God has cared for and protected Mr. Korai in many ways. As a boy, he was taken to a Jewish boarding school in Poland. After that, he went to France. Eventually he ended up in Israel. He spent 35 years working on semi-trucks. He had three children and eight grandchildren. When was his actual birthday? What did his parents name him? How did his father and mother meet? What did his grandfather do for a living?  

Those mysteries are still not solved. Ms. Hellman knows the name of his aunt. “But I haven’t been able to find his parents’ names,” she says. “That upsets me the most.” 

The historical event we call the Holocaust happened between 1933 and 1945. Nazis from Germany murdered around six million Jewish people across Europe during that time. Nazis also killed many non-Jews, such as people who disagreed with them and people with disabilities. January 27 is set aside as an international Holocaust Remembrance Day. May 2025 will mark 80 years since the Holocaust ended. 

As of last January, 245,000 Holocaust survivors were still alive. Like Mr. Korai, most were little children during that terrible time.  

Mr. Korai is not the only one living in mystery. The Nazis wiped out two of every three Jewish people in Europe. They also destroyed many records of their existence.  

Have you ever read a genealogy in the Bible? (A genealogy is a long list of names and family members. You can find many genealogies in the Old Testament.) Genealogies teach us that God remembers and values every person He has made.  

Germany surrendered in May 1945. Many Nazis were judged and punished for their crimes. The nation of Germany had to pay survivors. Of course, no amount of money heals such deep wounds. Only God can. 

For more about World War II, see Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Molly Frye Wilmington and The Hiding Place: Young Reader's Edition by Corrie ten Boom in our Recommended Reading.