For a century, the Schneider family had lost one another, unwillingly split in half in 1924 during efforts to flee the chaos brought on by the Bolsheviks taking control of Russia and the antisemitic riots that ensued.
Alex Schneider explained that his grandfather, Aaron, had traveled with 7-year-old daughter Mina and 5-year-old son Rem (Alex’s father) with the intent of wife, Katerina, and the younger children—3-year-old Simon and baby Fania—joining them on a second trip.
However, Joseph Stalin’s efforts to shut off the Soviet Union from the outside world prevented the family from reuniting, until eventually they lost contact completely.
“For the rest of their lives, my father and his sister did not know what happened to their mother and younger siblings. The separation was extremely painful and affected them deeply. They grew up without a mother,” Schneider wrote in a blog post on July 28.
Using the genealogy website MyHeritage, Schneider found and connected with Michael Kogan, the son of Fania (who later used the name Francesca). Schneider spoke with JNS about the experience that took him back and forth from Israel—he lives in Ra’anaa—and the insight gained from his research.
“Connecting with our long-lost family members has been a transformative experience for all of the family members,” Schneider said. “Learning about our grandfather Aaron’s journey from Moscow to China and the challenges he faced has deepened our appreciation for the resilience and adaptability that runs in our family.”
“Discovering our father’s younger brother, Simon, at the Soviet Army memorial site with the help of MyHeritage and connecting with our long-lost cousins has enriched our understanding of our cultural heritage,” he said.
The process of discovering this hidden history also strengthened the bonds in the Schneider family, moving some to tears.
“Sharing these discoveries with other family members has brought us closer together and created a sense of unity and pride in our shared history,” Schneider told JNS. “Overall, this journey has been a source of joy and inspiration.”
In related news, the 44th International Conference of Jewish Geneology is scheduled for Aug. 18-22 in Philadelphia, drawing researchers and other attendees from around the county.
‘Complete a family puzzle’
Elisabeth Zetland, a researcher at MyHeritage, noted that the Schneider family’s story “highlights the power of online genealogy platforms like MyHeritage in bridging the gaps created by time and history.
“It’s a great privilege to help families like Alex Schneider’s find the missing pieces that complete a family puzzle, demonstrating that even after many decades of unanswered questions, heartfelt connections between relatives can still be rediscovered,” she said.
MyHeritage also enabled the reunion of a family separated during the Holocaust. Genealogy research on the platform brought together Shalom Korai of Israel to meet his relatives in Charleston, S.C., after a match with his American second cousin, Ann Meddin Hellman.
“Introducing Shalom to four generations of the Meddin family, something many families have never experienced, was even more exhilarating,” Hellman said. “The smile on his face the whole time he was here said it all.”
