“My job is to imagine, and I’ve never been able to get a hold of that.” A powerful statement. Tell us a story of when you've been inspired by your ancestor's strength.
My great grandfathers sister was adopted out in the early 1910’s in New Brunswick Canada after their mother passed. They were of indigenous descent; so as my great grandfather was kept because he was of working age (but there’s a suspicion he went to a day school) she was placed in an orphanage run by the church and government; a place also known as a residential school. She lived there until she was old enough to live on her own. She never married or had children and met my great grandfather when they were in their 70’s-80’s. They both passed not long after meeting 💔
My family always claims to be about 80% of people who were killed in the salem whitch trials. I dont know how true this is, but quite scary to imagine. Getting killed for, well, nothing.
My father served in WW2 liberating the concentration camps in Germany. He told me that when his platoon entered one of the camps, it was like walking into a nightmare that you could not wake up from. Dead bodies and the smell was just awful. Many of the survivors were just barely alive and were in need of help. 2/3's of my mother's family died in the concentration camps. My mother, grandmother, uncle and two grand aunts were the only survivors because they were sent to factories as slave labor. It was so heartbreaking to see Mandy Patinkin having to see what happened to members of his family. My mother would not talk about what happened in Germany, but my father did tell me. I told my other siblings after my parents passed away and there was utter silence. This is never a pleasant subject, but it has to be told.
Dear god, the sights your dad must have seen is just heartbreaking to contemplate…must have haunted him for the rest of his life. He must’ve been pretty reluctant to share this information with you. Hope he’s doing okay up there.
@@flannerymonaghan-morris4825 He met my mother who was forced labor along with her mother, brother and two aunts. They were the only surviving members of her family. They didn't talk much about what happened in Germany.
Hearing Mr. Patinkin's cry and how he wept for his fathers family hurt to the core. My heart goes out to him and what they had to endure. Sending my prayers to you sir as you try to find peace in knowing this sad and unbearable truth. 💔🙏😞
The holocaust, the Japanese internment camps, the slaves, the native Americans, the indentured servants, etc. In the 20th century there were 16 instances of genocide. Anytime a society demonizes a subset of the population, separating the population, this happens. It has throughout history.
And to think we had mexican children in cages just a few years ago in America. People should be ashamed about what they will allow these days if it doesnt directly affect them.
Okay, I just teared up at Mandy's sob. How tragic and sad to see one of the greatest actors of our time grieving the cousin he never knew he had. I have no words.
I cried along with him. I had a friend the 1950’s who had come from Poland to our country . Her mother talked about Poland. Her husband and two sons had been killed there. Only her and her daughter (my friend) came to the USA. They had lived a most terrible life. She was so proud to be a US citizen.
Oh Mandy No words. Hugs,, my friend. We met after a superb performance in Lansing, Mi, a few years ago. My daughter Allison & I were so in awe of your talents which you so generously shared that magical evening.
People protect themselves by not discussing things like this. They might not have known, but they probably knew in their hearts. He learned something so tragic about his family, but he has so many loving moments to pass on too.
It's a lost part of post-Holocaust history that when survivors set up new lives in the U.S. and Israel, in many cases they didn't talk about the Holocaust. In Israel, many of the new arrivals were looked down upon by those who had already been living there-- they were seen as weak at a moment that that new society was militarizing. In the U.S., it was part of the repression of the 1950s. The trauma was just too great to be processed immediately.
I have to admire his courage -- willing to get to the truth, willing to have his great sorrow on display. Most people would create a safe buffer to shield themselves from horrific news.
Dear God what a shock that must have been. My step grandmother is Jewish and I just can’t imagine someone wanting to harm such a sweet and gentle woman. She was so kind and soft spoken, and always took care of me even though I was completely unrelated to her.
My grandfather was a prisoner in a concentration camp for more than two years. He was Catholic, and I'm not entirely sure why he was sent there since family stories are rarely accurate. I recently found a letter he wrote about his time in the camp. It was heartbreaking, but I'm so very proud of him.
That was extremely powerful. When said toward the end, "At the beginning I didn't know why I was asking", I realized have been going through a very similar inquiry myself. It's as if we have a longing to fill in the blanks about family. It's as if we must put something from the past to rest, more so for them, as opposed to ourselves.
After doing my own research I as well have direct ancestors who have died in the holocaust as well. It really gives you perspective on your life. Makes you grateful for your life. It’s also scary to see the direction this country is going these days.
The majority of my family were murdered at Auschwitz. Those who were lucky enough to survive came to live in America, until they immigrated to Israel. My family was lucky enough to know who survived and who perished.
I hesitate to "thumb up" your comment because of your family being murdered, but would thumb up that there were survivors. So, instead, I'll say may the souls of your family rest in peace, knowing they'll never be forgotten.
@@adedow1333 My mother and her sisters visited the remains of a concentration camp at Dachau in Germany in the summer of 2011, as part of a tour package that included Austria. She also could not describe her horror
It’s possible he didn’t know. They may have lost contact, they might have assumed but it’s entirely possible they truly didn’t know for sure. Either he knew and was too heartbroken to speak of it or they weren’t sure. The new records becoming available has really helped many new people put their ancestry puzzles together.
His family NEVER spoke of the Holocaust probably a defense mechanism to protect them from reliving the horrors of the holocaust, and remembering how many never made it out of the concentration camps.. I also suppose a lot of them suffered from "Survivors Guilt" I can't image going through all of that horror..
@@Altesse47 - The world only knew what the Nazi's propaganda pictures and films showed about the camps, the truth didn't come out until a year or so after the war started. Pictures and films of the true horror of those camps were smuggled out of Germany and other countries that had camps in them. At first the media didn't want to believe what they were seeing, but as more smuggled images and films came in they were forced to face reality. During this time their was no mail service from Europe to the outside world the only information was that which was smuggled out. I don't think his older family members had any idea who lived and who died in those camps, but they knew the horrific things were being done in those camps.
He clearly said that he did not know. He said that he had been there and that he did not believe any member of his family dies in that. His reaction is probably because he was at the site of their murder and did don't know and did not pay them the proper respect. He said that his job is to imagine, he has never been able to imagine. I reckon, from his reaction that he is now able to imagine bc it is now personal. Anyway, his reaction is heartbreaking.
I visited many of the concentration camps when I was in Germany and unfortunately it’s something I will never forget. To touch the barracks and walk inside the gas chambers was almost too much for me. I pretty much cried the entirety of my visit. Absolutely unfathomable what they did.
As an elder of the extended Patinkin family, A few facts in Mandy’s story are, his grandfather Max was with his brother David in New York ( not his uncle).Max went on to Chicago. And David went back to Poland. In Poland, before world War 2, David, his wife and 1 daughter were murdered in a robbery in their home. Three other children weren’t home, Harold, Deborah and Lazar. Harold and Deborah came to America before the war. It was Lazar and his family who perished in Treblinka along with 2500 men, women and children from Bransk. Where both my mother and father left in the 1920’s. David’s son Lazar,wife and children were the only Patinkins murdered in the Churban, Holocaust. Totally random genocide of Jews being in wrong place at wrong time……,MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE FOR A BLESSING
And because I am first generation Patinkin this story about Lazar and family only Patinkins murdered in Holocaust, was never told to the children along with other very painful life in old country. I practically begged for my parents to stories ….it just was mostly painful😢
Mandy's not mad that his grandfather hid this because it really isn't something anyone really wants to share with their children because of how painful it must be. Mandy even says he can't imagine the cruelty of the Holocaust, which for his grandfather's generation is a blessing that must be protected. And Mandy never lied about his family members dying in the tragedy either in all those interviews since he showed he didn't actually know if anyone did. He explained it very clearly. Now he does and if someone asks in another interview, he can tell them how he learned this information.
The profound thing is that we cannot really relate to these huge historical human events unless we or someone related to us experienced it as in this example. Generally, we all know of the holocaust but we all cannot relate it to ourselves without a human connection being at the event. This video demonstrates this. I shed tears seeing this but I know my tears were not of any deep loss of a loved one like this man, only sympathy...God is too grand in creating humanity for me to understand🤏🏽
OMG.... how terrible that must have been for his family. I begin to imagine the fear and helplessness they felt. In the days coming I will think about this.
I saw your interesting & highly emotional interview on "Finding Your Roots", tonight. I laughed over the woman with the high pitched voice & cried with your losses throughout the Holocaust. What losses they must have been for you to have survived to still be effected so profoundly all these years later. In your closing lines you spoke about your journey & how important & deeply felt it is to you. I hope filling in some of the empty places will help you in completing your journey. Off point-you are a great actor-keep acting-for many reasons.
I loved Mandy in dead like me he’s a brilliant actor and a nice guy I’m sorry he had to find out such an awful history to his family. I found out one of my ancestors was a policeman and died in a German bombing raid in the war that really upset me. I tried to get hold of a photo of him but the police didn’t have anything of the station he served at left so no pictures.
This episode hurt my heart! You can literally see the pain in this man's face and body! He literally had no idea that his family had been part of the Holocaust!
I traced my ancestry and you get to know your relatives and build a relationship learning their story so even though i know they have passed when i find the evidence of their passing I weep and mourn. I wept with Mandy too knowing they passed yet shocked they were part of the words most horrific hate crimes against humanity is a different matter
I had a good friend and many who were jewish. It was the 70s and I went to a holiday party and the elders all spoke of the holocast as if it happened yesterday and to remember. I knew it happened but was so young and ignorant I did not realise this happened in their life times. I kept ears my eyes open after that and learned a lot for a gentile. They were telling their stories.
Parents who did not tell their children or grandchildren about how their families perished in the Holocaust, did so because they wanted them to grow up strong and not harmed by the horrors that had already befallen them. People I know, whose parents were Holocaust survivors, said that even though their parents never talked about it, the children still absorbed their trauma, which they probably unwittingly passed on to the next generation.
He was not told because what happened was heartbreaking...soul destroying...and those that loved him wanted him to grow up without that horror weighing down his childhood. It was never mentioned out of love. His parents were giving him the gift of a "normal" childhood.
It happens alot in families not talking about what happened. Doing my Genealogy I found out my great grandfather was Jewish he married a Irish woman... I have Jewish ancestry way back and didn't even know it tell recently and I'm in my sixties. My grandmother never talked about it, her father was from France.
My Jewish ancestors escaped Russia & Austria, I too as a child asked many questions and was given no answers. Too painful? trying to protect us? both...will never know
And it’s crazy to think how we live in a world where everyone shares everything that a lot of us grew up with family members that didn’t talk about the holocaust or World War II or Vietnam just think of what we don’t know from them
Very sad. Great uncle of mine, whom I never met as he passed away before I was born, was in the Army in WWII but never spoke about it. He’d get angry at my grandfather whenever my grandfather brought it up. There’s one photo of my great uncle I have from end of WWII. By looking up his unit patch, he basically went through hell. Fought in the Huertgen forest and his unit was one of the first to discover the concentration camps right after that. Absolutely horrifying. It’s a real interesting photo too because him and my grandfather were only about 3 years apart in age. Grandfather looked like 19-20 years old because he was. Great uncle looked like he was 30.
Thanks so much for taking the time to commemorate your great uncle, Chris. We understand that the stories learned from such a dark time in history can be harrowing, but it's so important to learn about too. We're glad you were able to learn some insights into your great uncles military history through the photo you found. We hope you can continue to share his story for generations to come. Thank you so much for watching, and have a great day as well.
@@AncestryUS thank you! It’s a good thing I have that photo because his records burned up in 1973. Apparently there was a large fire that burned up millions and unfortunately his was one of them. By luck, my uncle found that photo. Other interesting things in that photo was he’d always say he drove trucks which was technically true but his unit was mechanized infantry so he did more than drive trucks. Plus he’s wearing his uniform like they did in infantry. I need to color the photo because he’s only wearing 3 ribbons on his uniform. Based on pattern one looks like the Croix de Guerre with oak palm. Being military myself, I know you only have to wear the top three ribbons. Picture can tell a thousand words.
That's so true, Chris! A photograph possesses the rare quality of being able to transport us back in time and we're so pleased that this cherished photo avoided this fire back in the 1970's. We'd also recommend taking a look at our colorization tool for photos available on site if you've yet to do so. This can breath new life into old photo's and you can learn more about it here: bit.ly/3lL8azO . Thanks again for sharing this glimpse into your own family history and please call by to visit us again anytime.
U.S. people born here can never imagine what people in Europe went through from WW1 and WW2 And the poverty of central and south America. Laws were different back then regarding coming to the US
Im sad, looking for records in family search from, Colombia, there is nothing from Boyaca and Cundinamarca, so I can not find my ancestors. Can someone help me?
That shouldn't have happened. Human beings... what a crime what a horrible man whom claimed to be a leader whom was a dictator decided to kill Human beings. I'm so sorry 😞 😔 no one should ever had to bear such a great loss as that in one's life. 😢
He had plenty of people who stood shoulder to shoulder with Hitler and helped engineer the many stages of annihilating the Jews and other undesirables. Hitler was not considered a dictator as he had many eager followers. As well as many officers in his ranks who assisted with everything up until the Final Solution. The Nuremberg Trials took care of many people who needed to be brought to trial, apart from those who unfortunately escaped.
“My job is to imagine, and I’ve never been able to get a hold of that.” A powerful statement. Tell us a story of when you've been inspired by your ancestor's strength.
Gave me chills
My great grandfathers sister was adopted out in the early 1910’s in New Brunswick Canada after their mother passed.
They were of indigenous descent; so as my great grandfather was kept because he was of working age (but there’s a suspicion he went to a day school) she was placed in an orphanage run by the church and government; a place also known as a residential school.
She lived there until she was old enough to live on her own. She never married or had children and met my great grandfather when they were in their 70’s-80’s. They both passed not long after meeting 💔
My family always claims to be about 80% of people who were killed in the salem whitch trials. I dont know how true this is, but quite scary to imagine. Getting killed for, well, nothing.
It's truly heartbreaking.
Mandy Patinkin is one of the most soulful actors of our time. He’s a true human being.
If you haven't already check out his hilarious, poignant youtube channel. No really, you don't have 2 thank me. 😁
@@rheeryder2524 I follow him on TikTok but didn’t know he was on YT.
Agreed!!!
I admire his talent so much. When he broke, I broke with him.
My father served in WW2 liberating the concentration camps in Germany. He told me that when his platoon entered one of the camps, it was like walking into a nightmare that you could not wake up from. Dead bodies and the smell was just awful. Many of the survivors were just barely alive and were in need of help. 2/3's of my mother's family died in the concentration camps. My mother, grandmother, uncle and two grand aunts were the only survivors because they were sent to factories as slave labor. It was so heartbreaking to see Mandy Patinkin having to see what happened to members of his family. My mother would not talk about what happened in Germany, but my father did tell me. I told my other siblings after my parents passed away and there was utter silence. This is never a pleasant subject, but it has to be told.
Dear god, the sights your dad must have seen is just heartbreaking to contemplate…must have haunted him for the rest of his life. He must’ve been pretty reluctant to share this information with you. Hope he’s doing okay up there.
@@flannerymonaghan-morris4825 He met my mother who was forced labor along with her mother, brother and two aunts. They were the only surviving members of her family. They didn't talk much about what happened in Germany.
Thank you for sharing your family's story.
@@jeffschrade4779 You are welcome.
God Bless
Hearing Mr. Patinkin's cry and how he wept for his fathers family hurt to the core. My heart goes out to him and what they had to endure. Sending my prayers to you sir as you try to find peace in knowing this sad and unbearable truth. 💔🙏😞
Thank you for sharing this with us. ❤️
This is heartbreaking. If you're reading this please remember: "he (or she) who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it!"
heartbreaking is the right word..and I join his fear for the world right now.
If anyone finds out their ancestors went through something so monstrous would make almost anyone break like him.
The holocaust, the Japanese internment camps, the slaves, the native Americans, the indentured servants, etc. In the 20th century there were 16 instances of genocide.
Anytime a society demonizes a subset of the population, separating the population, this happens. It has throughout history.
Amen!
And to think we had mexican children in cages just a few years ago in America. People should be ashamed about what they will allow these days if it doesnt directly affect them.
Okay, I just teared up at Mandy's sob. How tragic and sad to see one of the greatest actors of our time grieving the cousin he never knew he had. I have no words.
I teared up as well. My heart broke for him.
Hi Kim, thank you for watching this video! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed it.
@@AncestryUS You really need to rethink your canned responses. This one is just wrong.
@@ohana8535 agreed. This automated response is very insensitive.
This is why I am humbled to be a teacher of the Holocaust. May we never repeat the unimaginable.❤️
Please keep letting our students know. We lose more and more survivors each year.
come and teach people here in the UK please.
@@biegebythesea6775was coming here to comment the EXACT same thing.
As soon as he started crying, I just wanted to give him a big hug.
When he broke down crying, I wished I could hug him. I did get to meet him and Patti LuPone years ago in Los Angeles. They were so sweet and gracious.
I cried along with him. I had a friend the 1950’s who had come from Poland to our country . Her mother talked about Poland. Her husband and two sons had been killed there. Only her and her daughter (my friend) came to the USA. They had lived a most terrible life. She was so proud to be a US citizen.
Oh Mandy
No words.
Hugs,, my friend.
We met after a superb performance in Lansing, Mi, a few years ago. My daughter Allison & I were so in awe of your talents which you so generously shared that magical evening.
Man's inhumanity to man has no horrific boundaries. May every child , woman , and man lost find everlasting peace.
People protect themselves by not discussing things like this. They might not have known, but they probably knew in their hearts. He learned something so tragic about his family, but he has so many loving moments to pass on too.
It's a lost part of post-Holocaust history that when survivors set up new lives in the U.S. and Israel, in many cases they didn't talk about the Holocaust. In Israel, many of the new arrivals were looked down upon by those who had already been living there-- they were seen as weak at a moment that that new society was militarizing. In the U.S., it was part of the repression of the 1950s. The trauma was just too great to be processed immediately.
I can’t imagine how much pain this caused him, but I feel he was thankful to get this information.
If only there was video of how he responded.
I have to admire his courage -- willing to get to the truth, willing to have his great sorrow on display. Most people would create a safe buffer to shield themselves from horrific news.
@@rr7firefly Yeah, I'm sure he struggled with the decision.
That he managed to read that horrific information aloud and hold together until he was finished is a testament to his skill as an actor.
Dear God what a shock that must have been. My step grandmother is Jewish and I just can’t imagine someone wanting to harm such a sweet and gentle woman. She was so kind and soft spoken, and always took care of me even though I was completely unrelated to her.
That broke my heart. You could see the man imagining what his family went through. Really terrible what people can do to other people.
Is Unthinkable that this really happen... prayers for all these souls lost.. Mandy, sending a big hug to you.
Here's a big hug from me to Mandy, too.
So moving. It's as if you feel and know his pain. We're related in so many ways, we all lost relatives to this horror and others before.
My grandfather was a prisoner in a concentration camp for more than two years. He was Catholic, and I'm not entirely sure why he was sent there since family stories are rarely accurate. I recently found a letter he wrote about his time in the camp. It was heartbreaking, but I'm so very proud of him.
To see Inigo Montoya cry as he has breaks my heart as is his.
That was extremely powerful. When said toward the end, "At the beginning I didn't know why I was asking", I realized have been going through a very similar inquiry myself. It's as if we have a longing to fill in the blanks about family. It's as if we must put something from the past to rest, more so for them, as opposed to ourselves.
His tears are my tears, his heart is my heart. The world still cries for those who have died before their time.
Not really
Yes I agree.
Absolutely
70 years of being a secret just hit him. It hurts to watch.
@@norwaydude4798
Why? Do you hate anyone who’s not anglophone?
After doing my own research I as well have direct ancestors who have died in the holocaust as well. It really gives you perspective on your life. Makes you grateful for your life. It’s also scary to see the direction this country is going these days.
The majority of my family were murdered at Auschwitz. Those who were lucky enough to survive came to live in America, until they immigrated to Israel. My family was lucky enough to know who survived and who perished.
I hesitate to "thumb up" your comment because of your family being murdered, but would thumb up that there were survivors. So, instead, I'll say may the souls of your family rest in peace, knowing they'll never be forgotten.
I've been to Auschwitz. I cannot describe my horror.
@@adedow1333 My mother and her sisters visited the remains of a concentration camp at Dachau in Germany in the summer of 2011, as part of a tour package that included Austria. She also could not describe her horror
Really? Hardly felt anything, but noticed it was extremely clean
Wasn't just Jews, my Italian cousins and their parents were torn apart by dogs for being Jewish sympathisers.
oh my gosh
I just love Mandy Patinkin. He seems like such a lovely, sensitive soul.
Very sad and painful. We must not repeat history. I am horrified of what happened then, but also that some people deny that it happened.
It’s possible he didn’t know. They may have lost contact, they might have assumed but it’s entirely possible they truly didn’t know for sure. Either he knew and was too heartbroken to speak of it or they weren’t sure. The new records becoming available has really helped many new people put their ancestry puzzles together.
I think his favorite knew but kept it from him.
His family NEVER spoke of the Holocaust probably a defense mechanism to protect them from reliving the horrors of the holocaust, and remembering how many never made it out of the concentration camps.. I also suppose a lot of them suffered from "Survivors Guilt" I can't image going through all of that horror..
@@Altesse47 - The world only knew what the Nazi's propaganda pictures and films showed about the camps, the truth didn't come out until a year or so after the war started. Pictures and films of the true horror of those camps were smuggled out of Germany and other countries that had camps in them. At first the media didn't want to believe what they were seeing, but as more smuggled images and films came in they were forced to face reality. During this time their was no mail service from Europe to the outside world the only information was that which was smuggled out. I don't think his older family members had any idea who lived and who died in those camps, but they knew the horrific things were being done in those camps.
He clearly said that he did not know. He said that he had been there and that he did not believe any member of his family dies in that. His reaction is probably because he was at the site of their murder and did don't know and did not pay them the proper respect. He said that his job is to imagine, he has never been able to imagine. I reckon, from his reaction that he is now able to imagine bc it is now personal. Anyway, his reaction is heartbreaking.
This broke my heart . I so admire Mandy . Great actor great human
God remembers, Mandy. Hugs to you.
I visited many of the concentration camps when I was in Germany and unfortunately it’s something I will never forget. To touch the barracks and walk inside the gas chambers was almost too much for me. I pretty much cried the entirety of my visit. Absolutely unfathomable what they did.
And yet we are headed that way here in the US.
@@ohana8535 What are you talking about?? We don't have gas chambers and crematoriums in America! And never will!
Which camps in Germany?
@@skontheroad Yeah, the German public said the same thing in the early 30's
To deny this is disgusting. My heart is hurting and I can't stop crying. The inhumanity.
@keno2285 I'm woke. Deal.
Mandy Patinkin, such a sensitive soul.
As an elder of the extended Patinkin family, A few facts in Mandy’s story are, his grandfather Max was with his brother David in New York ( not his uncle).Max went on to Chicago. And David went back to Poland. In Poland, before world War 2, David, his wife and 1 daughter were murdered in a robbery in their home. Three other children weren’t home, Harold, Deborah and Lazar. Harold and Deborah came to America before the war. It was Lazar and his family who perished in Treblinka along with 2500 men, women and children from Bransk. Where both my mother and father left in the 1920’s. David’s son Lazar,wife and children were the only Patinkins murdered in the Churban, Holocaust. Totally random genocide of Jews being in wrong place at wrong time……,MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE FOR A BLESSING
And because I am first generation Patinkin this story about Lazar and family only Patinkins murdered in Holocaust, was never told to the children along with other very painful life in old country. I practically begged for my parents to stories ….it just was mostly painful😢
Mandy's not mad that his grandfather hid this because it really isn't something anyone really wants to share with their children because of how painful it must be. Mandy even says he can't imagine the cruelty of the Holocaust, which for his grandfather's generation is a blessing that must be protected.
And Mandy never lied about his family members dying in the tragedy either in all those interviews since he showed he didn't actually know if anyone did. He explained it very clearly. Now he does and if someone asks in another interview, he can tell them how he learned this information.
The profound thing is that we cannot really relate to these huge historical human events unless we or someone related to us experienced it as in this example. Generally, we all know of the holocaust but we all cannot relate it to ourselves without a human connection being at the event. This video demonstrates this. I shed tears seeing this but I know my tears were not of any deep loss of a loved one like this man, only sympathy...God is too grand in creating humanity for me to understand🤏🏽
NO ONE SHOULD EVER FORGET!!!
My heart is breaking too 💔😭
It has truly broke my heart to see your tears hear the agony in your words.
The thing that hits me hardest is that happened only ten years before he was born.
OMG.... how terrible that must have been for his family. I begin to imagine the fear and helplessness they felt. In the days coming I will think about this.
Mandy is one of the best. I always loved how he is. Kind and decent. 😔
I saw your interesting & highly emotional interview on "Finding Your Roots", tonight. I laughed over the woman with the high pitched voice & cried with your losses throughout the Holocaust. What losses they must have
been for you to have survived to still be effected so profoundly all these years later. In your closing lines you spoke about your journey & how important & deeply felt it is to you. I hope filling in some of the empty places will help you in completing your journey.
Off point-you are a great actor-keep acting-for many reasons.
Easily the most emotional reaction I've yet to see 😭
Thanks for sharing. It was indeed a very emotional episode.
I wanted to reach through and comfort him as he cried 😔
I loved Mandy in dead like me he’s a brilliant actor and a nice guy I’m sorry he had to find out such an awful history to his family. I found out one of my ancestors was a policeman and died in a German bombing raid in the war that really upset me. I tried to get hold of a photo of him but the police didn’t have anything of the station he served at left so no pictures.
His cry hurt my heart...just heartbreaking. 😢
This episode hurt my heart! You can literally see the pain in this man's face and body! He literally had no idea that his family had been part of the Holocaust!
I traced my ancestry and you get to know your relatives and build a relationship learning their story so even though i know they have passed when i find the evidence of their passing I weep and mourn. I wept with Mandy too knowing they passed yet shocked they were part of the words most horrific hate crimes against humanity is a different matter
I had a good friend and many who were jewish. It was the 70s and I went to a holiday party and the elders all spoke of the holocast as if it happened yesterday and to remember. I knew it happened but was so young and ignorant I did not realise this happened in their life times. I kept ears my eyes open after that and learned a lot for a gentile. They were telling their stories.
I met him in the Upper West side in NYC. Very humble and nice guy 😊
No matter your age it is heavy knowledge for anyone, especially a child.
I cry every time I watch videos about the holocaust, the atrocities are mind bending and soul tearing
Parents who did not tell their children or grandchildren about how their families perished in the Holocaust, did so because they wanted them to grow up strong and not harmed by the horrors that had already befallen them. People I know, whose parents were Holocaust survivors, said that even though their parents never talked about it, the children still absorbed their trauma, which they probably unwittingly passed on to the next generation.
I am sorry for your loss Mandy
Dear God. I have no words. Blessings upon the Patinkin family, past and present.
Hi Pat, thanks for stopping by. We hope you enjoyed the video!
I cried along with Mandy.
So, so sorry for your loss. My heart breaks with you.
1942..80 yrs ago..Just 80 years ago! this happened to Jewish people
Thankfully they're still trying those responsible for their crimes.
Never, ever forget.
Great...
Love Patankin...
Great Actor
A truly great actor. Masterful.
My heart broke with him as he read about his ancestors' death. 💔😭
Uff, he hit my heart, I wept for him when it sank in and he broke down
Hi Angela, thanks for watching!
He was not told because what happened was heartbreaking...soul destroying...and those that loved him wanted him to grow up without that horror weighing down his childhood. It was never mentioned out of love. His parents were giving him the gift of a "normal" childhood.
Much as we would like to believe this was a horror of WW II the same has happened and is still happening.
I love this man.
His youtube channel brought me here.
Heart wrenching. So sad. God Bless...
We are now repeating history
Thanks for sharing.
Heart wrenching.
It happens alot in families not talking about what happened. Doing my Genealogy I found out my great grandfather was Jewish he married a Irish woman...
I have Jewish ancestry way back and didn't even know it tell recently and I'm in my sixties. My grandmother never talked about it, her father was from France.
Heartbreaking
Heart wrenching ♥️🙏🏼
Thanks for sharing this with us, Wendy. We're glad you enjoyed the clip.
He is such a wonderfully emotion good human being.
We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed this story from Finding your Roots, thanks so much for stopping by!
My Jewish ancestors escaped Russia & Austria, I too as a child asked many questions and was given no answers. Too painful? trying to protect us? both...will never know
I cried with him.
Just wow
And it’s crazy to think how we live in a world where everyone shares everything that a lot of us grew up with family members that didn’t talk about the holocaust or World War II or Vietnam just think of what we don’t know from them
לבי נשבר כישראלית גאה וכיהודיה.
I'm so sorry for you and all the Jewish people that suffered so.....
Oh damn, his cry made me cry 💔
Very sad. Great uncle of mine, whom I never met as he passed away before I was born, was in the Army in WWII but never spoke about it. He’d get angry at my grandfather whenever my grandfather brought it up. There’s one photo of my great uncle I have from end of WWII. By looking up his unit patch, he basically went through hell. Fought in the Huertgen forest and his unit was one of the first to discover the concentration camps right after that. Absolutely horrifying. It’s a real interesting photo too because him and my grandfather were only about 3 years apart in age. Grandfather looked like 19-20 years old because he was. Great uncle looked like he was 30.
Thanks so much for taking the time to commemorate your great uncle, Chris. We understand that the stories learned from such a dark time in history can be harrowing, but it's so important to learn about too. We're glad you were able to learn some insights into your great uncles military history through the photo you found. We hope you can continue to share his story for generations to come. Thank you so much for watching, and have a great day as well.
@@AncestryUS thank you! It’s a good thing I have that photo because his records burned up in 1973. Apparently there was a large fire that burned up millions and unfortunately his was one of them. By luck, my uncle found that photo. Other interesting things in that photo was he’d always say he drove trucks which was technically true but his unit was mechanized infantry so he did more than drive trucks. Plus he’s wearing his uniform like they did in infantry. I need to color the photo because he’s only wearing 3 ribbons on his uniform. Based on pattern one looks like the Croix de Guerre with oak palm. Being military myself, I know you only have to wear the top three ribbons. Picture can tell a thousand words.
That's so true, Chris! A photograph possesses the rare quality of being able to transport us back in time and we're so pleased that this cherished photo avoided this fire back in the 1970's. We'd also recommend taking a look at our colorization tool for photos available on site if you've yet to do so. This can breath new life into old photo's and you can learn more about it here: bit.ly/3lL8azO .
Thanks again for sharing this glimpse into your own family history and please call by to visit us again anytime.
Half of my family was murdered in the Holocaust including my grandfather and my uncle, but it is still too hard to grasp.
Mr. Patinkin, I cry with you ...
Think it can't happen here in the US? Think again. There are people that still follow that ideology, right here. And they have supporters high up.
U.S. people born here can never imagine what people in Europe went through from WW1 and WW2
And the poverty of central and south America.
Laws were different back then regarding coming to the US
His emotions BOILED OVER.
It is hard to find out about something so disturbing.
Im sad, looking for records in family search from, Colombia, there is nothing from Boyaca and Cundinamarca, so I can not find my ancestors. Can someone help me?
That was heartbreaking
I just wanted to reach through the screen & hug him.
When Mandy broke down... I broke down :(
Hi Robert, Thank you for watching!
I am a bit confused. How did Mandy's grandparents get out? Did they emigrate before 1942?
Treblinka wasn't a concentration camp; it was a death camp. Few survived.
It is so weird seeing him without beard
That shouldn't have happened. Human beings... what a crime what a horrible man whom claimed to be a leader whom was a dictator decided to kill Human beings. I'm so sorry 😞 😔 no one should ever had to bear such a great loss as that in one's life. 😢
He had plenty of people who stood shoulder to shoulder with Hitler and helped engineer the many stages of annihilating the Jews and other undesirables. Hitler was not considered a dictator as he had many eager followers. As well as many officers in his ranks who assisted with everything up until the Final Solution. The Nuremberg Trials took care of many people who needed to be brought to trial, apart from those who unfortunately escaped.
My heart hurts for this man.
Tears