Red Cross helps Holocaust survivors reconnect with family members

CONCORD – In recognition of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the American Red Cross is reaching out to Holocaust survivors and their families to inform them of Red Cross services to reconnect families and find documentation. Since 1990, the American  Red Cross has helped more  than 45,000 families search  for information and documentation of their loved ones who disappeared during  the Holocaust. This work has resulted in locating 1,600 individuals and reconnecting them with their families. The Red Cross website has  the story of Saul Dreier, a Holocaust survivor who was reunited with his cousin through the Red Cross Restoring Family Links services. Dreier thought he lost his  entire family during the World War II murder of millions by the Nazi regime. After almost 70 years of thinking he was alone, he was able to locate his cousin Lucy Weinberg, a resident of Montreal, in late 2010 after Red Cross caseworkers scoured records from the former Holocaust and War Victims Tracing Center and more than 180 Red Cross societies around the world for clues. The story is at www.redcross.org/news/article/Holocaust- Survivor-Tells-Story-of-Finding-His-Cousin. Finding victims So many years after World War II, the pain of being separated from family members still affects many. The American Red Cross Holocaust and War Victims Tracing Center was closed in November, but through its national Restoring Family Links program, the Red Cross continues to help United States residents search for information about loved ones missing since the Holocaust. The tracing services are free and use the worldwide network of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, the Magen David Adom in Israel, as well as museums, archives and international organizations to help find information about someone’s loved one. How to begin a search Anyone interested in trying to find a loved one can contact their local Red Cross chapter (www.redcross.org). These searches are complex and can take a year or more to find results. Information has been found  in more than 79 percent of  cases, such as documentation outlining deportation to another country, or in some, confirmation of death. Some, such as Dreier, have been lucky to find their loved ones and reunite after so many years of separation.