The return of Sue MacGregor’s long-running Radio 4 series The Reunion (produced by Eve Streeter) is a welcome reminder of just how good radio can be at taking us inside an experience while at the same time opening our minds to things we should know about. First there is MacGregor herself, such a vibrant, resonant voice, never too fast or too slow. Then there is her understanding of how to communicate. Each week she gives a short resumé of how and why the people she has gathered in the studio were first brought together, summarising complicated events in such a concise but clear way, giving all we need to know without burdening us with too much detail. When the conversation with her chosen guests begins, we know exactly why we should be listening to them. And, by the end of the programme, you will realise that MacGregor has rarely spoken beyond that introduction, intervening only to ensure that everyone stays on track.
Sunday’s programme was particularly powerful, as she brought together four survivors of the Auschwitz concentration camp. As Anita Lasker-Wallfisch said forcefully after being asked by MacGregor whether she has any peace of mind now: ‘I don’t know what peace of mind is. We’re still fighting, trying to educate people…’
Zigi Shipper was 14 and living in the Warsaw Ghetto when he was told to report to the railway station where he was packed into a cattle truck. Some people suffocated because of the crush. ‘How can a child of 14 hope that people would die so that I could sit down?’ he recalled, still ‘ashamed’ of his thoughts. Susan Pollack’s mother was gassed immediately on arrival at the camp; she lost 50 members of her family. Lily Ebert, whose mother, brother and younger sister were also all sent straight to the gas chambers, still wears the gold pendant given to her by her mother.
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