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On The Record

'The DNA Reunion Project' helps Holocaust survivors find family

By Sheilah Kast,
Melissa Gerr
Published March 31, 2023 at 10:05 AM EDT
Three-year-old Jackie Young (then Jona Spiegel) with British airmen upon his arrival in the UK after World War II. He tracked down family members thanks to the ‘DNA Reunion Project at the Center for Jewish History.’ Photo: Jackie Young
Three-year-old Jackie Young (then Jona Spiegel) with British airmen upon his arrival in the UK after World War II. He tracked down family members thanks to the ‘DNA Reunion Project at the Center for Jewish History.’ Photo: Jackie Young

Many people rely upon DNA testing to identify mutations or predict their risk of developing, or passing on, serious disorders. And at-home DNA kits like ‘23 And Me,’ ‘My Heritage’ or ‘Ancestry’ have spurred many amateur genealogists into action.

Jennifer Mendelsohn is using genetic genealogy as her powerful investigative tool to help Holocaust survivors piece together families and make sense of their past. Her latest endeavor, co-founded with Dr. Adina Newman, is called the ‘DNA Reunion Project at the Center for Jewish History.’

Links: Bolton Street Synagogue talk Sun. April 2, 2pm, ‘DNA Reunion Project at the Center for Jewish History'

Mendelsohn's article about her mother-in-law, Frieda Pertman, Baltimore Jewish Times audio interview with Frieda Pertman.

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On The Record WYPR ProgramsOn the RecordHolocaust DNA
Sheilah Kast
Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.
See stories by Sheilah Kast
Melissa Gerr
Melissa Gerr is a Senior Producer for On the Record. She started in public media at Twin Cities Public Television in St. Paul, Minn., where she is from, and then worked as a field producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. She made the jump to audio-lover in Baltimore as a digital media editor at Mid-Atlantic Media and Laureate Education, Inc. and as a field producer for "Out of the Blocks." Her beat is typically the off-beat with an emphasis on science, culture and things that make you say, 'Wait, what?'
See stories by Melissa Gerr