Martin Bodek is a native of Brooklyn who currently lives in New Jersey with his wife and three children. He is a technologist by day and a writer by night, writing freelance for over two decades with a focus on Jewish interest topics.
Martin recently published his eleventh book, which chronicles his grandfather’s experiences and memories from WWII. The book is titled “Zaidy’s War: Four Armies, Three Continents, Two Brothers.” And it is One Man’s Impossible Story of Endurance.
Martin shares how his grandfather shared his many stories and experiences with him beginning at the young age of six years old. Although he had heard many stories of the Holocaust and Holocaust survivors from people in his community and from his friends’ grandparents, he knew that there was something very different from his Zaidy’s stories.
He also admitted that his grandfather held nothing back, and some of the details were a bit jarring and horrific for a six-year-old to digest. However, even at that young age, Martin knew that he was going to be a writer, and someday he was going to tell his Zaidy’s story in a book.
After many years of research, interviewing his Zaidy with his mom’s help, and following the exact timeline of his grandfather’s stories, he finally achieved his goal in October of 2022.
Martin shares his grandfather’s story with the skill of a gifted storyteller as well as with an incredible sense of humor. He talks about the journey of writing the book, the sense that his Zaidy was watching over him as he told his story, and the feeling that his grandfather would approve of how he shared his story.
He also shares how the book has brought his entire family closer together, why “never again” is not just a slogan, and his primary message is survival, and how we can all learn so much from “Zaidy’s War.” Most of all, Martin’s main message to all of us is as follows:
“If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. You can even accomplish survival itself.” ~Martin Brodek
Download this fascinating episode to hear Martin’s incredible storytelling about Zaidy’s War, and why “never again” is not just a slogan. What a story!
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