APM special: 'Kaddish: Reflections on the Holocaust in Music and Words."

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. And it is also the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp, Auschwitz. More than a million people were killed there, most of them Jews.

A dozen years before the beginning of World War II, the Nazis began what would become the unparalleled slaughter of Europe's "undesirables," most of whom were Jews. Millions would die, but there were survivors as well, each with a unique story.

Minnesota Public Radio classical music host Mindy Ratner has gathered a collection of conversations with some of those touched directly by the Holocaust and those conversations form the basis of "Kaddish: Reflections on the Holocaust in Music and Words."

Mindy's guests include Theodore Bikel — actor, singer, social activist and master storyteller — who came to the Twin Cities in June 2013, and Martin Goldsmith, Manny Gabler, Victor Vital, Lucy Smith, Nina Mosser and Robert Fisch who had stories and insights to share.

Mindy Ratner is a producer and host of classical music programs at Classical MPR.

Further reading and listening

• Elie Wiesel:What makes us moral

• Portraying Memories: Portraits preserve the stories of Holocaust survivors

• Listen: Liberator Leonard Parker and survivors Lucy Smith and Sabina Zimering

• Historian John-Paul Himka: European perceptions of the Holocaust

• Minnesota Holocaust survivor: Eva Gross shares her story

• 2010: Minn. veteran recalls his role in revealing Holocaust to the world

• Confronting hatred: 70 years after the Holocaust

• Education: Holocaust education should strive to prevent future genocides

• What's on the radio: Monday, Sept. 23
• Beyond 'Reality' TV: Inside the Lives of Older Singles
• Activist, influencer Marley Dias speaks at annual MLK Breakfast
• Valerie Jarrett speaks at annual MLK Breakfast