MAITLAND, Fla. (August 22, 2024) — Last month, NBC Nightly News featured the incredible story of Holocaust survivor, Shalom Korai, who was rescued by a police officer as an orphan from a burning Polish ghetto, moved to Israel after the war and was recently reunited with long-lost family members in the United States—as a result of DNA testing.
When Korai met his newly discovered relatives this summer in Charleston, South Carolina, the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida (the Holocaust Center) had a front-row seat to this miraculous reunion. Karen Middlekauff Minkow, the Secretary of the Holocaust Center Board of Directors, her husband Dan Minkow, and their 22-month-old son, Bradley, were part of the family. As the Minkows prepared to travel to Charleston and meet Korai, the anticipation was immense. It’s one thing to see a family member after a long time apart, but something completely different to meet one who was totally unexpected.
“Before this, I was unaware that we had any family from the Holocaust that had survived,” said Dan. “To say that I was shocked and blown away to learn about my new cousin, Shalom, was an understatement. My wife and I knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet him so we booked our flights to Charleston almost immediately upon learning about the reunion.”
This serendipitous gathering came about because of Dan’s grandmother’s first cousin, Ann Meddin Hellman, whose grandfather was the brother of Korai’s grandfather. Hellmann had provided her DNA years ago as part of her research into her ancestry. Last summer, a DNA testing company, MyHeritage, offered testing to a group of Holocaust orphans, which included Korai. When those results were available, Hellman received a notification showing a match. Another cousin also matched to this new sample, so Hellman requested a photo of Korai. She immediately saw an uncanny resemblance to her brother, and knew he was part of the family. That was the beginning of Korai’s journey from the Levant to the Lowcountry to meet his new relatives.
The reunion was more than just a family gathering—it was a profound moment of closure and connection that spanned generations. Despite a language barrier with Korai, who traveled with a translator, there was a clear and immediate bond that transcended the miles and years that separated them.
“You could just tell by looking at Shalom how much unconditional love he felt from all of his newfound family that he never had experienced before,” said Dan. “He wasn’t nervous, he wasn’t shy. He was joyful, happy, and grateful that he found us. Our extended family is large and we are extremely close so it was great to bring Shalom into the mix. When he was surrounded by everyone, it was definitely a moment that I knew all of us would cherish forever. I still get chills when I think about the weekend we had.”
Karen’s role at the Holocaust Center made this reunion even more meaningful. The Center’s mission is about using history and lessons of the Holocaust to build a just and caring community free of antisemitism and all forms of prejudice and bigotry. In the life experience of Korai—her husband’s cousin— Karen could see firsthand the devastating consequences of antisemitism becoming normalized and accepted. It also underlined the way the Holocaust broke up families and shattered the bonds of tight-knit Jewish communities. As the Minkows embraced Korai, they were struck by the immediate connection between long-lost family members as well as the unfathomable experience faced by Jews just one or two generations removed. For Karen, it reinforced her passion for preserving the memory of the Holocaust. It just became much more personal, on a level she never could have imagined.
“Having my son meet Shalom was the blessing of a lifetime,” she said. “While Bradley will likely not remember meeting Shalom, we will remind him. It was of utmost importance that Daniel and I will have this experience as the foundation upon which we will educate Bradley about the Holocaust and the veritable consequences of antisemitism, bigotry, and hatred. Bradley will know that he has a cousin, who he once met, who survived the Holocaust in a miraculous way, but tragically without the rest of his immediate family who was lost; and only by an even more miraculous set of circumstances and the wonders of modern technology, was our family able to be able to be reunited. And finally, this experience is the perfect example of the import of kindness. Shalom survived, due to the kindness strangers showed towards him. I hope Bradley carries that with him forever.”
ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL RESOURCE & EDUCATION CENTER
Founded in 1980 as a series of lectures on the Holocaust, the Center opened its current museum in 1986. It was founded by Holocaust Survivor and local philanthropist, Tess Wise. Located near Orlando, the Holocaust Center attracts visitors from around the world. Their mission is to use the history and lessons of the Holocaust to build a just and caring community free of antisemitism and all forms of prejudice and bigotry. To learn more about the Holocaust Center, visit www.holocaustedu.org.
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