Shalom Koray: 83-year-old Holocaust orphan reunites with family through DNA test

WARSAW, POLAND: An 83-year-old man, who spent his entire life unaware of his real name after being orphaned during the Holocaust, has finally discovered his true identity and reunited with his family, thanks to genealogy mapping.

Shalom Koray was a 2-year-old toddler when he was found abandoned on the war-torn streets of Warsaw, Poland, in 1943.

His family had been tragically killed by the Nazis, leaving him alone in a world gripped by chaos and destruction. 

How did Shalom Koray discover family in the US?

Koray was reportedly adopted by Lena Kuchler-Silberman, who gave him the non-Jewish name Piotr Korczak, effectively shielding him from the atrocities of the Holocaust.

Growing up, he was oblivious to the fact that he had surviving kin and was even unaware of his actual age.

However, a significant turn of events occurred in August 2023 when he decided to submit his DNA to the genealogy website, MyHeritage.

This led to the astonishing revelation that he had numerous relatives residing in the United States.

Shalom Koray's DNA test unearths a long-lost family bond

Among these newfound relatives was 77-year-old Ann Hellman from Charleston, South Carolina.

Last summer, Koray's life took a dramatic turn when he met Magdalena Smoczynska, a professor emeritus at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland.

Smoczynska, who had been researching the fate of Holocaust survivors who ended up in orphanages, approached Koray for a DNA sample for testing on MyHeritage.

This led to a match with Hellman.

With the help of MyHeritage genealogy expert Daniel Horowitz, it was discovered that Hellman's grandfather, Abrahm Louis Mednitzky Meddin, had emigrated to the US in 1893, unknowingly sparing his lineage from the impending Holocaust in Europe.

His brother, Yadidia Mednitsky, who stayed behind, was likely Koray's grandfather, as revealed by the DNA test. 

Hellman was elated to find out she was a second cousin to Koray. She expressed her excitement to Daily Mail describing the discovery as "a surprise and a gift."

Koray shared the sentiment, grinning broadly and describing it as "such an experience." He admitted, "I didn't know anything. If not for the DNA test, there's nothing."

A look into Shalom Koray's history

International Holocaust Remembrance Day, observed on January 27, honors the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp by the Red Army in 1945.

The day serves as a solemn reminder of the six million Jews, constituting two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population, and millions of others who were brutally murdered by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.

Koray, who was just a toddler during the Nazi invasion of Poland, reportedly has haunting early memories of an uprising, burning buildings, and being left alone on the streets.

Lena Kuchler-Silberman, recognized as a Holocaust Hero by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, sheltered Koray and 100 other Jewish orphans in her orphanage in Zakopane, Poland after World War II.

In 1949, Koray moved to Israel, adopted the name Shalom Koray, and settled in a kibbutz in the Jordan Valley. He worked as a driver of a truck for the next 35 years. 

According to Hellman's understanding of her family history, Yadidia and his entire family were tragically killed in the Holocaust, leaving no survivors.

The first time she saw a photo of Koray, she was taken aback by his striking resemblance to her family.

In July, Koray is set to journey to Charleston to meet Hellman and the rest of her family in person.

Hellman expressed her excitement, saying, "He is going to meet so many family members resembling him. The fact that I can give him a family. It is an awesome wonderful feeling," per Daily Mail. 

Internet reacts to 'amazing' reunion of Shalom Koray

A Facebook user wrote, "What an amazing story. So happy for them both."

"Wonderful news!" noted another. 

A user brought up the issue of Palestine and Israel, "But no lessons learned in Palestine. Or have they?"

Others commented on Koray's history with a user stating on YouTube, "Oh this just warms my heart. I feel so bad that he lost so many. The heartbreak stays forever."

"What a lovely story. God bless the lady who rescued those children," said another

"This is a wonderful discovery!" mentioned another. 

One person claimed, "What a miracle! Really defies the odds…."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.