Daughters of Mother and Toddler Separated at Auschwitz Reunited In Person at Last
- By Daniella
A year and a half ago, we told you about the extraordinary and heartbreaking story of a mother and toddler who were separated at Auschwitz, never to see each other again — and whose daughters found each other thanks to a MyHeritage DNA test.
We are delighted to share that Clare recently surprised her mother Eva’s sisters, Dena and Jean, in the U.S. for their first in-person reunion.
Watch Clare surprise her newfound aunts in the video below:
This story was featured in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Daily Mail, as well as many media outlets in many languages across the world.
The incredible discovery they made in 2020 coincided with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it impossible for the newfound family members to meet. They spoke on Zoom every two weeks after finding each other, but they didn’t know when they would be able to see each other in person.
When restrictions on traveling to the U.S. from the U.K. were finally lifted, Clare took the first opportunity to fly to visit her aunts — but to make their reunion extra special, she kept her trip a secret and showed up on their doorstep unannounced!
The MyHeritage Research team has been closely involved ever since Clare, Dena, and Jean contacted us to help them confirm their discovery. As a cover story, we asked Dena and Jean if we could interview them in their home that day, and told them that we’d be interviewing Clare at her home in the U.K. in parallel.
The camera crew arrived and started interviewing the sisters about their mother and their search for their long-lost sister. Meanwhile, Clare was making her way to their home from the airport.
When given the go-ahead, Clare knocked on their door and entered the room saying, “Can I join this interview please?”
Dena and Jean both gasped in shock and got up to hug her. They couldn’t believe it!
After some long-overdue hugs, group photos, and a cup of coffee with Jean’s homemade cookies, our crew sat the three of them down on the couch to interview them together.
“We’ve been talking for almost two years now,” said Dena, “and we weren’t sure when this day was ever going to happen.”
“MyHeritage, this has been the most amazing thing,” exclaimed Jean.
“The feeling that I have inside right now is amazing, and everybody should get to experience it,” Dena added.
Earlier, Clare described this meeting as “one of the highlights of my life.” Jean said that finding her lost family makes her feel “more complete.”
The family got to enjoy two weeks together catching up and making up for lost time, before Clare headed home. They’re now planning their next visit — this time, the aunts will be flying to the U.K.
We could not be more honored to have made this reunion possible and we wish this beautiful family many more years to enjoy each other.
And to those of you out there who are still looking for a lost family member… remember, there is hope, even after 75 years. Try researching your family history with MyHeritage — you never know what you might find.