The Borensteins

I've written about this before...our quest to find answers about my dad's biological father.  What a roller coaster it has been...and continues to be, as we find ourselves without a definite answer.

Rita and Ariel (Salomon Borenstein's children) received their DNA results and shocked us all when they showed up to NOT have enough DNA in common to be my dad's half siblings.  We were sure Salomon was my dad's father.  Here's what "evidence" we had: Salomon looked so much like Dad (there are some pictures that have such unbelievable resemblance, even after the DNA test, it's still hard to believe), we knew Salomon had had a Finnish girl who he had been in love with but his father forbade him to marry because she wasn't Jewish, we knew our Grandma had worked at his suit shop (Ariel even found evidence of this with a signature of Grandma's on a work document), we had seen a picture of Salomon with a girl who looked like it could have been our Grandma, and we thought Salomon had been home from the war just a couple months before my Grandpa (the window where Grandma must have got pregnant).  We also had met Rita and Ariel online and loved them!  We couldn't have asked for more kind, helpful and loving people to be related to.  We were (I'd say 99%) convinced this was the answer we had been seeking. 

This is one of the pictures of Salomon that looks the most like Dad to me.  His mouth, chin, nose, forehead...seriously this could be my dad!

Another one that looks like my dad...outside working in the yard.  My dad would wear that too, well minus the hat and boots haha.

Ariel and Rita.  They are relatives...just probably cousins of my dad rather than siblings.

This revelation left me feeling disappointed, sad, empty and discouraged.  I lost interest in searching any further.  If Salomon wasn't the father, we were at a DNA dead end.  Salomon's other brothers (Ben Zion and Samuel {Ezra was already married and moved away when Dad was conceived}) didn't marry or have any children so there was no DNA to test...no new relatives to unearth.

Here are the 4 Borenstein brothers

L-R Salmon, Ezra, Ben Zion, Samuel  

We abandoned the search for a few months.  Then we hesitantly arranged a zoom call with Rita, Ariel and Peter (Ezra's son).  We had a wonderful chat.  We were able to tell them more about Dad and learn more about Ben (who we deemed most likely to be Dad's father).  They are wonderful people.  I look forward to getting to know them better and maybe even meeting them in person one day.

I still find myself longing for a concrete answer about my dad's paternity.  I just want to know for sure.  I know it doesn't really matter, and that the answer won't change anything.  But I just want to know...for my dad.  So the search will continue...

Here is the entire Borenstein Family...one of those boys should be Dad's biological father

And here's my dad's family.  Who does he look most like?