Jess Katz FACEBOOK
Words cannot explain what I feel right now.
My grandpa’s brother escaped to Russia from Poland in 1939 right before the Holocaust started.
After my grandpa survived Auschwitz, he spent his entire life trying to find out what happened to his brother. My mom Michelle Belz Katz wrote to the Red Cross, Yad Vashem, Poland, Russia etc. and never found him.
We always held on to some hope that somehow he survived. Well a couple of days ago I found his son and spoke with him – we now have a whole new family and a connection that will last a lifetime. We used social media, Russian Jewish forums, and the help of strangers to connect with my family.
It’s amazing the role that technology played in this search. His son sent us pictures of his father and he looks just like my grandpa! It’s heartbreaking that they both survived but never found each other while they were alive but I am so grateful to have this new addition to my family! My grandpa is on the left and his brother, Chaim is on the right!
This is the first time we ever saw what Chaim looked like! The Holocaust is not something of the past, it’s still very much alive in many families, I wish they had the chance to meet after the war. I want to be able to share this story with mainstream media outlets to give hope to families who are still searching – please let me know if you have any connections or advice.