August 29, 1939.

September 1, 1939.

These two dates are as much a part of Clara Zukrow as the day she was born in Hungary. August 29 was the day Clara’s family arrived in New York. September 1 is the date Adolf Hitler invaded Poland.

Most of Clara’s aunts, uncles and cousins were killed because of that fateful September day. Because of their family business, Clara and her parents were spared. In the 1930s, Clara’s parents were running their own grain import and export firm. During frequent business trips to Germany, Clara’s dad saw what lay in store for his country and Jewish family.

Knowing they had to leave for their small daughter’s sake, Clara’s parents made arrangements to travel to the United States. At the time, they could not have known how crucial their timing was---if they had waited, they may not have survived. Tragically, many of their relatives stayed, and were killed in concentration camps.

Clara’s parents never knew exactly how many of their family they lost, or who. They were given tidbits of information from other immigrants, but did not have the resources to find out the fate of their brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews.

Fifty-three years later, Clara heard about the Red Cross tracing service, which assists individuals searching for family members killed or displaced because of the Holocaust and war. She knew it was a long shot, but she decided that this was her chance to get answers. She called her local Red Cross chapter and asked workers to find her cousin, who was only four-years-old at the time of the Holocaust.

Because of international instability and limited record access, her quest for answers took years. She thought her cousin was probably not alive, so Clara was patient.

“I hadn’t heard about him. I wanted to know,” she says simply.

In 2009, her worst fears were confirmed: her cousin, Miklos, was killed at Auschwitz. Clara was saddened, but took heart in the fact that she had answers, and documentation she could not have found on her own.

The Holocaust War Victims Tracing Center (HWVTC) also provided certificates about other members of her mother’s family, like her grandfather, Sigmund, 80 at the time when the Nazis invaded his country. She has certificates for two other family members with dates and information about how they died. All pieces of her lineage.

Pieces she can now pass on to her grandchildren, who, like Clara, can know their family history. They have answers and documentation, like the other 1,200 families who have that connection because of the HWVTC.

“It’s a wonderful service,” Clara says today.

The American Red Cross HWVTC is a national clearinghouse for persons seeking the fates of loved ones missing since the Holocaust and its aftermath. HWVTC assist U.S. residents searching for proof of internment, forced/slave labor or evacuation from former Soviet territories on themselves or family members. This documentation may be required for reparations. All tracing services are free of charge.

HWVTC utilizes resources and connections from the International Federation of more than 180 Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and the Magen David Adom in Israel. Staff members also consult museums, archives, and international organizations to further facilitate tracing requests. If no answers can be found right away, cases remain open, and if new information becomes available, it is immediately shared with the inquirer.

If you would like to find a family member, contact us or call 800-236-8680.