Ep 34 Sue Kern Wendel: Lessons From a Child of a Holocaust Survivor and Why Resilience is Such a Gift

Clear Choices Podcast

What does resilience mean to you? The online dictionary definition is “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” While we are all going through difficulties and toughness right now, it is so important to remember that we can choose how we will react to these difficulties. We can choose to recover quickly and exemplify resilience. My guest today, Sue Kern Wendel, tells us how being the daughter of resilient Holocaust survivors has shaped her life and taught her many lessons. The most important, and the one we can learn from now, is that while we may not get to choose what happens to us, we do get to choose how we will react to it.

Sue is one of four daughters of Holocaust survivors Alice nee Koppel and Hugo Kohn (changed to Kern in 1955) and of Sighet, Romania and Wopfing, Austria, respectively. Along with her cousin, Diana Lindemann, she is co-coordinator of the Next Generations Group in Portland, Oregon. She holds a BS in Social Service and an MS in Communication from Portland State University. In her free time she runs an Israeli and International folk dance session, currently on Zoom.

“I think that as a second generation there was a lot of focus on the trauma. And now there’s a lot of focus on the resilience and I think that is important.”

“It’s a choice to focus on the negative, it’s a choice to focus on the positive and when you can understand what each of those choices results in- because you are what you think, you are what you choose. Yes, you can choose to be a victim but what does that result in? And if you choose resilience then I think you’ll have a more satisfying life.”

In this episode, you will hear:

- Her experience as a daughter of Holocaust survivors

- Why she made the choice to pursue creating and coordinating the Next Generations Group

- Her advice on the choices you should consider if you are interested in a cause that is close to your heart

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Connect with Sue:

Sue’s Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/sue.wendel.5

Next Generations Group Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/nextgenerationsgrouppdx/?eid=ARDBRLpn8OCCpEYpv2PNwhlF02y9ntFJIGSCXBZgaIpY0s93Z9c08EXOFfgtKcvL3Vcu43NHmCRpmIvL

Alice Kern’s book Tapestry of Hope

https://www.amazon.com/Tapestry-Hope-Alice-Kern/dp/0889650837/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=alice+kern%27s+tapestry+of+hope&qid=1599068144&sr=8-1

Alice Kern’s website

http://alicekern.com/