the barrister and television personality learned of his family’s painful past he and others in similar situations delve deeper still the Holocaust and Me with Robert Rinder review – remarkably moving TVThis article is more than 4 years oldOn Who Do You Think You Are? It was a gripping episode – tragic and hopeful – and one of the best the series had done yet Rinder delves further into the stories of his ancestors and helps other descendants of Holocaust victims and survivors to find out the family stories they had previously heard only in hints and whispers Rinder sets out to learn what happened to the family on his paternal grandfather’s side When he visits Harry Rinder in his flat in London the camera cuts briefly to a photo on the side They do not know what happened to that side of the family but Harry gives his blessing for his grandson to visit Lithuania Rinder is a wonderful host and an enthusiastic interviewer which must stem in part from his legal training He is skilled at asking the right question at the right time and getting to the heart of a story In one of the many incredibly moving segments in this first episode the site of a massacre of 1,800 Jews in May 1942 He meets an old woman there who witnessed what happened; she tells him Rinder kisses her on the cheek and thanks her for telling the story that it is important for her to have done so that I was born into a state of bereavement,” says Bernie to find out what happened to his grandparents; there was a vague notion that his grandmother Sabina died after Auschwitz had been liberated “It’s going to be very hard,” says the historian who talks him through the documents that reveal what happened to his grandmother and how his grandfather Solomon lost an eye “Most of the survivors didn’t speak,” says the historian whose grandmother Hermine had been part of the resistance in Holland She had a certificate signed by Dwight D Eisenhower never talked about what happened or what she had done They just shut the door.” They knew Hermine had a sister but they never knew what had happened to her following a trail of breadcrumbs that reveal the full story of Elsa’s life and death a teacher and a seemingly strong and defiant woman; hers is an astonishing tale that turns It is a story I suspect I will never forget As survivors of the Holocaust diminish in numbers a way of recording and remembering ordinary lives as well as incredible ones As Rinder says in the introduction to the programme having been excavated by documents and witnesses and memories their tales passed on to another generation The barrister talks about his encounter with a 97-year-old Holocaust survivor in Belarus Warning: this article touches on subject matter that some readers may find distressing Robert Rinder has spoken about one of the most powerful moments on his new documentary series My Family The documentary follows Rinder as he helps Jewish families who were affected by the Holocaust learn more about their ancestors and one scene sees the barrister speak to a 97-year-old in Voranava She tearfully tells him of her memories of seeing Jews – including some of Rinder's ancestors – gathered by Nazis and led through Voranava before being shot She added that she could still see movement from the mound some time later indicating that some were still alive underneath the dirt Shortly after their encounter Rinder delivers an extraordinary emotional monologue at the site of the mass grave \"I've seen so many things over the years.. and yet it's the most articulate expression of human evil I've ever come close to.\" \"In a piece of earth is a story we heard of people still alive buried here and moving – it's impossible to describe dark thing – this is the death of humanity Rinder also emphasised the importance of naming the victims Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press he discussed the circumstances of the speech \"I was listening to the testimony of that 97-year-old survivor who was the last hearing witness of what had taken place at that massacre,\" he explained \"And only I could understand what she was saying in Russian It was strange – what she said landed with infinitely more power if you understood it in the Russian it doesn't have the cushion of the direct or the indirect article so she said 'mound was moving for several days.' And I won't forget it it had a power which sometimes comes back to me now.\" director] hadn't told me is that we were going to go to the Soviet memorial And I've been to many of them over the years and they're usually just stone monoliths with very little on them.. \"What I hadn't been prepared for was what you saw on camera topographically – precisely the same mound the same word that that woman had said just a few hours ago.\" Asked if he had planned his monologue in advance or whether it was a spontaneous speech Rinder added: \"I don't know whether it was building up or not but I can certainly tell you it wasn't scripted perhaps articulating what that place was to me as best as I possibly could.\" My Family, The Holocaust and Me begins on Monday 9th November at 9pm on BBC One. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide. the Holocaust and MeRobert Rinder opens up about powerful moment from new documentary My Family the Holocaust and MeThe barrister talks about his encounter with a 97-year-old Holocaust survivor in Belarus She tearfully tells him of her memories of seeing Jews – including some of Rinder's ancestors – gathered by Nazis and led through Voranava before being shot Sign up to be the first to know about breaking stories and new series By entering your details you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply "I've seen so many things over the years.. and it's strange because on the one hand and yet it's the most articulate expression of human evil I've ever come close to." "In a piece of earth is a story we heard of people still alive buried here and moving – it's impossible to describe BBC/Wall to Wall Media Ltd/Mike Robinson"I was listening to the testimony of that 97-year-old survivor who was the last hearing witness of what had taken place at that massacre," he explained "And only I could understand what she was saying in Russian it doesn't have the cushion of the direct or the indirect article so she said 'mound was moving for several days.' And I won't forget it it had a power which sometimes comes back to me now." He continued: "But as we left the house director] hadn't told me is that we were going to go to the Soviet memorial And I've been to many of them over the years and they're usually just stone monoliths with very little on them.. "What I hadn't been prepared for was what you saw on camera topographically – precisely the same mound the same word that that woman had said just a few hours ago." Rinder added: "I don't know whether it was building up or not but I can certainly tell you it wasn't scripted perhaps articulating what that place was to me as best as I possibly could." My Family, The Holocaust and Me begins on Monday 9th November at 9pm on BBC One. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide Patrick CremonaSenior Film WriterPatrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming He has been with the website since October 2019 and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies you are agreeing to site title privacy policy This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Subscribe to RT!Subscribe to Radio Times magazine and get £10 issues for £10! Could your home unlock your dreams?Releasing equity from your home could help give you the retirement you've been dreaming of? 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