I remember Brother Chadwick telling us time and time again that studying the Bible is much like studying your own family history, that those that don’t enjoy studying the Bible are doing themselves a disservice because this is truly part of their own family history, no matter where your family comes from. What he said struck a certain chord with me. I knew that my own family came from somewhere in Eastern Europe, but no one in my family including my grandpa really knows where his family came from when they migrated to the United States. While we neared the end of our tour of Yad Vashem: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center, a friend and I decided to go to the research center since this particular friend knew he had Jewish heritage. While sitting in front of a blank computer screen next to my friend, the research volunteer began to talk to me. She asked me if I was with the BYU group, and then asked me if I had tried searching on the computer for my own family names. I told her I hadn’t, but she still insisted on assisting me. I knew that my last name was unique and uncommon, and as I hit enter on the computer, four people who shared my last name pulled up. The information on these four individuals wasn’t extensive, but provided their birthplace, the death camp they passed away in, and even the names of their immediate family members who survived. While I still have not been able to find the direct line to their exact relation to me, I know that it was not a coincidence that I came across these names. This was a special experience for me that I will never forget.
-Michaela Luedtke,
Leave a Reply