Finding Your Roots (TV Series) - Nomi's Pics

Naomi Weisman is a Canadian, Australian and mother of three, who loves to ramble with her dog, cook for family and friends, and laugh whenever possible.

As an adopted person living in Canada, I’ve always identified with my Jewish roots. My grandparents came from Eastern Europe and spoke Yiddish at home. I love the food, the traditions, and the languages that make me think of them.

I’ve known for a long time that, biologically, I descend from people born and raised in Australia, and based on how many freckles I have, I assumed that I descend from a long line of Irish immigrants fleeing from poverty during the potato famine.

Some years ago, with the emergence of DNA companies like 23 and Me and Ancestry.com, I thought It would be fun to see my genetic makeup. It turns out that I come by my freckles honestly given that I am 46 % English and Northwestern European, 31% Irish, 21% Scottish, and 2% Danish.

Knowing this doesn’t change my feelings about myself, but having the knowledge is fun nonetheless. It allows my imagination to roam free to think about how my biological ancestors moved around the world and created the people that made me.

Finding Your Roots (PBS) is hosted by a famous Harvard professor named Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a historian and expert on African-American studies. With these credentials, he has an extensive knowledge and fascination with linking history and how individuals, families, and societies function today.

Every episode is different. Usually, there are two guests whose DNA and family history are being analyzed. They are often prominent Americans, like politicians, actors, musicians, and scientists. They give samples of their DNA and sometimes ask for family mysteries to be solved.

In addition to the DNA, genealogists comb through historical records like ship logs, newspaper articles, obituaries, and slave owners' lists of chattels. The information unearthed is incredible, and the reactions elicited are pretty moving.

Recently, I watched an episode from season 6 with actor and musician Queen Latifah and actor Jeffrey Wright. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals their unexpected family trees and redefines their sense of the black experience. He challenges preconceptions about America’s past by highlighting that their ancestors were in America generations before America was even an independent republic. It was a wonderful episode to watch unfold.

Another fantastic episode- from Season 4- highlights Larry David (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Bernie Sanders (politician). Watching as they traced their roots from 1940s Brooklyn back to Jewish communities in Europe was poignant.

Larry David discovers his German heritage by way of ancestors who settled in Mobile, Alabama, in the mid-19th century — including one who became a slaveholding Confederate; Bernie Sanders gains a greater understanding of his father’s dangerous childhood in Austrian Galicia during World War I. Both guests discover what happened to their family members who were still in Europe during the Holocaust. Their reactions were priceless.

I highly recommend Finding Your Roots. Although it is on PBS (Public Broadcasting), many episodes can be found on YouTube. I love that you can watch each episode independently of another, which means that there is no need to watch them in succession.

Each episode will inspire you, make you laugh, cry, and, most importantly, think.

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