One recent afternoon I was finishing Charles Patterson's book "Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust" when I came across an eye-catching chapter. But it wasn't the title: "Hitler's Baby," which caught my eye. It was the name immediately following it: Liesel Appel. Liesel Appel? Where had I heard that name before? I thought I remembered the name from Facebook, of all places. Sure enough, when I checked my Facebook buddies, there was Liesel Appel. But wait... Hitler's Baby? I quickly read through Liesel's chapter and immediately sent her a message inviting her to do an interview. It turns out that was a wise decision.

Liesel and I met when the animal rights activist and attorney Wayne Hsiung, who I co-produce a YouTube channel with, was on trial in North Carolina for rescuing a sick goat. I don't recall us having an actual conversation, though. I'm pretty sure if we had, I would have remembered it, because there is something about the way Liesel speaks that commands attention. She is kind, soft-spoken and unassuming, but there seems to be poignancy behind every word she utters. At least that is my experience during this conversation. When I invited her to be on my channel, she also informed me she had written several books, including an autobiography. I ordered it and was floored by the richness and depth of Liesel's story.

I was deeply, deeply honored to speak with Liesel for this channel, and if you listen to the contents of the interview, you will understand why. The story she tells is utterly spellbinding and, in fact, we barely scratched the surface. For that reason, Liesel and I intend to continue the conversation, so stay tuned for part 2! This conversation is also available on YouTube here.

Liesel's memoir "The Neighbor's Son"

"Eternal Treblinka" by Charles Patterson

Earthlings Documentary

Earthlings" is the film which first linked for me the concepts examined in "Eternal Treblinka" and is the reason I went vegan. Vegan Linked did an outstanding video profile of Liesel.