For years, Emma Haas and Helene Krämer have been the dedicated stewards of the Neu Isenburg Home, a sanctuary for orphaned Jewish children and vulnerable women. When the devastating events of Kristallnacht leave the home in ruins, Emma and Helene must find a way to protect the people in their care—and to escape the looming Nazi threat themselves.

Learn more at www.lbi.org/isenburg.

Exile is a production of the Leo Baeck Institute, New York and Antica Productions.

It’s narrated by Mandy Patinkin. This episode was produced by Joanne O’Sullivan.

Our executive producers are Laura Regehr, Rami Tzabar, Stuart Coxe, and Bernie Blum.

Our associate producer is Emily Morantz.

Research and translation by Isabella Kempf.

Voice acting by Hannah Gelman and Hanna Kent.

Sound design and audio mix by Philip Wilson.

Theme music by Oliver Wickham.

Special thanks to Will Coley, Ellen Rolfes, Irit Reinheimer, Julie Langsdorf, and Jessica Van Tijn. Thanks also to Arije deHass from Leo Baeck Institute in Jerusalem for the use of their space and audio assistance.

This episode of Exile is made possible in part by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Finance and the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future.

Robert Bachrach is a buttoned-up doctor and dedicated researcher. Leo Hochner is a bon-vivant and art connoisseur who breeds small dogs. Both bachelors, they are part of a close network of friends from Vienna who are scattered across the globe after the Nazis take power in Austria. When Robert takes his life in New York after a humiliating arrest under New York’s anti-gay laws, he directs his final words to Leo, who was still trapped in Nazi-occupied Budapest. We follow the traces they left in the LBI archives to uncover an incredible story of heartbreak and heroism. For Robert, escaping the Nazis didn’t mean an end to discrimination, persecution, or fear.

Learn more www.lbi.org/bachrach-hochner.

Exile is a production of the Leo Baeck Institute, New York and Antica Productions.

It’s narrated by Mandy Patinkin. This episode was produced by Nadia Medhi.

Our executive Producers are Laura Regehr, Rami Tzabar, Stuart Coxe, and Bernie Blum. Our associate producer is Emily Morantz. Research and translation by Isabella Kempf. Voice acting by Isabella Kempf, Cyrus Lane, and Manuel Mairhofer. Sound design and audio mix by Philip Wilson. Theme music by Oliver Wickham.

Special thanks to Anna Lvovsky, Brian Ferree, Hannes Sulzenbacher, Clarissa Hochner, and Diana Bulman. Thanks also to Victor Sattler, who wrote about Robert and LAY-oh as part of the LBI’s literary project, “Stolpertexte”, and whose essay lent our episode its title and opening scene.

This episode of Exile is made possible in part by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Finance and the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future.

To Samson Schames, art is everything. When fleeing the Nazis lands him in an English internment camp for enemy aliens, he doesn’t let the squalid conditions curb his creativity—in fact, he thrives. Using the debris of destruction as material for his work, Samson cultivates an artistic vision that captures the horrors of war unlike any other.

Learn more at www.lbi.org/schames.

Exile is a production of the Leo Baeck Institute, New York and Antica Productions.

It’s narrated by Mandy Patinkin. This episode was produced by Ilan Goodman.

Our executive Producers are Laura Regehr, Rami Tzabar, Stuart Coxe, and Bernie Blum. Our associate producer is Emily Morantz. Research and translation by Isabella Kempf. Voice acting by Ilan Goodman. Sound design and audio mix by Philip Wilson. Theme music by Oliver Wickham.

Special thanks to the Jewish Museum of Frankfurt.

This episode of Exile is made possible in part by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Finance and the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future.