My Polish Wisnia How My Grandfather Survived The Holocaust, Through Story & Song

Avi Wisnia shares the stories and songs of his late grandfather, Cantor David S. Wisnia. The “My Polish Wisnia” project traces David’s harrowing life journey from young Polish singing star to Auschwitz prisoner to American liberator with the 101st Airborne. Through it all, Cantor Wisnia’s remarkable singing voice helped save his life, especially in the Nazi concentration camp. Presented in multi-media presentations and concerts, My Polish Wisnia explores the importance of preserving David’s memories and experiences, as chronicled in his memoir “One Voice, Two Lives.” The project revolves around musical performances which highlight the powerful intergenerational connection between grandfather and grandson. The Wisnias most recently traveled to Poland to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, their journey featured in the PBS documentary “How Saba Kept Singing.” By sharing his grandfather’s story, Avi highlights the urgency of keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive and passing on this legacy from generation to generation.
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Poland Part III: Day 4
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, my grandfather sang in front of this stone building, the Death Gate to Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is a profound experience to be here in Auschwitz, commemorating the Holocaust, as a family. We are three generations bearing witness to the horrors my grandfather survived. And as hard as it is to be here, […]

Poland Part III: Day 5
We are used to seeing visions of the Holocaust in black and white. But that is not what Auschwitz looks like when you are here. Because life happens in color: the past and the present, the good and the bad, the joyful and the boring and the horrible. all of it. You could be fooled […]

Poland Part III: Day 6
Our journey through Poland to commemorate 75 years since the Holocaust has been moving & profound. There is such complicated and tragic history of the Jewish people here, but there is also joy and music and hope. We will return again. Dziękuję Bardzo – Thank You, my friends. “My grandchildren are the proof that Hitler did […]

Poland Part III: Epilogue
I was born in the United States, but because my grandfather is from Poland, I am also from Poland. It is the place where the stories of my family have their roots. It is the place where I can trace the beginnings of my own love of music, and the place where my family’s history […]
Videos
How Saba Kept Singing film trailer
BuzzFeed Video: "How I Escaped The Holocaust"
Moishelach Shloimelach song
Seattle Holocaust Center: "How Music Saved My Grandfather in Auschwitz"
David Wisnia Sings Prayer at Auschwitz 70th Anniversary Event in Poland
Museum of American Jewish History Virtual Program
“Remembering the Holocaust" Program at Bucks County UU
Levittown Legends, The David Wisnia Story
Image Gallery

One Voice,
Two Lives
David Wisnia’s memoir, available in paper-back