My Family Genie

06/16/2026

Andrea and Lexi are having a baby! There were definitely signs, and I'm so glad I was right. Congratulations and Auguri!

06/15/2026

Pro tip 👇

Did you know you might hold the missing piece to a Holocaust family mystery without even realizing it?

When our team is working to rebuild family trees, quite often, the biggest obstacle we hit isn't the records—it's an unanswered inbox! The majority of messages we send looking for information that can help survivors and their children find family go unseen or unanswered.

We completely get it. Life is busy, and notifications on sites like Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Geni are easy to miss. But checking your messages and hitting "reply" can truly change a family’s life. Everybody loves a happy reunion story, but those reunions depend on the information we glean from people like you.

Why your reply matters, even if you think you know nothing:

🔹 Every bit of information counts: You might think you don't know enough about your family tree to help. But even mentioning a single surname or town may give our genealogists a huge clue that could help a Holocaust survivor.

🔹 Any reply is better than none at all: Saying “I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything” lets us know the message was received and allows us to move on rather than continuing to wonder.

🔹 It bridges the gap: When doing genealogical research, knowing how you don't connect can be just as valuable as knowing how you do!

Consider this your gentle, friendly reminder to log into your genealogy accounts this week! Take five minutes to scan your inbox. You never know who might be waiting on the other side of that message.

👉 Take a quick look at your genealogy inbox today! Is there an unexpected message waiting for you—maybe even from us? Let us know below!

06/09/2026

Messages like this make our day 💙

A little note from our inbox that absolutely made our week. 💙

Our follower, Alan, recently reached out to share that through MyHeritage, he discovered an entire branch of second cousins who had survived the Holocaust, mostly living in and around Budapest, Hungary. Because of that connection, he now has family photos spanning from the immediate post-war era to the present day, and a beautifully restored understanding of his paternal tree.

This is precisely why we started the Holocaust Reunion Project, and precisely why we provide free DNA testing to survivors and their children. We find over and over again that survivors often have family they do not know about, and DNA can connect them instantly. One tiny, curious step can unlock an entire generation of history and connection. 💛

👉 Are you a survivor or 2G who wants to learn more about expanding your DNA search or supporting our mission? Learn more and get involved at https://holocaustreunions.org

06/08/2026

Thrilled that John Lithgow took home a Tony Award for his role as Roald Dahl in Giant. Here's a 1962 yearbook entry for his role as Noah in the high school play.

06/05/2026

I just needed an excuse to post this exquisite photo and share my excitement for the release of Cowgirl!! But also, no names were changed at Ellis Island or any other port.

06/01/2026

Can't wait until ECGGC 2026! Hope to see you there!

These are the speakers for our East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference 2026.

Boston, Massachusetts and virtually
August 21st to August 23rd

This is a hybrid conference. All sessions will be available until the end of the year.

Register at https://ecggc.org/

05/26/2026

This is news 🫠.

"Jorjani [a philosophy PhD and science fiction writer] said on the American Alchemy podcast that the CIA, the nation's premier foreign intelligence agency, has a backdoor program that allows it to search through genetic testing companies such as 23andMe and Ancestry.com.

According to the author, the purpose is to look for individuals who have DNA ancestry tied to a race of aliens known as the Nordics, who allegedly look like extremely tall humans from Scandinavia, with blond hair, blue eyes and fair skin."

Absolutely above my pay grade 🥴, but inevitably, someone will freak out and choose not to take a DNA test because of it. Even shocking for the Daily Mail, but here we are.

https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-15845349/cia-ancestry-23andme-alien-dna.html

05/24/2026

Saw this exchange between an armchair sleuth and Kyle Cooke, so I wanted to weigh in. In short: You aren't going to find a record or even an indexed entry for Kyle and Amanda's marriage online. Unless you want to provide detailed information about Kyle and Amanda, send valid ID, pay $25 to the New Jersey Department of Health, or sue the state for a post-2016 index, you are out of luck. Many thanks to my friend for schooling me on the ridiculousness of acquiring New Jersey vital records.

05/22/2026

I still pinch myself regularly that we created such a beautiful initiative. Such an honor to do this work.

We are honored to reflect on a major milestone today. Two years ago, we announced to the world that the Holocaust Reunion Project was officially underway.

Did you know that since we began, we have facilitated the distribution of more than 1,500 free DNA kits to survivors and their children, enabling scores of successful connections?

The Holocaust Reunion Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Holocaust survivors and their children to find family and reclaim their histories by leveraging and harnessing the power of commercial DNA testing and genealogical research.

For more information about the Holocaust Reunion Project, to apply for a free DNA test, or to support our mission, please visit holocaustreunions.org.

05/21/2026

Delighted that Chabad.org shared this article from Rabbi Mendel Super about Mohave County Jane Doe who is fully Ashkenazi Jewish, calling for the community to submit DNA to GEDMatch, FTDNA, and/or DNA Justice. I had spoken to Rabbi Super about the obstacles in the case (and am quoted in the article), but know Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center will do everything they can to give her back her name.

https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/7372211/jewish/A-Western-Rabbis-Search-for-a-Murdered-Jewish-Womans-Identity.htm