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In Episode 282, I have the merit of speaking with Sami Steigmann, who is a Holacaust survivor, educator and motivational speaker. A few years ago, our 50th Podcast Guest Esther Deutsch,his honorary granddaughter, told me about Sami. I was excited to meet him at a Kosha Dillz Chanukah concert, in which he danced on stage.

Sami was born on December 21, 1939 in Czernovitz, Bukovina, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire belonging to Romania. From 1941 through 1944, he was with his parents at Mogilev-Podolsky, a labor camp in an area called Transnistria. The camp was liberated by the Red Army and his family was deported by the Romanians, not by the Germans.

In 1961, his family emigrated to Israel, where he served in the Air Force. In 1968, he came to the United States. He lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he married, divorced and eventually, in 1983 returned to Israel. However, in 1988, he returned to the United States, choosing New York City as his final home. Since then, he has spoke to thousands of people as an educator and motivational speaker.

We speak about empathy, an overview of the history of the Holocaust since World War 1, knowledge versus action, overcoming obstacles, the global chess community, the benefits of chess, positivity and more.