I wish I could. My paternal genealogy has been hidden from me. I was the result of a tryst, and despite having met my biological father, he refused to share details. And has not told his family about me. He is now deceased, and my ancestry lies behind a locked door .
I found out that the big secret my mother kept quiet was that her father came home from the war, despite having a girlfriend and a pregnant wife in England. He left a week later to be reunited with them without telling anyone that he was leaving..
Realizing after she is gone that you never knew your mother’s real name… that has to hurt the heart. I think Larry was understandably flooded with emotions when he found that out.
She was still the same person. Just a different name. She obviously meant for it to be a new beginning in a new country leaving behind existential fear. There are probably quite a lot of people like her.
@@dasikakn No sometimes people will manage to also act differently (for example leaving past habits behind) and in that way one can become a new person. But at the same time you are also right that simply by changing a new you will not become a new person. It requires change which can be very hard.
I can't be the only one who noticed that he seemed actually hurt by this revelation. A mother withholding the truth, even something as simple as her own name, is unsettling and makes one wonder why. Not being able to trust your own kids with your true name cannot feel good to them. He instinctively uses humor to disguise how he really feels. Go to 3:47 and look at the expression on his face when he says "yeah, secrets"
I agree, but it could be worse, thanks to misplaced morals people of Larry's generation risk finding out that their sister is actually their mother like in this _Martin Crane_ quote: "Back then, if a girl got in trouble, her family would send her away to relatives in another state, and if anybody asked, just lied and said she went to Europe. Then when she came back, they'd raise the baby as a little sister. Not like today; we had morals and values back then."
Lots of reasons to keep a name a secret. She could have even been a spy or been an abused escaped ex who immigrated with help of the US government to have a full name change. (Likely not if last name is same) I worked with a person whose father had been an ambassador to the US and had to move here with his wife and kids and have all names changed and never go home because his government wanted to have them killed.
These were very very difficult times. My grandma 👵 passed and I also learned more of her history in WW 2. She lived in Ukraine. Not all is an open book.
Great spotting. I missed that micro-expression and tone of voice the first watch but once you pointed it out it’s quite apparent that he’s somewhat perturbed that his mother was so secretive about her past.
I cannot help but wonder how anyone would get that name in the first place. It is as strange in Europe (I don't know Polish, but this is straight out German) as it is for Americans.
I just love that it’s so Larry to say “Regina?! Oh my God!!! That’s a great name, why didn’t she use that name, don’t you like that name?!”😂 That’s such a Seinfeld/Curb line right there.
Yes, just seeing him sit and read would be great. I would pay a double charge to see him do almost practically nothing. Everything he does has a certain panache.
When my mother died my father went to get the death certificate. He tells the clerk her age of death is wrong. The clerk said. I’m going to tell you two things. First this is how old she was when she died. Second I see this all the time. She had led my father to believe she was 11 years younger than she actually was.
I have found the same thing, looking up relatives on Ancestry. Women got younger and younger will the passage of time. Lying about their age was a custom -- and a gentleman never asked a woman how old she was.
My Irish grandmother was 5-6 years older than my grandfather (according to her birth records) but she put that she was the same age of my grandfather on all future census reports. I don't know if my grandfather ever knew. Her having twins at the real age of 40 (after having 6 kids) must have been difficult in that time and age.
My mother is the same I've always tried to find out info from her about ancestors. She doesn't seem to know anything really about her parents history, let alone any further back. I asked her again recently and I asked her how she could not want to learn about her family's history and she just shrugged her shoulders. I don't know if she doesn't know or doesn't care. I can't understand it, as I'm a naturally nosey person and love learning about family history.
This is very much my family. I realized now that it was that they were ashamed to be Ukrainian and for people to inquire about their background was taken as an insult. Slavic genes were considered low class and so to insinuate or reference that was taken as an insult like you thought we weren't good enough. I mean they barely spoke english so it's not like they were fooling anyone but oh well haha.
My grandmother was the same way. She always told everybody that her middle name was "Marie," because she liked to play up her French-Canadian heritage as well as her Catholic heritage. All of her daughters have the middle name of Marie, too. Looking through records, I was able to find out that her middle name was a 2-parter: Mary Jane. The least French-looking name I had ever seen. My aunt revealed that grandma wasn't too thrilled with her middle name. But she was a lot like Larry's mom, in that she'd never share stories with me about her parents, grandparents, etc... I was almost 10 years old before I learned that she had a sister (a sister who lived in the same county as us) and I was even older before I learned that her mother was buried in a cemetery less than 20 miles from my childhood home. It was frustrating, because I couldn't shut my paternal grandmother up when it came to telling me about her family, but my maternal grandmother? Not a word. She'd get irritated if you asked, so I just learned not to ask. And all of my aunts and uncles are the same way, too. It's like pulling teeth with those people.
Half my family tree is Marie. Everyone’s first name was Marie. All the boy names were Joseph. Most of them went by their middle names. It makes searching a misery. My grandmother went from Marie Emerilda to Emerilda and, after she moved to the States, she dropped the E. She said the weirdest thing ever, “E is ugly.” 🤷♀️
What it sounds like, their reason for reserve, could have been due to pain, trauma of childhood. Stuff they just didn't want to recall. If things had been alright, or pleasant, you would have known all about it. My GM's mother was kind of quiet about things. I never knew her, met while an infant - my mother did not care for her. It was the 1950's before her mother, my GM, even knew she had an aunt - her own mother never mentioned it. The aunt knocked on her door; a 5 hr long visit with my GM. Apparently my GGM was a bit wild for the times for her parents, out of all siblings. She not only left home, she married and left countries. The others stayed close while young, or at least kept in touch. Think she was an Aries, (Fire sign), born late 1890's and her husband was at least 18 yrs. older if I recall it right. I did my research about 15 years ago. Had it all stored off the top of my head, but as I added 500 yrs. of FR lines - it just became overload. At least my mother got to hear and see all about it from me, long before she left last year. 💖💫🦋🙏🌱🌎
I am so sorry for you. We just had a family reunion last week, 60 Aunts, Uncles & 1st cousins from all over the country. We all KNOW each other. We know the entire history, not so happy at ALL but we all love each other, we communicate regularly. I know my cousins kids and I know my cousins kids' kids. We all do.
Around 1915 or so my grandmothers much older brother disappeared. Nobody ever saw him again. Sometime in the '60s my grandmother found a stack of letters in her mom's things and they were all from the missing brother. But his return address was to a totally different name, Irish instead of polish. He changed his identity and my great grandmother kept his secret until the day she died. By that point the brother was dead but imagine the shock of his living children when my grandmother reached out and told them they were really polish and their father's backstory was all made up. One was fascinated and embraced by grandmother as family. The other refused to accept it and would not speak to her. Family secrets .... touchy subjects.
My uncle's elder brother left home about that same time when his parents (devout Polish catholic immigrants) refused to believe what he told them about their priest. Sigh. 'How can you say such a terrible etc, etc.' He never knew what happened to him; he was just a little boy himself. From Baltimore.
@@richardw3470 It seems strange to thumb's up a story like that but I did in solidarity. I have no idea why my great uncle bailed, maybe he was running from the law. Maybe had a darker reason. Certainly one didn't talk about such things back then.
@@carnacthemagnificent2498 One didn't talk about such things when I was young, either. Nowadays there's therapy if you're believed. But, running from the law, etc - not as easy to hide now. DNA has surprised some families, obviously. Maybe you'll get a knock on the door. My uncle (married in) never had children.
It must hurt his soul so much to now know that his mother never ever told him any of this no even her real name. How can a son then think anything about her was ever truthful. People, family, can be so damn horrible.
I've been binge watching all these videos and they are truly inspiring. What is incredible is that all of the people alive today have ancestors that have survived the many tragedies of history, like wars, famine, disease. Our ancestors were around and made it, where many didn't and we all go back all the way to the begining of civilization and beyond. Amazing!
Hi Jasper, and thanks for stopping by! We are so happy to hear you are enjoying the show! It is truly moving to watch the stories unfold! Thanks for sharing.
The same thing happened to me. Shortly after my mother passed away my sister and I got involved with an ancestry project and we found our mother's baptismal record. Her name was NOTHING like what we'd heard all our lives. We found that on my father's side that similar things happened. One uncle's name was changed three times before he was 5 years old. Back then there was no legal method of name changing. They just started calling themselves by a different name and signing documents with the new name. My father went into the Air Force in the 50's and for one reason or another his first and middle names were transposed....so for the rest of his life he went by his Air Force name. The further you dig in ancestry the more strange things get.
The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has family history centers in most places in the U. S. They are staffed by people who help anyone, regardless of religion, who wants it.
@@sallyintucson Same here! Plus I have old photos of people from my maternal grandmother's photo album with no name! One could be my great-grandfather, but I'll never know. The only person left who might know their names unfortunately no longer communicates with me.🤷🏽♀️
Whoever decided to come up with this marketing style / campaign for Ancestry is brilliant. I've been aware of Ancestry and the like for a long time, but this really makes me want to find out more about my own family history. Bravo, Ancestry marketing team!
Whatever you do, don't submit your DNA to any of these sites. It's the only thing about you that is unique, so don't share it with others who have to comply when sharing.
Hi there @DianeAndres, and thanks very much for your recent comment. We hope you enjoyed the clip, and we appreciate the opportunity to clarify that Ancestry is a private company. While our Headquarters are based in Utah, our company is not owned or operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (or any religious organization), and they have no access to any of our DNA databases or any of our customers' Personal Information. Thank you very much for stopping by so we could offer this clarification.
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My great great grandfather was on the staff of Major General George Henry Thomas during American Civil War, he wrote correspondence about his time and Thomas's brilliance and patriotism he had for the union. Our great grand father moved to India around 1881, now I am 87.5 percent Indian and cannot even comprehend that my roots are from the American Civil War.
I think this was common among Jewish immigrants.. My mother's maiden name was Italian and we always wondered how she had an Italian last name on that side of the family yet everyone was Jewish. Shortly before my grandfather passed away he woke up from a nap, looked at my mother, and said "your grandfather wasn't Jewish." Turns out my great grandfather was Italian, fell in love with my Jewish great grandmother, and the two of them moved to the US to avoid the complexities of a "mixed marriage" in Italy. He held that secret for almost 90 years. I took a DNA test a few years later that confirmed the ancestry.
My grandfather first met his father when he immigrated through Ellis Island in 1911. He never knew if he came from Poland or Russia (Ukraine now) because the boarders kept changing. But his parents spoke Russian.
It was all Russia All Russians Anyway the difference between Russians and Ukrainians did not exist, some people got one passport or the other based on where they worked etc. once the USSR was dissolved. The division is not like they got you to think today. In Ukraine there are a lot of Russians and Jewish Russians etc. I think your ancestors are probably Eastern Europe Jews They emigrated in 1911 they got lucky or they understood the wind was changing cause after the 1917 revolutions a lot of people were killed by comunists and there were genocides. Communists killed all the men in some regions, took their land and properties and forced the widows and the kids to work as slaves in kolkoz in the fields
My late mom, born in 1919 , was born and raised in Tarnopol Poland. She survived the Holocaust but her mom 2 sisters and a nephew were gassed in Belzec in 1942.
My husband's grandmother claimed to be a young German girl whose parents died on a famous ship that sunk and her brother disappeared, all in early 1945. She had no papers or family and only 2 photos of herself and her brother. She was always terrified of noises, people being in parts of her home where she couldn't see, and very secretive... Decades later in Canada, we often talked about her family. She claimed to not remember birthdates, hometowns, her parents' middle names, grandparents' names or other details, etc... One night, I mentioned receiving a copy of her daughter's birth record. She demanded to see it, tearing it out of my hand and muttering in a panic about what religion it had listed, then audibly sighing as she read "evangelisch" out loud. We always suspected that she might be Jewish, and this certainly seems to reinforce that theory...
@sahej6939 Not at all. We think she created a new non-Jewish identity at a time when being Jewish meant facing internment and death, being spied on and turned in by neighbours or friends, nit being allowed to work, etc... We wholeheartedly think it was 100% about survival, if she was, in fact, Jewish.
Dr Gates is from a city in West Virginia that was a free city to slaves back in the day. He did his DNA , found out he’s more Irish than black. He went black to Harvard where he was the head of black studies and informed them of that fact. He got a big laugh over it. I love these shows.
@@richardw3470 Oprah always said her ancestors were black royalty in Africa. Dr Gates did her DNA through history. Her ancestors were from a very poor nomadic tribe. He did a foot ball player who went back to Africa to see his kin folks. He looked scared while there. His distant relatives were asking to come to America and for him to give them money.
We're glad to hear you've had the opportunity to learn more about your family history from your father's side of the family, Herbert! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this. We hope you enjoyed the clip!
Sadly, this is a very common thing in the Jewish community world wide, where a Holocaust survivor refuses to ever speak of his or her family. It's simply too traumatic for them, even to talk about it with their children or spouse.
@@jbagger331It isn't. Mary might be referred to as Regina, but the name just means queen, and there's no reason a Jew wouldn't name their daughter that. Especially, as Malka is a very common and ordinary Jewish name.
@@jbagger331 Jews would sometimes give Christian sounding first names to children to avoid persecution. Her Hebrew name used in shul would have been something else. Or maybe you didn't know Jews always have two names?
@@SuzanneBaruch I don't know when Larry's grandmother was naturalized, but near the bottom of the document you can see "Aug. 16, 1927 in Bklyn, NY". So it appears that his grandmother, and therefore also his mother, came to the US no later than 1927. In fact, the line above seems to be saying that she took permanent residence in the US in November 1901. Of course that doesn't remove the possibility that Larry's mother was entered into the birth registry with an incorrect name that didn't sound Jewish, either to make it easier for her to escape antisemitism, or because antisemitic bureaucrats at the time didn't accept Jewish names. Tarnapol was part of Austrian Galicia, and antisemitism was rampant in late 19th century Austria. For example, 1897-1910 Karl Lueger, the mayor of Vienna, got a lot of his votes through antisemitic rhetoric.
Good catch. It was Austrian when she was born, but I suspect it was Polish at the time of her naturalization. The 20th century was brutal in Eastern Europe.
This is so Larry and so George. To have not known your mothers real name or background for much of your life, and have a Costanza upbringing...yep, that would help make you one of the greatest comedic minds of all time.
I watched the show when this was on originally. The other guest in that broadcast was Senator Bernie Sanders. The funniest thing was the two of them finding out they are actually distant cousins, especially given that Larry David played the Senator on SNL back in 2016!!
Love me some Larry David! "I got a red snapper that talks to you." "You know what it's saying? You know What it's saying? It's saying you paying too much." So many Larryisms in my head.
Everyone from those generations were like that. My grandmother was the same, never spoke a word about her past. I know she spoke German because when her sister would drop by they would speak German with each other.
I had my dad take a DNA test, he's in his 80's and the oldest living in his family. DNA shows he has a half sibling!!! 😮 We know absolutely nothing about this person or which grandparent had this child. Although I do think that it's more probable that it was my grandpa. I sent an email on the site to the person but it's been several months and I don't know if they will ever read it. Would be nice to meet them.
Hello Norska! Many thanks for reaching out to Ancestry. We regret hearing that you've not been able to reach this intriguing DNA match so far and hope that you're able to get a response with time. Remember that not all members regularly sign in to their account or keep up with the email inbox. You may try to send another message at this stage too, in case they simply missed the first one. Another idea is to look at any common matches that may appear between your dad and the half sibling. These will show other DNA matches that they both share. With some luck you may find unknown relatives there, which could for instance be children or even grand children of the person. If so, you can try messaging them too. More information on shared DNA matches can be found here: support.ancestry.com/s/article/AncestryDNA-Shared-Matches. Many thanks for being a valued Ancestry member and all the best with your continuous research!
Might be similar to what I do. Every year I pay for one month and just check for any updates records for one of my ancestors who was a brick wall on the family tree. And I'll also reply to any messages at that time. So maybe give them time and they will sign up again soon
My late father, born and raised in Lodz, Poland, emigrated to Canada with his parents and two sisters in July of 1939 (yup, missed the Nazi invasion by a hair). I didn't actually know his real name until after my mother died. I had to get some official papers for him, and was stunned to find out he was actually Moses Aaron. The nickname for Aaron, back in Poland, was Arek. Once he was here, Arek became Eric, Ernie, Arnie, Harry, or whatever those giving him a paycheck at the end of the week decided to call him. He let them have their way, so I grew up think his initials were A.E. for Arnie Eric, and that's how my mom signed his cheques (his writing hand was crippled from disease in his youth). We grow up accepting what our parents tell us, and never think to question it.
I had to laugh about this. For as long as I could remember my dad's mom's name was Eleanor. I vaugly remember when I was 8, meeting a important politician and being told to tell him that my Grandmother Ruth went to school with him. Never made a lot of sense to me, but you didn't question grownups was how I was raised. When I grew up I discovered my Grandmother's birth name was Ruth Eleanor. However she hated her first name because as a child her mother's strong Norwegian accent made it sound like "root" which embarrassed her when her mom would call her home when she was outside. In high school she started wanting to go by her middle name and gradually got all of her friends and relatives to switch. I think she legally changed it at the time she changed everything to her married name.
My youngest sister is Ruth. It never fit her, and was really out of date. So by college she started using her middle name. Her husband only knows her by her middle name, and knows we sisters still slip up and say Ruth...but now in her 50s she's announced she wants to be asked Tree. I'm sorry, I just can't do it. Myb94 yr old mom cracked off and said, nuts? Was it? Lol. But yes I can see in real time how her kids don't knew she's Ruth, her grandkids won't and someday it will confuse family tree explorers, if there are any.
I could relate to Larry David...my mother died over 40 years ago and I barely know anything about her own father; her own mother in fact, etc. She never wanted to talk about it when I was a young child and asked. From my understanding, my mother was part chinese. I do know she's was born in Shanghai, China in the 30's. Now, how i wish I would get to more more details!
I can tell he is hurt not knowing this information about his Mom. Probably confused as to why she didn’t just tell him. My family and I love his show Larry David. My Dad is a twin of him.
The way they set it up made it even more shocking. Larry was unaware of her birth name or home and mom kept that a secret. When you put it in the context of the day, people moved and started over due to perceived scandals of the day (illegitimate births, family problems, scandals, etc). This is real life and hurts to think you knew someone . Hence the phrase, 'Let sleeping dogs lie'.
I don't think that's it at all. I think he's sad that he can't talk about it with her now that she's deceased. I think his expression is about missing his mother, not about not being told her secrets.
Talk about family secrets, my brother and I met our 1st cousin at our uncle's funeral (1999). He was 72 years old (our cousin), I was in my late 40s. We lived in the same city and no one in my family had ever mentioned his name. His father died in 1935 (same city). I had heard his father's name mentioned casually all my life but didn't know that he was my uncle until a couple years before I met his son (our cousin) at the funeral!
What we now know as Poland did not exist when Larry's grandmother or mother were born. It came to be after World War I. Though Ternopil (as it's now spelled) always had a Polish identity, it was in the Kingdom of Galicia (pronounced GAH-leet-see-ah, not to be confused with the region in Spain of the same name). Its population consisted principally of ethnic Poles, ethnic Ukraines, and Jews. The Kingdom of Galicia was part of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. Both the old Empire and Galicia ceased to exist after World War I, and Ternopil became part of a disputed territory much fought over. It would eventually fall under Polish control, somewhat briefly, from 1923 until 1939, and is now in the Ukraine. My grandmother, an ethnic Pole, was from a village right outside of Ternopil. Though I have a copy of her birth certificate, it's nice to know there may be more information about her and our family in the archives in Warsaw that were mentioned.
My grandmother was born and raised in Sweden. For the most part, she had a good life in Stockholm Sweden, but when her mother died, her dad remained he high school ex-girlfriend. She did not like her, and so she moved to American. And that's pretty much most of what I know about my grandmother.
Hey Bill. It was certainly an extraordinary moment when Larry discovered his Polish roots! Thanks for taking the time to share your own reaction to another memorable moment from the show. Click here to check out many more from the past 10 seasons: ruclips.net/p/PL0xuz8BBkD4gm8NBVH8ga1elIoAkBjL-q. 🌳
I met Rose in the Newark airport in 1995 as I was flying back home on leave from West Point. I never realized it until probably 20 years later. We had a nice conversation as I sat beside her waiting for our flights. She was flying to Florida and I was flying back to Indiana. I remember her telling me her son was a "writer for Seinfeld" and it never clicked for me at the time. Only years later and now seeing her face I know it was her. Small world indeed.
My grandmother's aunt was named Bengta, a very "rough/manish" name here in Sweden if I may say so myself, but changed her name to Betsy when living in USA. On her tombstone in California it says Betsy.
I only knew my great grandmother as Mary Fisher until her funeral in 2010, she passed at age 95. Her birth name was Olive Jass. I went my entire life not knowing her name was Olive.
Not long ago my father found the marriage certificate of his parents, my grandparents. We discovered that my grandmother had changed her year of birth so that she would be one year younger than her husband, rather than one year older. They were already a tough coupling because he was born in England and was Anglican and she was born in Ireland and was Catholic. So, they managed to get around that but she probably assumed his family wouldn't go for two strikes against her lol.
Growing up I knew my grandpa was adopted. His biological mother was the twin sister of the mother who raised him. I didn't find out till my MiL went on ancestry that I found out my grandfather's name wasn't his birth name.
It's so strange. In the UK 'who do you think you are' the celebrities actually visit the homes of their ancestors. You really should do that in the US version. It makes it much more interesting.
I recently discovered that my uncle died in 1919 in a workhouse in Ireland. My mother never mentioned her brother. The memory and shame were too difficult.
When it comes to secretive parents that have passed but then their secrets are revealed or descendants are investigating, I imagine them in the afterlife freaking out or panicking.
I'm sure they would understand and felt their kids and relatives deserved to learn the truth, even if it's painful and sometimes quite embarrassing to reminisce.
@@byHexted Well, if you're uncharitable, you can picture them somewhere else than heaven... But it does pose an interesting theological question if one were inclined to ponder such things. Do you have to let go of your secrets to be able to enter heaven? I'm not sure I care enough / should care, when it comes to other people. 😅
We traced one branch of our family back to 15th century. Central Poland - that was easy. Now we are stuck with other branch from the today's Ukraine and neighbouring parts of Austro-Hungarian Empire. Genealogy is fascinating stuff.
Happy Birthday, Mr. David! I, too, am a July 2nd. I’m living out of spite. But, in all seriousness, thanks for the many hours of joy you’ve brought us in your humor. I wish you many more happy returns!
Hi, DRMET! We're so glad you enjoyed our clip from Finding Your Roots, featuring Larry David. It's good to hear that you enjoyed watching the most recent season of Finding Your Roots on your local PBS station. As in the past, PBS will show reruns from past seasons nearly every week. Be sure to tune in to PBS next Tuesday evening for an amazing episode from Season 6, featuring actresses Isabella Rossellini, Anjelica Huston and Mia Farrow. Have a great day!
Wow. Stop thinking these celebrities are authentic. They lie to get you to spend money on them. So they can live a privilege life while you are broke. They are far from authentic.
My cousin found out weeks before his father passed away that he wasn't his father at all. The man knew for 50 years that he was not my cousins father. He kept that secret until he passed away and he never found out his 'son' actually learned of the family secret that he wasn't truly his son mere weeks earlier. It's one family secret I don't have to hold any longer...
It’s sad when family is to afraid or ashamed or won’t share the truth about life the past for any reason. The truth makes us whole and real flaws and all. I love hearing the good, bad, highs and lows about my father he shared it made him real, and a person and I appreciated him more
My mother is 100% German, coming to the US as an adult. My long deceased father was raised in an orphanage here in the US, so I had no idea what my heritage was on that side until I did a DNA test last year. Turns out I am 15% Ashkenazi Jewish and 1-2% of a whole bunch of other things like Baltic, Italian, Saudi Arabian, Armenian, Greek, Iberian and East Slavic. Also 12% Scandinavian which I believe is on my mother's side since she always thought there was Irish on her side and there was none in my DNA.
My mind whirls trying to figure out how all that came together. The island of Sicily has dark haired and tan skin folk due to Middle Eastern immigrants (I don't know when). Turkey is another country that could contribute Baltic, Slavic, etc. into the mix. Have you found any genetic relatives?
@@2degucitas Yeah, how do you think I felt? My Mom, Dad and myself are all brown hair and eyes. My maternal grandmother and great grandmother were both light haired, but I don't know what color their eyes were. The DNA company I used only had listings for distant relatives in other countries.
I thought I was 100% German. Found out I was not, and 13% Ashkenazi. My father confirmed that my great grandmother was Jewish, married a Christian and converted. I also have Baltic genes.
Your father can’t be 15% ashkenazi jewish because Jewish isn’t a race, it’s a religion. Also the DNA companies admitted a while back that any result that is 24% and below is a contaminate.
Hey there, and thanks so much for your recent comment. We're glad you enjoyed the upload. This clip was taken from season 4 of Finding Your Roots. Reruns air on Tuesday evenings on PBS. If you'd like to learn more and check out your local listings, or see how you can stream or buy episodes, feel free to check out this link: www.pbs.org/weta/finding-your-roots/watch/seasons/season-4 Thanks for dropping by so we could provide this!
@@Highlander1432 I was staying with my mom on Martha's Vineyard during the filming of Clear History and Larry had arranged for the locals to eat for free three nights a week at any of the dozen or more restaurants, ice cream and coffee shops on the island. He also bought out a trinket shop that was struggling so that the woman could retire. He would be seen at various pubs during his two months there and always took time to talk to the locals and learn what he could as well as make everyone laugh with his goofy antics. He left quite an impression on the folks there and myself.
Many Polish Jews survivors of the Shoah wanted to forget the horror and abandon any memory of their family lives in Poland which triggered painful memories of loss of murdered family and loss of a Home and Family. Polish antisemitism was strong pre war and only grew after WW2 making many Holocaust NEVER want to ever set foot on Polish soil or thing about their lost life in Poland. There were many like Larry’s mother who chose to forget any memory of their past in countries life Poland or Hungary.
Not to make light of a stunning personal revelation, but being uncomfortable revealing your actual name to your own children sounds like the most epic Seinfeld episode ever: *George now has a four-year-old son. One day, a stranger mistakenly calls George by a different name. George's son, who has only ever called him daddy, loves saying the name. George decides to let it ride.* "But George, he's your own son!" "I don't care, Jerry! To him, I will always be Benicio!!" *George continues the ruse throughout his son's growth to adulthood and beyond. Eventually, an elderly George falls ill and his son arrives at his deathbed when the end is near.* "I love you, dad. I just want you to know, I'm proud to be the son of the great Benicio Costanza!" "Well, uh, you know, son...here's the thing." *insert bass solo*
The ability to discover family history in this day and age is astounding. In the past 4 years I have opened up so many surprises. Many names were changed when coming to America, purposely and accidentally.
Hi Joy to you and me, and thanks for stopping by! We are delighted you have made s many discoveries along your way. We are happy to be able to be a part of this wonderful journey with you. Thank you for sharing!
i was watching other episodes of this and thought to myself "I wonder if they have done an episode with Larry David, i would LOVE to see that".... i rejoice
There should never be family secrets no matter how painful. I found out some things about my mother when I was 17. It answered some questions I had always asked, never got an answer for. But created more questions that I would never get the answers to
@@TheTman10101 No, I mean, "Delores," because that's the character's real name on the "Seinfeld" episode, as "Regina" is Larry David's mother's actual name, not "Rosa," which she led everyone to believe was her real name.
I was in my 40s when I found out that my grandma's real name was Hannah, not Anne. Her sister, my aunt Maggie, was really Madeleine, my uncle George was really Joseph, my uncle Eddie was originally Isadore and my uncle Izzy was Edward. I guess nicknames really stuck in the old days.
Both my mother and father had biological parents who we knew nothing about until after they passed. The grandfathers I had were not my parent's biological fathers.
I was going comment on the video, perhaps say something sweet or interesting, but now that I have "seen" it, I can't not comment on the bronze/orange tie. It's BEAUTIFUL! What a color!
Larry’s mother’s secret history is astounding! Share a jaw-dropping moment from your family history journey with us!
Ok watch you from the beginning from France and want to know why the vidéos are Always too short ?????
I wish I could. My paternal genealogy has been hidden from me. I was the result of a tryst, and despite having met my biological father, he refused to share details. And has not told his family about me. He is now deceased, and my ancestry lies behind a locked door .
@@DS-bg9fl never forget to put you first and Always Love yourself no matter what happened around you 🐞
I found out that the big secret my mother kept quiet was that her father came home from the war, despite having a girlfriend and a pregnant wife in England. He left a week later to be reunited with them without telling anyone that he was leaving..
@@seldaerdogan194 Thank you.
I thought Larry was gonna find out that his mother's real last name was Costanza. 😅 🤣 😂
Or at least...Kramer!
Or Vandelay 😂😂
Hahahaha
LOL
LOL!
You can tell Larry really wishes to be able to walk into a room to see his mom and go "well, well, well.....(insert monologue)
Prittay prittay prittay good.
He'd storm in there going, "REGINA, OH REGINAAAAA!!!"
and cue up " doodly doodly doodly do
Yes!!!! Hahahaha you can see if she was alive he would keep teasing her and calling her Regina. Non stop 🤣🤣
Not really! I think you are imposing your response on him.
Realizing after she is gone that you never knew your mother’s real name… that has to hurt the heart. I think Larry was understandably flooded with emotions when he found that out.
It's truly a moving discovery. Thanks for stopping by, Joe! We hope you enjoyed this segment from Finding Your Roots with Larry David.
I mean when you change your name you want to become a new person, maybe she only showed Larry the new her
@@millionfps yes, but still...cannot believe no one in the family didn't leak something...too bizarre
She was still the same person. Just a different name. She obviously meant for it to be a new beginning in a new country leaving behind existential fear. There are probably quite a lot of people like her.
@@dasikakn No sometimes people will manage to also act differently (for example leaving past habits behind) and in that way one can become a new person. But at the same time you are also right that simply by changing a new you will not become a new person. It requires change which can be very hard.
has larry david looked this age his entire life? like i swear he's looked the exact same the entire 31 years i've been alive
Yeah some old people stay looking one age for decades lol
That's what happens when you've got a whole lotta money.
LD was born a 75 year old.
He's his own ancestor lol
I believe all of these celebrity ancestry vids were recorded back around 2008 or 2009
I can't be the only one who noticed that he seemed actually hurt by this revelation. A mother withholding the truth, even something as simple as her own name, is unsettling and makes one wonder why. Not being able to trust your own kids with your true name cannot feel good to them. He instinctively uses humor to disguise how he really feels. Go to 3:47 and look at the expression on his face when he says "yeah, secrets"
I agree, but it could be worse, thanks to misplaced morals people of Larry's generation risk finding out that their sister is actually their mother like in this _Martin Crane_ quote: "Back then, if a girl got in trouble, her family would send her away to relatives in another state, and if anybody asked, just lied and said she went to Europe. Then when she came back, they'd raise the baby as a little sister. Not like today; we had morals and values back then."
Lots of reasons to keep a name a secret. She could have even been a spy or been an abused escaped ex who immigrated with help of the US government to have a full name change. (Likely not if last name is same) I worked with a person whose father had been an ambassador to the US and had to move here with his wife and kids and have all names changed and never go home because his government wanted to have them killed.
These were very very difficult times. My grandma 👵 passed and I also learned more of her history in WW 2. She lived in Ukraine. Not all is an open book.
The likeliest thing I can think of is that she became very ashamed of the name after WW2 cause Regina is traditionally a German name.
Great spotting. I missed that micro-expression and tone of voice the first watch but once you pointed it out it’s quite apparent that he’s somewhat perturbed that his mother was so secretive about her past.
Superfein is the best last name I’ve ever heard.
Regina Superfein. I would take that blind date.
IKR! even was double checking that's what they said / was written generally
Sali Superfein sounds like a supermodel superhero.
@@wungabunga 1st name Queen. Last name Super fine. Like the most popular girl in school.
I cannot help but wonder how anyone would get that name in the first place. It is as strange in Europe (I don't know Polish, but this is straight out German) as it is for Americans.
I just love that it’s so Larry to say “Regina?! Oh my God!!! That’s a great name, why didn’t she use that name, don’t you like that name?!”😂 That’s such a Seinfeld/Curb line right there.
How can anyone not like the name Regina??
@@scottswanson5803 Ehh, maybe because the name resembles a, you now, "feminine bodypart"? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
What does it matter if I like it?
Was more intrigued by the Superfein name. Now THAT'S an interesting name
I was hoping when Larry asked "don't you like that name?" Henry would have done the Curb "ehhhhhhhh" lol
Every interview with Larry is just another episode of Curb your Enthusiasm, and I love that.
you know this is a commercial and he is acting, right?
@darrendazcox it's pretty much understood that this is how he always acts 😂
I was literally thinking the same thing 😂
@@darrendazcox it is a commerical, but no he was not acting. that was the same as any typical recorded interview
That was one of the shows where celebrities hear things about their ancestors for the first time. It’s a great show. I love it.
I would watch a show of Larry David doing literally anything.
What about a show about nothing?
Yes, just seeing him sit and read would be great. I would pay a double charge to see him do almost practically nothing. Everything he does has a certain panache.
@@oidoglr Wow! Yeah, that might work.
Wait till you find out about Curb your Enthusiasm
You already did 😉
L: "I missed my mother's funeral?!"
N: "She said not to bother you while you were in New York."
G-d bless Bea Arthur!😂
OMG that was such a good episode.😂
IM ADOPTED?!
"Your mother had a tattoo on the right cheek of her right buttock,if you will."
@@addiebrook2517 youthful indiscretion
When my mother died my father went to get the death certificate. He tells the clerk her age of death is wrong. The clerk said. I’m going to tell you two things. First this is how old she was when she died. Second I see this all the time. She had led my father to believe she was 11 years younger than she actually was.
I have found the same thing, looking up relatives on Ancestry. Women got younger and younger will the passage of time. Lying about their age was a custom -- and a gentleman never asked a woman how old she was.
My Irish grandmother was 5-6 years older than my grandfather (according to her birth records) but she put that she was the same age of my grandfather on all future census reports. I don't know if my grandfather ever knew. Her having twins at the real age of 40 (after having 6 kids) must have been difficult in that time and age.
😊😅
Is there no record prior to that that might indicate otherwise?
Good genes if she could pass for 11 years young, I'm jealous.
I feel so bad for Larry. My mom is a little like that but not nearly to the same degree. This was a really nice thing for Ancestry to do for him.
I mean ... a really nice free commercial he gave them, but still.
PBS did it, on the Finding Your Roots show. Ancestry is just a sponsor.
My mother is the same
I've always tried to find out info from her about ancestors. She doesn't seem to know anything really about her parents history, let alone any further back. I asked her again recently and I asked her how she could not want to learn about her family's history and she just shrugged her shoulders. I don't know if she doesn't know or doesn't care. I can't understand it, as I'm a naturally nosey person and love learning about family history.
wait til you find out her name is Regina....
This is very much my family. I realized now that it was that they were ashamed to be Ukrainian and for people to inquire about their background was taken as an insult. Slavic genes were considered low class and so to insinuate or reference that was taken as an insult like you thought we weren't good enough. I mean they barely spoke english so it's not like they were fooling anyone but oh well haha.
It's great to see Larry's expression when he learns his mother's birth name.
Yes, Regina is a wonderful name.
Mulva.
A bit of Costanza in there.
It’s also the capital of Saskatchewan, Canada!
Rhymes with a female body part.
"Well, when your name rhymes with a part of the female anatomy..."
My grandmother was the same way. She always told everybody that her middle name was "Marie," because she liked to play up her French-Canadian heritage as well as her Catholic heritage. All of her daughters have the middle name of Marie, too. Looking through records, I was able to find out that her middle name was a 2-parter: Mary Jane. The least French-looking name I had ever seen. My aunt revealed that grandma wasn't too thrilled with her middle name.
But she was a lot like Larry's mom, in that she'd never share stories with me about her parents, grandparents, etc... I was almost 10 years old before I learned that she had a sister (a sister who lived in the same county as us) and I was even older before I learned that her mother was buried in a cemetery less than 20 miles from my childhood home. It was frustrating, because I couldn't shut my paternal grandmother up when it came to telling me about her family, but my maternal grandmother? Not a word. She'd get irritated if you asked, so I just learned not to ask. And all of my aunts and uncles are the same way, too. It's like pulling teeth with those people.
Half my family tree is Marie. Everyone’s first name was Marie. All the boy names were Joseph. Most of them went by their middle names. It makes searching a misery. My grandmother went from Marie Emerilda to Emerilda and, after she moved to the States, she dropped the E. She said the weirdest thing ever, “E is ugly.” 🤷♀️
What it sounds like, their reason for reserve, could have been due to pain, trauma of childhood. Stuff they just didn't want to recall. If things had been alright, or pleasant, you would have known all about it. My GM's mother was kind of quiet about things. I never knew her, met while an infant - my mother did not care for her. It was the 1950's before her mother, my GM, even knew she had an aunt - her own mother never mentioned it. The aunt knocked on her door; a 5 hr long visit with my GM. Apparently my GGM was a bit wild for the times for her parents, out of all siblings. She not only left home, she married and left countries. The others stayed close while young, or at least kept in touch. Think she was an Aries, (Fire sign), born late 1890's and her husband was at least 18 yrs. older if I recall it right. I did my research about 15 years ago. Had it all stored off the top of my head, but as I added 500 yrs. of FR lines - it just became overload. At least my mother got to hear and see all about it from me, long before she left last year. 💖💫🦋🙏🌱🌎
My Mom and her 10 sisters all have "Maria" as a middle name
I am so sorry for you. We just had a family reunion last week, 60 Aunts, Uncles & 1st cousins from all over the country. We all KNOW each other. We know the entire history, not so happy at ALL but we all love each other, we communicate regularly. I know my cousins kids and I know my cousins kids' kids. We all do.
I could see Larry making a Curb episode of him arguing with his mother about withholding secrets from him 😂
He kind of already did that
@@jameshaggerty8348 I have to look for that episode.
Around 1915 or so my grandmothers much older brother disappeared. Nobody ever saw him again. Sometime in the '60s my grandmother found a stack of letters in her mom's things and they were all from the missing brother. But his return address was to a totally different name, Irish instead of polish. He changed his identity and my great grandmother kept his secret until the day she died. By that point the brother was dead but imagine the shock of his living children when my grandmother reached out and told them they were really polish and their father's backstory was all made up. One was fascinated and embraced by grandmother as family. The other refused to accept it and would not speak to her. Family secrets .... touchy subjects.
My uncle's elder brother left home about that same time when his parents (devout Polish catholic immigrants) refused to believe what he told them about their priest. Sigh. 'How can you say such a terrible etc, etc.' He never knew what happened to him; he was just a little boy himself. From Baltimore.
@@richardw3470 It seems strange to thumb's up a story like that but I did in solidarity. I have no idea why my great uncle bailed, maybe he was running from the law. Maybe had a darker reason. Certainly one didn't talk about such things back then.
@@carnacthemagnificent2498 One didn't talk about such things when I was young, either. Nowadays there's therapy if you're believed. But, running from the law, etc - not as easy to hide now. DNA has surprised some families, obviously. Maybe you'll get a knock on the door. My uncle (married in) never had children.
“Regina! That name is PRETTAY PRETTAY PRETTAYTYY, PRETTAY GOOD.”
"Thats a great name! Dont you like that name?!" Such a Larry thing to say
It must hurt his soul so much to now know that his mother never ever told him any of this no even her real name. How can a son then think anything about her was ever truthful. People, family, can be so damn horrible.
He knew all along,,, they will never admit to the past cause
Insurance has them dead in Europe prior to 45, after 45 new identity in new country
I've been binge watching all these videos and they are truly inspiring. What is incredible is that all of the people alive today have ancestors that have survived the many tragedies of history, like wars, famine, disease. Our ancestors were around and made it, where many didn't and we all go back all the way to the begining of civilization and beyond. Amazing!
Hi Jasper, and thanks for stopping by!
We are so happy to hear you are enjoying the show! It is truly moving to watch the stories unfold! Thanks for sharing.
Beginning of civilization? There are no records that far back. Civilization is much older than we think.
@@valleygirl2530 where did I say the contrary?
The same thing happened to me. Shortly after my mother passed away my sister and I got involved with an ancestry project and we found our mother's baptismal record. Her name was NOTHING like what we'd heard all our lives. We found that on my father's side that similar things happened. One uncle's name was changed three times before he was 5 years old. Back then there was no legal method of name changing. They just started calling themselves by a different name and signing documents with the new name. My father went into the Air Force in the 50's and for one reason or another his first and middle names were transposed....so for the rest of his life he went by his Air Force name. The further you dig in ancestry the more strange things get.
That is wild.
Women are a mystery... Strange and wonderful beings they are
@@DHU11 Surprised there aren't documentaries exploring that.
@@DHU11 Air Force fathers are a mystery... Strange and wonderful beings they are
The further you dig into your ancestry the more likely it is to find that your parents are more closely related than you may have thought.
What I wouldn't give to sit across from Dr. Henry Louis Gates and have him reveal a few things about my family tree.😁
Me too! I’ve hit a few dead ends on my tree.
@@sallyintucsonsame, my 3xgreat grandfather had an unknown father
The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has family history centers in most places in the U. S.
They are staffed by people who help anyone, regardless of religion, who wants it.
I know right! And have him say to you “Now turn the page…”
@@sallyintucson Same here! Plus I have old photos of people from my maternal grandmother's photo album with no name! One could be my great-grandfather, but I'll never know. The only person left who might know their names unfortunately no longer communicates with me.🤷🏽♀️
Whoever decided to come up with this marketing style / campaign for Ancestry is brilliant. I've been aware of Ancestry and the like for a long time, but this really makes me want to find out more about my own family history. Bravo, Ancestry marketing team!
Ancestry is owned by the Mormon Church. It’s very weird
Whatever you do, don't submit your DNA to any of these sites. It's the only thing about you that is unique, so don't share it with others who have to comply when sharing.
Hi there @DianeAndres, and thanks very much for your recent comment. We hope you enjoyed the clip, and we appreciate the opportunity to clarify that Ancestry is a private company. While our Headquarters are based in Utah, our company is not owned or operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (or any religious organization), and they have no access to any of our DNA databases or any of our customers' Personal Information. Thank you very much for stopping by so we could offer this clarification.
@@AncestryUSBut all those third parties/insurance companies who use DNA to deny healthcare based on preexisting conditions…?
Hi there @stormcloudsabound! Thanks very much for your recent comment. We appreciate your concerns and we can certainly take the time to advise about our privacy practices. We are grateful for the opportunity to inform you that Ancestry does not sell our users Personal Information. Our database is private, as Ancestry is a private company, and anyone who participates in our AncestryDNA test retains ownership of their data and sample at all times, which they can opt to delete and/or destroy upon request. Ancestry also does not share our users Genetic Information with third parties (such as insurers) without each participants consent. We make clear in our terms and conditions that our test is not to be used "in whole, in part and/or in combination with any other database, for any medical, diagnostic or paternity testing purpose or for any discriminatory purpose or illegal activity.". In addition, we adhere to the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act [GINA], which makes it illegal for health insurance companies, group health plans and most employers to discriminate against you based on your genetic information. If you'd like to learn more about our privacy practices, please see our Privacy Center: www.ancestry.com/cs/privacyphilosophy
Thank you.
My great great grandfather was on the staff of Major General George Henry Thomas during American Civil War, he wrote correspondence about his time and Thomas's brilliance and patriotism he had for the union. Our great grand father moved to India around 1881, now I am 87.5 percent Indian and cannot even comprehend that my roots are from the American Civil War.
Bro you’ve gotta tell me more, like where in India is your family now?
I think this was common among Jewish immigrants.. My mother's maiden name was Italian and we always wondered how she had an Italian last name on that side of the family yet everyone was Jewish. Shortly before my grandfather passed away he woke up from a nap, looked at my mother, and said "your grandfather wasn't Jewish." Turns out my great grandfather was Italian, fell in love with my Jewish great grandmother, and the two of them moved to the US to avoid the complexities of a "mixed marriage" in Italy. He held that secret for almost 90 years. I took a DNA test a few years later that confirmed the ancestry.
My grandfather first met his father when he immigrated through Ellis Island in 1911.
He never knew if he came from Poland or Russia (Ukraine now) because the boarders kept changing. But his parents spoke Russian.
then maybe he was also from Austria like Larry David's family.
@@lizvlx funny I live a block away from where Larry was raised in Sheepshead Bay. My grandmother also changed her name. A lot of coincidences.
It was all Russia
All Russians
Anyway the difference between Russians and Ukrainians did not exist, some people got one passport or the other based on where they worked etc. once the USSR was dissolved.
The division is not like they got you to think today. In Ukraine there are a lot of Russians and Jewish Russians etc. I think your ancestors are probably Eastern Europe Jews
They emigrated in 1911 they got lucky or they understood the wind was changing cause after the 1917 revolutions a lot of people were killed by comunists and there were genocides.
Communists killed all the men in some regions, took their land and properties and forced the widows and the kids to work as slaves in kolkoz in the fields
Ukraine claim their country is older@@FoundSheep-AN
He took it as lightly as imagined Larry David would.
My late mom, born in 1919 , was born and raised in Tarnopol Poland. She survived the Holocaust but her mom 2 sisters and a nephew were gassed in Belzec in 1942.
Your mom is 1 year older than John Paul II a Polish Pope and 2 year older than his friend Jerzy Kluger another Polish Jew
I'm so very sorry for your tragic losses. That's quite a burden. 💔
You can just see him falling through space (in amazement) while trying to hold it together. That's beautiful.
My husband's grandmother claimed to be a young German girl whose parents died on a famous ship that sunk and her brother disappeared, all in early 1945. She had no papers or family and only 2 photos of herself and her brother. She was always terrified of noises, people being in parts of her home where she couldn't see, and very secretive... Decades later in Canada, we often talked about her family. She claimed to not remember birthdates, hometowns, her parents' middle names, grandparents' names or other details, etc... One night, I mentioned receiving a copy of her daughter's birth record. She demanded to see it, tearing it out of my hand and muttering in a panic about what religion it had listed, then audibly sighing as she read "evangelisch" out loud. We always suspected that she might be Jewish, and this certainly seems to reinforce that theory...
U think she just didn’t want to be Jewish? Self-hatred kind of?
@sahej6939 Not at all. We think she created a new non-Jewish identity at a time when being Jewish meant facing internment and death, being spied on and turned in by neighbours or friends, nit being allowed to work, etc... We wholeheartedly think it was 100% about survival, if she was, in fact, Jewish.
Have you thought about taking a DNA test.? It could be interesting.
@@crystalwright1504🤡
Dr Gates is from a city in West Virginia that was a free city to slaves back in the day. He did his DNA , found out he’s more Irish than black. He went black to Harvard where he was the head of black studies and informed them of that fact. He got a big laugh over it.
I love these shows.
So then he went to Irish studies I take it.
I remember him telling the story of most of his 'ancestors' comin from that hotbed of Africans: Dublin. Really funny.
@@glideronthemoon
No he’s still head off black studies.
@@richardw3470
Oprah always said her ancestors were black royalty in Africa. Dr Gates did her DNA through history. Her ancestors were from a very poor nomadic tribe.
He did a foot ball player who went back to Africa to see his kin folks. He looked scared while there. His distant relatives were asking to come to America and for him to give them money.
@@dianakidd4219 Surprise, surprise.
Amazing, I'm 70 now and reasonably just found out about my father's past, such as a relief to know family history. 🇬🇧🙏👍
We're glad to hear you've had the opportunity to learn more about your family history from your father's side of the family, Herbert! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this. We hope you enjoyed the clip!
Sadly, this is a very common thing in the Jewish community world wide, where a Holocaust survivor refuses to ever speak of his or her family. It's simply too traumatic for them, even to talk about it with their children or spouse.
Regina is kinda of a Christian name...
@@jbagger331It isn't. Mary might be referred to as Regina, but the name just means queen, and there's no reason a Jew wouldn't name their daughter that. Especially, as Malka is a very common and ordinary Jewish name.
@@jbagger331 Jews would sometimes give Christian sounding first names to children to avoid persecution. Her Hebrew name used in shul would have been something else. Or maybe you didn't know Jews always have two names?
@@jon8004 the intense persecution began in 1933 and the war ended in 1945, so that's absolutely incorrect.
@@SuzanneBaruch I don't know when Larry's grandmother was naturalized, but near the bottom of the document you can see "Aug. 16, 1927 in Bklyn, NY". So it appears that his grandmother, and therefore also his mother, came to the US no later than 1927. In fact, the line above seems to be saying that she took permanent residence in the US in November 1901.
Of course that doesn't remove the possibility that Larry's mother was entered into the birth registry with an incorrect name that didn't sound Jewish, either to make it easier for her to escape antisemitism, or because antisemitic bureaucrats at the time didn't accept Jewish names. Tarnapol was part of Austrian Galicia, and antisemitism was rampant in late 19th century Austria. For example, 1897-1910 Karl Lueger, the mayor of Vienna, got a lot of his votes through antisemitic rhetoric.
I know two young men who changed their name when they left the military as they wanted to leave everything from that time behind them. Everything.
so they were nudists?
Tarnopol was part of Austria/Galizia at the time - thats why it says Austrian nationality on the document and now it is part of Ukraine.
True that’s my whole families hometown and we consider ourselves Ukrainian
Good catch. It was Austrian when she was born, but I suspect it was Polish at the time of her naturalization. The 20th century was brutal in Eastern Europe.
This is so Larry and so George. To have not known your mothers real name or background for much of your life, and have a Costanza upbringing...yep, that would help make you one of the greatest comedic minds of all time.
I watched the show when this was on originally. The other guest in that broadcast was Senator Bernie Sanders. The funniest thing was the two of them finding out they are actually distant cousins, especially given that Larry David played the Senator on SNL back in 2016!!
Was there more to Larry David's mother's story, or this was it?
😄
Hi Lisa, and thanks for your recent comment!
We are delighted to hear you have enjoyed this episode and all its discoveries. Thanks for sharing!
My husband never knew who his dad was, but through DNA ancestry, he found the name of his dad, a half sister and a half brother.
That's awesome! It's wonderful to hear that your husband has found some new siblings. Has he had a chance to meet up with them?
Love me some Larry David! "I got a red snapper that talks to you." "You know what it's saying? You know What it's saying? It's saying you paying too much." So many Larryisms in my head.
Finding out about my ancestors was one of the most satisfying things I have ever done and also very enlightening
Everyone from those generations were like that. My grandmother was the same, never spoke a word about her past. I know she spoke German because when her sister would drop by they would speak German with each other.
I had my dad take a DNA test, he's in his 80's and the oldest living in his family. DNA shows he has a half sibling!!! 😮 We know absolutely nothing about this person or which grandparent had this child. Although I do think that it's more probable that it was my grandpa. I sent an email on the site to the person but it's been several months and I don't know if they will ever read it. Would be nice to meet them.
Keep asking
Maybe they have died.
Hello Norska! Many thanks for reaching out to Ancestry. We regret hearing that you've not been able to reach this intriguing DNA match so far and hope that you're able to get a response with time. Remember that not all members regularly sign in to their account or keep up with the email inbox. You may try to send another message at this stage too, in case they simply missed the first one. Another idea is to look at any common matches that may appear between your dad and the half sibling. These will show other DNA matches that they both share. With some luck you may find unknown relatives there, which could for instance be children or even grand children of the person. If so, you can try messaging them too. More information on shared DNA matches can be found here: support.ancestry.com/s/article/AncestryDNA-Shared-Matches. Many thanks for being a valued Ancestry member and all the best with your continuous research!
@@AncestryUSI wish I could find out. Both sides of my family are shrouded in mystery. So many lies were told.
Might be similar to what I do. Every year I pay for one month and just check for any updates records for one of my ancestors who was a brick wall on the family tree. And I'll also reply to any messages at that time. So maybe give them time and they will sign up again soon
I remember this episode. From 2017? It's the one where he and Sen. Bernie Sanders find out they're related.
The best, and my favorite episode!..and the best reactions from both men.
I was LMAO
For me he and Bernie are twins
My late father, born and raised in Lodz, Poland, emigrated to Canada with his parents and two sisters in July of 1939 (yup, missed the Nazi invasion by a hair). I didn't actually know his real name until after my mother died. I had to get some official papers for him, and was stunned to find out he was actually Moses Aaron. The nickname for Aaron, back in Poland, was Arek. Once he was here, Arek became Eric, Ernie, Arnie, Harry, or whatever those giving him a paycheck at the end of the week decided to call him. He let them have their way, so I grew up think his initials were A.E. for Arnie Eric, and that's how my mom signed his cheques (his writing hand was crippled from disease in his youth). We grow up accepting what our parents tell us, and never think to question it.
I had to laugh about this. For as long as I could remember my dad's mom's name was Eleanor. I vaugly remember when I was 8, meeting a important politician and being told to tell him that my Grandmother Ruth went to school with him. Never made a lot of sense to me, but you didn't question grownups was how I was raised. When I grew up I discovered my Grandmother's birth name was Ruth Eleanor. However she hated her first name because as a child her mother's strong Norwegian accent made it sound like "root" which embarrassed her when her mom would call her home when she was outside. In high school she started wanting to go by her middle name and gradually got all of her friends and relatives to switch. I think she legally changed it at the time she changed everything to her married name.
My youngest sister is Ruth. It never fit her, and was really out of date. So by college she started using her middle name. Her husband only knows her by her middle name, and knows we sisters still slip up and say Ruth...but now in her 50s she's announced she wants to be asked Tree. I'm sorry, I just can't do it. Myb94 yr old mom cracked off and said, nuts? Was it? Lol. But yes I can see in real time how her kids don't knew she's Ruth, her grandkids won't and someday it will confuse family tree explorers, if there are any.
They're both both bad names TBH
I could relate to Larry David...my mother died over 40 years ago and I barely know anything about her own father; her own mother in fact, etc. She never wanted to talk about it when I was a young child and asked. From my understanding, my mother was part chinese. I do know she's was born in Shanghai, China in the 30's. Now, how i wish I would get to more more details!
I can tell he is hurt not knowing this information about his Mom. Probably confused as to why she didn’t just tell him. My family and I love his show Larry David. My Dad is a twin of him.
The way they set it up made it even more shocking. Larry was unaware of her birth name or home and mom kept that a secret. When you put it in the context of the day, people moved and started over due to perceived scandals of the day (illegitimate births, family problems, scandals, etc). This is real life and hurts to think you knew someone .
Hence the phrase, 'Let sleeping dogs lie'.
I don't think that's it at all. I think he's sad that he can't talk about it with her now that she's deceased. I think his expression is about missing his mother, not about not being told her secrets.
@@Dave-lr2wo Yes, you’re probably correct.
They didn't want to bother him
Seeing this validate's Larry's cynicism. He's an amazing man that he was able to laugh at life rather than letting that cynicism turn into narcissism.
Talk about family secrets, my brother and I met our 1st cousin at our uncle's funeral (1999). He was 72 years old (our cousin), I was in my late 40s. We lived in the same city and no one in my family had ever mentioned his name. His father died in 1935 (same city). I had heard his father's name mentioned casually all my life but didn't know that he was my uncle until a couple years before I met his son (our cousin) at the funeral!
What we now know as Poland did not exist when Larry's grandmother or mother were born. It came to be after World War I. Though Ternopil (as it's now spelled) always had a Polish identity, it was in the Kingdom of Galicia (pronounced GAH-leet-see-ah, not to be confused with the region in Spain of the same name). Its population consisted principally of ethnic Poles, ethnic Ukraines, and Jews. The Kingdom of Galicia was part of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. Both the old Empire and Galicia ceased to exist after World War I, and Ternopil became part of a disputed territory much fought over. It would eventually fall under Polish control, somewhat briefly, from 1923 until 1939, and is now in the Ukraine.
My grandmother, an ethnic Pole, was from a village right outside of Ternopil. Though I have a copy of her birth certificate, it's nice to know there may be more information about her and our family in the archives in Warsaw that were mentioned.
My grandmother was born and raised in Sweden. For the most part, she had a good life in Stockholm Sweden, but when her mother died, her dad remained he high school ex-girlfriend. She did not like her, and so she moved to American. And that's pretty much most of what I know about my grandmother.
@Hello there, how are you doing this blessed day?
You can tell finding out the real name really hit him in the feels😢
Hey Bill. It was certainly an extraordinary moment when Larry discovered his Polish roots! Thanks for taking the time to share your own reaction to another memorable moment from the show. Click here to check out many more from the past 10 seasons: ruclips.net/p/PL0xuz8BBkD4gm8NBVH8ga1elIoAkBjL-q. 🌳
my Jewish immigrant grandmother did the same thing. Her first name is raquel, but she went by Rita, her middle name.
I met Rose in the Newark airport in 1995 as I was flying back home on leave from West Point. I never realized it until probably 20 years later. We had a nice conversation as I sat beside her waiting for our flights. She was flying to Florida and I was flying back to Indiana. I remember her telling me her son was a "writer for Seinfeld" and it never clicked for me at the time. Only years later and now seeing her face I know it was her. Small world indeed.
Wow, thanks so much for sharing Lew! We hope you enjoyed this segment from Finding Your Roots with Larry David. Have a great day!
My grandmother's aunt was named Bengta, a very "rough/manish" name here in Sweden if I may say so myself, but changed her name to Betsy when living in USA. On her tombstone in California it says Betsy.
Great appreciation for Larry David, he’s a good guy.
I come from a Jewish family with roots in Eastern Europe. Lots and lots of secrets.
Tarnapol Poland is now Ternopil, Ukraine
I only knew my great grandmother as Mary Fisher until her funeral in 2010, she passed at age 95. Her birth name was Olive Jass. I went my entire life not knowing her name was Olive.
My mother didn’t like her name either. She went by a nickname she gained in college.
She was embarrassed by her uncle Hugh. Otherwise, she would have kept the name.
@@JK-br1mu 🤣
@@JK-br1mu that was a good one! BUT (no pun intended) she was born in Czechoslovakia so the j was pronounced as a y.
@@JennRighter Olive yassssss.
Not long ago my father found the marriage certificate of his parents, my grandparents. We discovered that my grandmother had changed her year of birth so that she would be one year younger than her husband, rather than one year older. They were already a tough coupling because he was born in England and was Anglican and she was born in Ireland and was Catholic. So, they managed to get around that but she probably assumed his family wouldn't go for two strikes against her lol.
What an interesting discovery!
Growing up I knew my grandpa was adopted. His biological mother was the twin sister of the mother who raised him. I didn't find out till my MiL went on ancestry that I found out my grandfather's name wasn't his birth name.
It's so strange. In the UK 'who do you think you are' the celebrities actually visit the homes of their ancestors. You really should do that in the US version. It makes it much more interesting.
I thought Larry was going to find out his mother was irish
I recently discovered that my uncle died in 1919 in a workhouse in Ireland. My mother never mentioned her brother. The memory and shame were too difficult.
Wow
When it comes to secretive parents that have passed but then their secrets are revealed or descendants are investigating, I imagine them in the afterlife freaking out or panicking.
I don’t lmao what’s the point of heaven if you can feel panic there lmao I can go to heaven and my panic attacks don’t go away?
I'm sure they would understand and felt their kids and relatives deserved to learn the truth, even if it's painful and sometimes quite embarrassing to reminisce.
There’s no freaking out in the afterlife!
That’s a funny thought 😂
@@byHexted Well, if you're uncharitable, you can picture them somewhere else than heaven...
But it does pose an interesting theological question if one were inclined to ponder such things. Do you have to let go of your secrets to be able to enter heaven? I'm not sure I care enough / should care, when it comes to other people. 😅
We traced one branch of our family back to 15th century. Central Poland - that was easy. Now we are stuck with other branch from the today's Ukraine and neighbouring parts of Austro-Hungarian Empire. Genealogy is fascinating stuff.
Larry doesn't act, they just make shows around his daily life......and it's great!!!
He's acting real good here, a lifelong act at that!
@3:35 Larry gave Ancestry their new tag line: "well you're full of treasures here."
You may be on to something 👀
Happy Birthday, Mr. David! I, too, am a July 2nd. I’m living out of spite. But, in all seriousness, thanks for the many hours of joy you’ve brought us in your humor. I wish you many more happy returns!
Grew up my entire life not knowing my grandmothers real name either. How curious an act.
It would be nice to see you do this for some everyday people and feature them on some videos.
Thank you, Dr. Gates, for what has become one of the best shows TV ever had.
Hi, DRMET! We're so glad you enjoyed our clip from Finding Your Roots, featuring Larry David. It's good to hear that you enjoyed watching the most recent season of Finding Your Roots on your local PBS station. As in the past, PBS will show reruns from past seasons nearly every week. Be sure to tune in to PBS next Tuesday evening for an amazing episode from Season 6, featuring actresses Isabella Rossellini, Anjelica Huston and Mia Farrow. Have a great day!
Amazing how much Larry David is like Larry David
His mom would have been a young child during world war one, young adult during ww2. Many immigrants changed their names once fleeing Europe
This was my favorite episode of Finding Your Roots! I was so bummed when they pulled it from PBS Passport 😢
Mine was Angela Davis. I thought she was going to stroke out.
We're so glad you stopped by to watch this Finding Your Roots segment featuring Larry David! We hope you enjoyed the clip.
What a gem Larry is.
I have so many unanswered questions and the people with the answers are long gone.
One of the great things about LD is that he is authentic ( even if it may at times cause discomfort)
@Hello there, how are you doing this blessed day?
Wow. Stop thinking these celebrities are authentic. They lie to get you to spend money on them. So they can live a privilege life while you are broke. They are far from authentic.
My cousin found out weeks before his father passed away that he wasn't his father at all. The man knew for 50 years that he was not my cousins father. He kept that secret until he passed away and he never found out his 'son' actually learned of the family secret that he wasn't truly his son mere weeks earlier. It's one family secret I don't have to hold any longer...
Looking forward to larry using this on the next season of curb your enthusiasm lol
Sounds like a Seinfeld episode! That would've been hilarious! 😂
It’s sad when family is to afraid or ashamed or won’t share the truth about life the past for any reason. The truth makes us whole and real flaws and all. I love hearing the good, bad, highs and lows about my father he shared it made him real, and a person and I appreciated him more
Thanks for sharing this insight with us, Steven. ❤️
My mother is 100% German, coming to the US as an adult. My long deceased father was raised in an orphanage here in the US, so I had no idea what my heritage was on that side until I did a DNA test last year. Turns out I am 15% Ashkenazi Jewish and 1-2% of a whole bunch of other things like Baltic, Italian, Saudi Arabian, Armenian, Greek, Iberian and East Slavic. Also 12% Scandinavian which I believe is on my mother's side since she always thought there was Irish on her side and there was none in my DNA.
My mind whirls trying to figure out how all that came together. The island of Sicily has dark haired and tan skin folk due to Middle Eastern immigrants (I don't know when). Turkey is another country that could contribute Baltic, Slavic, etc. into the mix. Have you found any genetic relatives?
@@2degucitas Yeah, how do you think I felt? My Mom, Dad and myself are all brown hair and eyes. My maternal grandmother and great grandmother were both light haired, but I don't know what color their eyes were. The DNA company I used only had listings for distant relatives in other countries.
I thought I was 100% German. Found out I was not, and 13% Ashkenazi. My father confirmed that my great grandmother was Jewish, married a Christian and converted. I also have Baltic genes.
@@Veroweithofer Small world!
Your father can’t be 15% ashkenazi jewish because Jewish isn’t a race, it’s a religion. Also the DNA companies admitted a while back that any result that is 24% and below is a contaminate.
Thank God for Larry! A lesser person would be saddened by the fact that they didn't know their mother very well😢
Where's the whole video?
Hey there, and thanks so much for your recent comment. We're glad you enjoyed the upload. This clip was taken from season 4 of Finding Your Roots. Reruns air on Tuesday evenings on PBS. If you'd like to learn more and check out your local listings, or see how you can stream or buy episodes, feel free to check out this link: www.pbs.org/weta/finding-your-roots/watch/seasons/season-4
Thanks for dropping by so we could provide this!
This was great! I absolutely adore Larry David... The man is a living legend and a wonderful human being.
I bet her real name was Betty.
Why is he wonderful?
He's a crabby hilarious comedian
@@Highlander1432 I was staying with my mom on Martha's Vineyard during the filming of Clear History and Larry had arranged for the locals to eat for free three nights a week at any of the dozen or more restaurants, ice cream and coffee shops on the island. He also bought out a trinket shop that was struggling so that the woman could retire. He would be seen at various pubs during his two months there and always took time to talk to the locals and learn what he could as well as make everyone laugh with his goofy antics. He left quite an impression on the folks there and myself.
@@mikebartoli4755 Wow, even more reasons to love Larry David! Thank you for sharing 🙌
Many Polish Jews survivors of the Shoah wanted to forget the horror and abandon any memory of their family lives in Poland which triggered painful memories of loss of murdered family and loss of a Home and Family.
Polish antisemitism was strong pre war and only grew after WW2 making many Holocaust NEVER want to ever set foot on Polish soil or thing about their lost life in Poland.
There were many like Larry’s mother who chose to forget any memory of their past in countries life Poland or Hungary.
Why is this so short? You could make an hour long documentary/interview on Larry David's story.
It isn't the whole episode.
This has to be a joke comment Jerome, you can't be that dense.
Not to make light of a stunning personal revelation, but being uncomfortable revealing your actual name to your own children sounds like the most epic Seinfeld episode ever:
*George now has a four-year-old son. One day, a stranger mistakenly calls George by a different name. George's son, who has only ever called him daddy, loves saying the name. George decides to let it ride.*
"But George, he's your own son!"
"I don't care, Jerry! To him, I will always be Benicio!!"
*George continues the ruse throughout his son's growth to adulthood and beyond. Eventually, an elderly George falls ill and his son arrives at his deathbed when the end is near.*
"I love you, dad. I just want you to know, I'm proud to be the son of the great Benicio Costanza!"
"Well, uh, you know, son...here's the thing."
*insert bass solo*
The ability to discover family history in this day and age is astounding. In the past 4 years I have opened up so many surprises. Many names were changed when coming to America, purposely and accidentally.
Hi Joy to you and me, and thanks for stopping by!
We are delighted you have made s many discoveries along your way. We are happy to be able to be a part of this wonderful journey with you. Thank you for sharing!
i was watching other episodes of this and thought to myself "I wonder if they have done an episode with Larry David, i would LOVE to see that".... i rejoice
I love Larry and I'm glad he was able to find out more about his mother. He seemed so shocked by it.
There should never be family secrets no matter how painful. I found out some things about my mother when I was 17. It answered some questions I had always asked, never got an answer for. But created more questions that I would never get the answers to
"Regina" absolutely could've been another whole "Seinfeld" episode, just like "Delores."
I think you mean Mulva!
@@TheTman10101nah, Delores. Lol
@@TheTman10101 No, I mean, "Delores," because that's the character's real name on the "Seinfeld" episode, as "Regina" is Larry David's mother's actual name, not "Rosa," which she led everyone to believe was her real name.
I was in my 40s when I found out that my grandma's real name was Hannah, not Anne. Her sister, my aunt Maggie, was really Madeleine, my uncle George was really Joseph, my uncle Eddie was originally Isadore and my uncle Izzy was Edward. I guess nicknames really stuck in the old days.
Eddie was Isadore and Izzy was Edward, not the other way around? Seems confusing 😅
@@belbird69 Yep. Go figure, right?
Both my mother and father had biological parents who we knew nothing about until after they passed. The grandfathers I had were not my parent's biological fathers.
I was going comment on the video, perhaps say something sweet or interesting, but now that I have "seen" it, I can't not comment on the bronze/orange tie. It's BEAUTIFUL! What a color!
Superfein is a cool last name.
A preferred name, a name chosen for one's self IS one's REAL name. People need to learn this.