Category Archives: Finding Birth Parents

Who Am I? What is My Name? – Part XII – Taking Stock

Posted on December 8, 2016 by identifinders

INTRODUCTION As with all research projects, there have been so many zigzags in this story, it’s only reasonable to take a break to take stock of where we are in solving the puzzle of Pnina’s identity.  We haven’t solved all … Continue reading →

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Who Am I? What Is My Name? Part XI – Berlin, Warsaw, and the German Soldier

Posted on November 8, 2016 by identifinders

I recently traveled to Berlin and Warsaw to personally research in the various German and Polish archives.  My hope was to find more information about Gertrude Priess-Spiro and her circle of acquaintance and friends, towards the goal of finding the … Continue reading →

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For Immediate Release – Grant from the Elie Wiesel Jewish Studies Center, Boston University

Posted on November 7, 2016 by identifinders

The Center for Professional Education at Boston University has been awarded a competitive grant from Jewish Cultural Endowment Fund of the Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies to hold a one-day workshop “Holocaust Survival and Reunion Stories:  Separating Fact from … Continue reading →

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Who Am I – What Is My Name – Part X – Gertrude’s Marriage and Divorce

Posted on November 6, 2016 by identifinders

By now, everyone who reads this should know Gertrude Priess-Spiro, the woman who arranged to have Pnina Gutman smuggled from the Warsaw Ghetto in August or September 1942.  New information about her has recently been discovered that provides details about her … Continue reading →

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ISHI 27 – David O’Shea and the Grandmothers of the Plaza

Posted on October 2, 2016 by identifinders

The keynote at the 27th annual International Symposium on Human Identification (ISHI27) was given by internationally recognized video journalist David O’Shea. O’Shea addressed the conference on the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo (Asociación Civil Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo), a human rights organization formed in Argentina in 1977 in response to the disappearance of hundreds of children who were either kidnapped or born to mothers who were “disappeared” political dissidents during the country’s “Dirty War” in 1974-1983. Continue reading →

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Who Am I? What is My Name? – Part IX – Gertrude’s Sisters!

Posted on June 15, 2016 by identifinders

Since 2012 we have been trying to discover the birth identity of Pnina Gutman, who as an infant was smuggled from the Warsaw Ghetto with the assistance of a woman named Gertrud Spiro.  We realized from the beginning that our best chance at solving the mystery was to find … Continue reading →

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Who Am I? What is My Name? – Part VIII – Gertrud and Leo’s Trial

Posted on May 19, 2016 by identifinders

Das Bundesarchiv Trial Records According to Widerstand in Berlin gegen das NS-Regime 1933 bis 1945 (Resistance in Berlin against the Nazi Regime 1933-1945), Leo and Gertrud Spiro were put on trial in Berlin in 1938.  Trying to locate their court records, I contacted the … Continue reading →

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Who Was Joseph Smith – Close Calls and Possible Candidates

Posted on January 19, 2016 by identifinders

We have just a few scraps of information to go on in searching for Joseph Smith’s original identity, many of which are questionable. But we have to make the most of what we have, since that’s all we have. Joseph always said his … Continue reading →

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Who Was Joseph Smith?

Posted on January 14, 2016 by identifinders

The early life of Joseph Eugene Smith is a complete mystery.  Joseph’s son Morton and Morton’s daughter Karen have researched Joseph for over 20 years, yet they still don’t know who he was.  Hopefully by reading his story, someone may come forward with … Continue reading →

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Who Am I, What is My Name? Part III – Gertrude and Sonia Spyra

Posted on October 17, 2013 by identifinders

A mystery within the mystery of Pnina’s identity is the fate of Gertrude Spyra and her daughter Sonia. As the parties responsible for smuggling Pnina from the Warsaw Ghetto, Gertrude and Sonia may have left behind clues about Pnina’s parents. … Continue reading →

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