In this heartfelt and unfiltered conversation, Krishna Das and Roshi Bernie Glassman reflect on the power of bearing witness—from Auschwitz to the Black Hills to the city streets.

Recorded not long after the 20th anniversary of the Zen Peacemakers’ first Bearing Witness Retreat at Auschwitz/Birkenau, this exchange touches the heart of our second tenet: turning toward what we often avoid.

Together, they speak of fear, of memory, of ancestral wounds, and of the transformative power of presence. Stories of singing in the barracks, weddings at the death camps, and embracing strangers on the street become openings into something larger—a space where healing, grief, and joy coexist.

It’s a moving conversation that reminds us: Bearing witness doesn’t mean only holding pain. It can also mean singing. It can mean dancing. It can mean love.

Join us for this intimate moment with two longtime friends, as we continue to mark 30 years of returning to Auschwitz and ask together, “What shall I sing to you?”

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Show Credits:

* Speakers: Krishna Das & Roshi Bernie Glassman

* Audio & Video Editing/Engineering: Jim Hōden Fricker

* Interview videotaped and edited by Rami Efal

* Recording of Krishna Das performing in Auschwitz/Birkenau by Ohad Ezrahi

* Watch the original video HERE

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