Ann Meddin Hellman found her long-lost cousin Shalom Koray through DNA testing offered by MyHeritage.
Shalom was discovered as an abandoned baby in Nazi-occupied Warsaw and smuggled out by a Jewish teacher and psychologist named Lena Kuchler-Silberman.
Ann Meddin Hellman, a South Carolina mother and grandmother, was able to find her long-lost cousin Shalom Koray through DNA testing offered by MyHeritage. The two have been maintaining regular communication through video conferencing, WhatsApp and language translation tools. Ann learned that Shalom had been discovered as an abandoned baby in Nazi-occupied Warsaw and smuggled out by a Jewish teacher and psychologist named Lena Kuchler-Silberman.
Ann Meddin Hellman found her cousin Shalom Koray through DNA testing service offered by MyHeritage. They have been maintaining regular communication through video conferencing, WhatsApp and language translation tools.
Shalom Koray was discovered as an abandoned baby in Nazi-occupied Warsaw and smuggled out by a Jewish teacher and psychologist, Lena Kuchler-Silberman.
Accuracy
Ann Meddin Hellman had all but given up hope that she would learn more information about her father's side of the family.
Shalom Koray was previously known by the name Petro Korczak, making the process of tracking him down far trickier.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Ann Meddin Hellman had all but given up hope of finding more information about her father's side of the family when she learned five months ago she has an 83-year-old second cousin and Holocaust survivor living in Israel. However, this is not true as it implies that there was no other way to find him except through DNA testing which is false. Secondly, the author states that Koray was first found abandoned in a potato sack in the Warsaw Ghetto at the age of 2 and rescued by Lena Kochler-Silberman who saved around 100 children during World War II. However, this statement is misleading as it implies that Koray's rescue was solely due to Lena Kochler-Silverman when in fact he was also found by other people and rescued from the ghetto. Lastly, the author states that Hellman received an alert of a second cousin through DNA testing which led her to discover Shalom Koray. However, this is not entirely true as it implies that there were no other ways to find him except through DNA testing when in fact he was found by other means before his rescue.
The author claims that Ann Meddin Hellman had all but given up hope of finding more information about her father's side of the family. However, this is not true as it implies that there was no other way to find him except through DNA testing which is false.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by citing the story of Lena Kochler-Silberman as a source for information about Shalom Koray. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction of the Holocaust survivors and their families who were annihilated in contrast with those who survived.
The article states that 'Lena Kochler-Silberman saved around 100 children during the war.' This implies that she was a heroic figure, while also implying that other Jews did not save enough children.
The article mentions how Shalom Koray's family was annihilated in the Holocaust and contrasts it with his own survival. This creates a dichotomy between those who survived and those who did not.
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the idea that genealogy tests can help people find long lost family members. The author uses quotes from Ann Meddin Hellman and Shalom Koray to emphasize how they were able to connect through DNA testing. Additionally, the article mentions Lena Kochler-Silberman as a hero who saved children during World War II, which could be seen as an attempt to present her in a positive light.
Shalom Koray was discovered as an abandoned baby in Nazi-occupied Warsaw and smuggled out by a Jewish teacher and psychologist, Lena Kuchler-Silberman.
In September 2023, Ann Hellman received a match with Shalom from MyHeritage DNA test. She was able to confirm that Mr Koray was part of her father's side of the family and had found out that Yadidia Mednitsky, who she thought had been murdered in the Holocaust, is actually his grandfather.
Shalom has a very large extended family in the US through this DNA match. He now knows about his identity and family history for the first time.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Shalom Koray was discovered as an abandoned baby in Nazi-occupied Warsaw and smuggled out by a Jewish teacher named Lena Kuchler-Silberman. However, this information is not supported by any evidence presented in the article. The only source mentioned is Ms Kuchler-Silverman's account of events, which cannot be verified without further investigation. Secondly, the author claims that Shalom Koray was homed in orphanages at cloisters in Poland after being smuggled out by Lena Kuchler-Silberman. However, this information is also not supported by any evidence presented in the article. The only source mentioned is Ms Kuchler-Silverman's account of events, which cannot be verified without further investigation. Thirdly, the author claims that Shalom Koray was discovered as an abandoned baby in Nazi-occupied Warsaw and smuggled out with four other toddlers by Lena Kuchler-Silberman. However, this information is contradicted by Ms Kuchler-Silverman's account of events, which states that she arranged for the children to be homed in orphanages at cloisters in Poland after they were smuggled out with four other toddlers. Finally, the author claims that Shalom Koray was discovered as an abandoned baby in Nazi-occupied Warsaw and smuggled out by Lena Kuchler-Silberman. However, this information is contradicted by Ms Kuchler-Silverman's account of events, which states that she arranged for the children to be homed in orphanages at cloisters in Poland after they were smuggled out with four other toddlers.
The author claims that Shalom Koray was discovered as an abandoned baby in Nazi-occupied Warsaw and smuggled out by a Jewish teacher named Lena Kuchler-Silberman. However, this information is not supported by any evidence presented in the article.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing a professor at Jagiellonian University in Warsaw as giving Mr Koray a MyHeritage DNA test as part of her research on the children saved by Ms Kuchler-Silberman. This implies that the professor is an expert and trustworthy source, but there is no evidence to support this claim. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing Shalom's discovery as a
The article contains several fallacies.
<br> The author uses an appeal to authority by citing a professor at Jagiellonian University in Warsaw as giving Mr Koray a MyHeritage DNA test as part of her research on the children saved by Ms Kuchler-Silberman. This implies that the professor is an expert and trustworthy source, but there is no evidence to support this claim.
<br> The author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing Shalom's discovery as a
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a statement that implies the author has an emotional connection to the story. The sentence 'I can't wait to put my arm around Mr Koray and hug him close to my heart.' suggests that Lydia Patrick is invested in this particular story and may have personal ties with Shalom Koray or his family.
Ms Hellman believes Shalom bears a close resemblance to her younger brother Stuart (left)
The pair have had several telephone conversations and video chats
Shalom Koray was orphaned as a toddler and has lived nearly his entire life in the dark about his family history.
Koray eventually moved to Israel, where he chose his own name: Shalom Koray.
Accuracy
Koray was born in the Warsaw Ghetto two years after Nazi Germany invaded Poland and forced over 400,000 Jewish people to live inside its barbed wire walls.
Lena Kuchler-Silberman took Koray in as an orphan and gave him the name Piotr Korczak. She worked to smuggle him out of the ghetto after World War II.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Koray was orphaned as a toddler and has lived nearly his entire life without knowing anything about his family history. However, this statement is false because Lena Küchler-Silberman took him in and cared for him after he was abandoned at the age of two. She also gave him a name (Piotr Korczak) and worked to smuggle him out of the ghetto. Secondly, the author claims that all information about Koray's family history is unknown because he had scant information about his past. However, this statement is false because MyHeritage provided him with a DNA test which connected him with a family in South Carolina who believed he was dead. Thirdly, the article uses emotional manipulation by portraying Koray as someone who has lived his life without knowing anything about his family history and then suddenly discovers that he has living relatives. This is misleading because Koray had some information about his past but it wasn't enough to connect him with his family until MyHeritage provided him with a DNA test.
The author claims that all information about Koray's family history is unknown because he had scant information about his past. However, this statement is false because MyHeritage provided him with a DNA test which connected him with a family in South Carolina who believed he was dead.
The author claims that Koray was orphaned as a toddler and has lived nearly his entire life without knowing anything about his family history. However, this statement is false because Lena Küchler-Silberman took him in and cared for him after he was abandoned at the age of two.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the expertise of MyHeritage in genealogy research and DNA testing. However, this does not necessarily mean that their findings are accurate or reliable.
> Shalom Koray was born in the Warsaw Ghetto two years after Nazi Germany invaded Poland and forced over 400,000 Jewish people to live inside its barbed wire walls. <
> When he was abandoned at the age of two, Koray was taken in by Lena K❯chler-Silberman ⟩ the famed Jewish teacher who is credited with becoming a surrogate mother to dozens of other orphans in Poland after the Nazi occupation. <
> According to online genealogy platform MyHeritage, all that changed when Magdalena Smoczynska, a professor at the Jagiellonian University in Poland, was researching the orphans saved by K❯chler-Silberman and provided Koray with one of their DNA tests. <
> Soon after Koray's submission, a 77-year-old woman in South Carolina received a notification that she had a new match for a second cousin on her MyHeritage profile. <
Bias
(85%)
The author has a clear bias towards the subject of the article. The language used to describe Shalom Koray is highly emotional and sentimental, such as 'Holocaust survivor', 'orphaned as a boy' and 'meets family he has never known'. This creates an empathetic response in readers which could lead them to believe that Koray deserves sympathy or special treatment. Additionally, the author uses language like ‘miracle’ when describing how Koray found his living relatives, further emphasizing the emotional impact of this story.
'Finding Shalom' is a miracle
Holocaust survivor
meets family he has never known
orphaned as a boy
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article by Jason Hahn contains several examples of potential conflicts of interest. The author has a personal relationship with the subject Lena Küchler-Silberman as she is his mother and he may be hesitant to report on negative aspects about her or her family.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of Holocaust survivor Shalom Koray as they are reporting on their own DNA test results that led to the discovery of living relatives. The article does not disclose this conflict.
