This episode of SHLTMM was recorded on January 27, 2025 which marks the 80th Anniversary of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in occupied Poland. My guest, lawyer, writer and Comedian, Liz Glazer, is the descendant of four grandparents who were survivors of the Holocaust. Toby, my guest's mother was living in a displaced person's camp before arriving in the United States. Liz and her mother are very, very close. And both women share the same sense of humor which makes their bond even that much more special. Toby was a baby when she and her family emigrated from Europe after WWII. Liz's four grandparents lost all of their siblings in the camps during the war and were the only survivors.
Before we get into more of the story, I just wanted to mention that Liz, as a comedian performed for the sold out symposium on January 12, 2025 for "Not Your Mother's Menopause, NJ which took place in Maplewood,NJ. Allison Kalsched along with Dr. Sharon Mallone, OBGYN and best Selling Author, were guests on S6E4 of SHLTMM. I wanted to mention Stacey Futterman Tauriello and April McKenzie who are also Co-Founders of NYMMNJ. Many people were involved, working diligently to have a long list of practitioners and professionals speak on the topic of women's health, wellbeing and happiness.
This is the story of mother and daughter that absolutley love one another and have a very special connection. They love to talk about anything and everything. It's heartwarming to hear these stories of their relationship and how laughter is such an integral part of both of their lives. You'll hear liz share stories about how great her mom is at landing a story and that she's got great comedic timing. Comedy and laughter can be therapeutic and I think it's been healing for both women.
Liz and Toby have their own Love Language. They understand one another perfectly where as other people may not really understand exactly what they're talking about. The two women also love speaking to one another before going to bed. As a child, her mom would give Liz the option of reading a book or talking before bed and Liz would automatically choose option two of talking together.
"My mom was fun but not like a cool mom. Both of my parents were over protective. But my mom loves to talk and boy does she know how to land a story," according to Glazer."If she wants to be a comedian," I support her.
As a teen, Liz would have some girlfriends over for a sleepover and naturally in the middle of the night mom would come down to keep an eye on the girls so they got some sleep. Toby lays down on the floor with the girls and the only two awake are Liz and her mom. The two women wind up talking till late in the morning?
"Both mom and dad grew up with Holocaust survivors as parents" shares Liz. Her mother's upbringing -was tough. On one hand her parents experienced an atrocity in the Concentration camps. They were traumatized and now living in a foreign country. Meanwhile, Toby was trying to fit in as an American on Long Island. A friend asked why is Theresa name Theresa? For fear of Anti Semitic backlash?Toby's birth certificate originally had "Theresa" listed as her first name as not to be recognized as being Jewish. Eventually they legally changed her name legally.
Retail returns are a right of passage. Liz has been returning purchases for her mother for decades.
Liz share "this is the story of a woman who endured sadness and trauma and found hope and laughter and a sense of calm through her own resilience, helped by friends and her family and ultimately has become the strong woman that her family members saw that she was before she saw it herself."
Liz Glazer's Social Media:
WEBSITE:dearlizglazer.com
FB:LIZ GLAZER
LINKEDIN: LIZ GLAZER
INSTAGRAM:LIZ GLAZER