Long-lost family reunion
DNA TESTING PRESENT REVEALS WOMAN HAS AUNTS IN THE USA
A NORTH East woman has met family members she did not know existed for the first time – after a DNA match.
Clare Reay was given a MyHeritage DNA kit for her birthday and completed the test, hoping to learn about her mum’s background. But little did she expect to find two aunts in America, and discover how their families had separated during the Second World War.
Clare’s mum Eva, who was also known as Evelyn, was born in a concentration camp in Germany but became separated from her mother Dora Rapaport.
After the war, Eva was taken to an orphanage in Israel and was adopted at the age of around seven, moving to Britain in 1953.
The family settled in the e
UK, with Eva going on to o marry North East man n George Reay. Their daughter r Clare, who grew up in Jes- mond, Newcastle, says Eva a was never able to find d out what happened to o Dora. Howeve r Clare was s shocked to discover that Eva, who died of cancer in 2014, had two sisters – Dena Morris, 73, and Jean Gerhart, 75, living in Louisville, Ohio. Clare, 53, who works in administration, said: “During the war, Dora was arrested and taken with her parents to a concentration camp in Germany.
“They were imprisoned until the end of the war and were moved to different diff camps. “At some point, she gave birth to Eva, my mum. But my mum never had a birth certificate and she never knew her date of birth.
“Mum had one document that said she was born at the BergenBelsen concentration camp in 1945.
“We don’t know if that was correct. That’s all she knew. There was no other information, no records.
“When I did the DNA test, I was interested in finding out my mother’s background. But I never thought any more of it. Then I got an email from a woman in Ohio who said ‘I think I’m your aunt. You are my sister’s daughter.’
“I sent an email back asking about the circumstances. And she said her sister was born in a concentration camp.
“We swapped pictures and the similarities were too great. There is no denying the family resemblance.”
With help from the MyHeritage research team, Clare found out that her grandmother Dora had moved to America after the war and her other two daughters Dena and Jean grew up there.
Clare’s aunts knew they had a sister but did not know where Eva was and had been searching for her their entire lives.
The DNA test helped them find their niece in the North East of England.
They finally got to meet face-toface after Clare, from Bedlington, Northumberland, flew to the US to see them in November.
Her plans to fly to America had to be cancelled two times due to the pandemic. And it was a race against time for Clare, as she learned that Dena had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and was having treatment.
After the reunion, the women said the experience “completed us”.
Clare said the moment was “incredibly bittersweet” as her mum was not there and would have loved to see her sisters.
“I was just so excited to see them,” said Clare. “It was really lovely. I felt comfortable straight away. It was like we had known each other for years.”
We swapped pictures and the similarities were too great. There is no denying the family resemblance