KVSC premieres historic podcast series on Holocaust survivor

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – KVSC 88.1 FM, the student-run radio station at St. Cloud State University, is premiering an original production that chronicles the experience of Holocaust survivor Henry Oertelt. The uncommon production of 12 weekly podcasts, at www.KVSC.org, uses new media to deliver Oertelt’s story in a way that fits into the lifestyles of today’s college, high school and junior high students.

“An Unbroken Chain: My Journey Through the Nazi Holocaust,” recounts a series of critical events in Oertelt’s journey of survival from a teenage Jew in Berlin during the rise of Hitler and the Nazis through his incarceration by the Gestapo in five concentration camps and eventual rescue by US soldiers liberating Europe in April of 1945. The introduction for the historic series and the first 15-minute episode of “An Unbroken Chain” are posted at www.KVSC.org. Each week subscribers will be notified of a new episode of Oertelt’s story of survival, with the entire series to be fully posted on the KVSC Web site by mid-November.

Among the educators who will use the historic production as a teaching tool is Professor Barry Schreiber, criminal justice, who recognizes that podcasts that are downloadable on students’ iPods, laptops and audio systems can deliver teaching information in a way that fits the lifestyles of modern students.

Schreiber is using the podcasts to enhance the classroom learning experience by treating the series as a no-cost “bonus book” for extra credit points in his introductory Criminal Justice 111 course. The professor suggests using the series to initiate discussion of social justice, prejudice and hate crimes and to spark student collection of short oral histories of their grandparents or parents. In addition, Schreiber is encouraging research that compares the effectiveness of students reading the Oertelt book, “An Unbroken Chain,” versus listening to the same book on Podcast.

Over the last 35 years, Oertelt, now 86, has presented his life story at scores of high schools, colleges and public presentations. He spent three days in the KVSC studios recording his story in the hope that he can reach additional younger audiences who may not have much awareness of the Holocaust and the atrocities of Nazi Germany. The historic KVSC production is enhanced by musical segues from the soundtrack of “Schindler’s List” performed by St. Cloud State music major and St. Cloud Symphony violinist Karen Dahl. KVSC, which delivers entertainment, news and educational programming in an alternative format without commercials in a listening radius of about 70 miles, introduced podcasts this summer. In its 40-year history as a campus student-run station, KVSC has received acclaim from the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalism.

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Dr. Henry Oertelt, 651-483-5189, heningoert@tcq.net:
“I feel that this podcast project is of utmost importance for various reasons. Aside from the fact that it will be an important tool for sight-handicapped students and other people, my story will be easier accessible. The modern technology of the podcast will make my book available for a much longer time then it might be in print. Thus, it will of great importance in the documentation of the happenings, known as the "Holocaust". This podcast project therefore will also play an important part in helping silence those idiotic "deniers", who are claiming that this shameful part in human history never happened.”

Professor Barry Schreiber, 320-308-4254, fbschreiber@stcloudstate.edu:
“The Oertelt podcast will bring Henry's story, in his own voice, to generations of SCSU students. It uses technology comfortable and available to our students to fit in their busy lives on their laptop computers, Ipods and car audio systems during their commutes to and from SCSU. The podcast will bring Henry's story, in his own voice, to classroom students, Holocaust scholars and others around the world.

Contacts: KVSC station manager Jo McMullen-Boyer, 320-308-3053, satchmo@stcloudstate.edu; KVSC operations director Jim Gray, 320-308-3066, jwgray@stcloudstate.edu.

Media: For Oertelt photos and bio information, contact mproell@stcloudstate.edu.