Holocaust survivor, 102, meets nephew after thinking all family died in war

Eliahu Pietruszka escaped from Poland at the beginning of the second world war thinking his entire family had perished. But two weeks ago he discovered that a younger brother had also survived and that his brother's son, 66-year-old Alexandre, was flying from Russia to see him.

The reunion was made possible by a comprehensive online database of victims created by Yad Vashem, Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. Given the dwindling number of survivors and their advanced ages, the event seemed likely to be among the last of its kind

The Guardian YouTube network:

[hydraarctic]

When he said “You are a copy of your father”, I couldn’t help but smile.

[Meh-snkj]

“You have a big family, you won’t be alone”
You can tell this man was lonely for so many years...

[comradecarl]

Touching moment. On another note, that 102 yo man is impressively mobile and healthy for his age.

[yasmine]

Respect men who show their emotions and vulnerability

[MaddysinLeigh]

When he says “you won’t be alone” it’s like he’s almost saying it to himself.

[ddiegorosa]

It hit when he said, "You won't be alone", because that had consumed his life for so long and he never wanted another family member to know that pain.

[audrianalalaxoxo]

I can not fathom the depth of loneliness and despair he must have lived with his whole life and how much of a light meeting his nephew and seeing his brother in his features must have been. Amazing.

[TheBrownBoy]

I'm crying thinking of the fact he didn't sleep in two days. He was probably thinking about what his brother went through and couldn't see the end of it. This is one of the most emotionally intense videos I've ever seen.

[creepy.bstanbtsbtw]

The way he placed his hands on his nephew's cheek and kissed him with no hesitation, then kept holding him while crying...
It shows how much he's been waiting and hurting. Mentioning how his nephew looks like his younger brother, imagine how much he misses him.
His voice breaking as he cried too...I can't even imagine what they've all gone through.

[DevynnEBMusic]

When he says “you won’t be alone” you can see the pain in his eyes. After all his loneliness, his first thought is not for himself, but for his family. It’s not “I won’t be alone”, but “You won’t be alone”. He feels empathetic and protective; he doesn’t want anyone else to feel the sadness he has felt. A small detail that marks a wonderful human being.

[anandaghosh]

When he said “you won’t be alone”, it really did bring tears

[myyoutube]

When the uncle marveled how much his nephew looked like his father it must have been so emotional for him because he never got to see his brother in old age as he thought he had died young. He remembered his brother as he looked back then, so to see his nephew as a grown man it must have felt like seeing how his brother would have looked later in life. An incredible experience I’m so glad they both got to experience and thankful we are able to witness it.

[sand]

He was moving fast in such a hurry to see his precious nephew, and he could see his brother again by looking at his nephew. He looks great for 102.

[TheXDayDreamerx]

“You are a copy of your father.” The tears I held back... oh man.

[blueorgin]

🤧🥺🥺🥺 His nephew resembles him too! So glad he got to meet nephew! ❤

[una.]

The Onkel saying “you have family here, you won’t be alone” broke my heart. He knew how it feels to be alone and don’t want his nephew to feel the same way

[thereforewithjoy]

When he cried and said: "you won't be alone" you can tell he experienced utter loneliness before he found his family. So heartbreaking...

[davidzeibert]

Wow, this guy spent 70 years thinking he was all alone, I can't imagine the emotions he felt when he learned his brother survived, and went through life thinking the same thing as him

[joelilevaci]

"I haven't slept in 2 nights waiting for you"...that hit me hard.

[earthball]

I am so happy that he was reunited with his nephew who he never met until he was in his late 60s. The fact they even met is amazing and the emotions he felt were huge and one of the best in life.