kate Lichota
Original Music By Chris Morgan
A special thanks to Robert Soria, Jessica Soria Korsunsky and Jacqueline Soria.

And of course the biggest thanks goes to Claire Soria for her willingness to share her story.

Claire goes fangirl on her favorite musician and talks more about how she started teaching piano.

Each episode will also include a link to a select charity that any proceeds from the episode and series will go. Any support you wish to give will also be more than welcome.

This week's donation will go to Artists 4 Israel which promotes Israel's right to exist with peace and security through art

All Episodes: Born to Remember Podcast Website
Latest Updates/Photos: Born To Remember - Facebook / Instagram.

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Created, Directed, Written & Produced by Joe Soria
Edited by Leland Holden + Joe Soria
Additional Production Assistance By Kate Lichota
Original Music By Chris Morgan
A special thanks to Robert Soria, Jessica Soria Korsunsky and Jacqueline Soria.

And of course the biggest thanks goes to Claire Soria for her willingness to share her story.