Last Thursday evening, April 16, 2020, I sent WhatsApp Shabbat greetings to Tova Shaufer, Pnina’s daughter, and to her whole family. Early the next morning Tova responded, “Sad tidings, Mother is gone.” ברוך דיין האמת
This was, indeed, sad news. I am so grateful that I was able first to identify and locate Pnina, her brother Shraga and their families last September, and then to meet them when we were in Israel in February.
It was truly a gift to be able to hug her, talk and laugh with her, watch and listen as memories of her family and childhood in Poland flooded back. She was, despite her obvious frailty, a gracious and welcoming host, warm and friendly. After feeling all her life that she was without extended family, she lived her last months knowing that she did have cousins in the United States. There are no words to express how that makes me feel.
I will miss cousin Pnina, but we maintain a connection to her family and to her brother Shraga and his family. This is the most rewarding result that genealogical research can have.