“I’m looking for my mother in your face.”
“I’m looking for my father in yours.”
Like so many families seperated by the Holocaust, Paul and Marietta’s lost contact and assumed the worst. It was only recently the two cousins even learnt of each other’s existence.
Paul was the youngest Kind, escaping Nazi-occupied Europe on the Kindertransport, a mission orchestrated by World Jewish Relief. All these years, while Paul knew of family members that were lost, he was completely unaware that across the Atlantic Ocean, a cousin was alive.
When the pandemic struck, I decided to research my mother in law’s family tree. After a year of digging, including hiring a private investigator, a 50K strong genealogy facebook group (Tracing the Tribe), and articles on Paul being the youngest Kind, I realized the two might very well be related. What I found was that Paul’s Uncle Isidore had sent his only daughter, Marietta’s mother, away to Argentina following violent Nazi escalations; Isidore stayed to fight, despite being a successful businessman in Germany, escaping to France where he volunteered for the Foreign Service, captured and sent to Auschwitz where he sadly died.
Marietta and Paul had never known their true story. When I realized Paul’s father and Marietta’s Grandfather were brothers, I was able to find his LinkedIn account, I simply said, ‘I believe your father and my Mother-in-law’s Grandfather Isidore were brothers, I would love to talk to you, if that sounds right.’ Paul emailed back immediately ‘I almost fell out of my chair, seeing the name of my Uncle Isidore, a name I had not heard in years. I can’t believe you found me!’
Since that time, we have spoken on Zoom, FaceTime, we have celebrated many holidays, and this past October, Paul and his lovely wife came from Israel so that the cousins could meet for the first time. Reuniting these cousins, finding family, knowing the true story, is one of the proudest moments of my life.
Source: Aria G
