环球英语 — 432：Bringing Families Back Together
Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Ryan Geertsma.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby Jones. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
It was July, 2008. Irene and Wssewolod stood with their arms around one another. Tears filled their eyes as they held each other close. They were both crying, but they were also smiling. You see, Irene and Wssewolod are brother and sister. And they were extremely happy to see each other. This is because they had not seen each other in sixty six [66] years.
Voice 2
Today’s Spotlight program is on the story of Irene Famulak and Wssewolod Galezkij. Their story is one of tragic separation. But it is also a story of hope and great joy.
Voice 1
It was 1942 – the middle of World War II – and Nazi soldiers had invaded Ukraine. Irene was seventeen [17] years old. And Wssewolod, her younger brother, was only seven. They lived in Ukraine with their parents and five other brothers and sisters.
Voice 2
One night, Nazi soldiers arrived at their home. The soldiers came to take Irene away. They told her mother that Irene would be gone for six months. They said she would work in a German labor camp.
Voice 1
As the soldiers pulled Irene away, she tried to kiss Wssewolod good–bye. Irene shared her memories of this event with the news group CNN.
Voice 3
“I remember it well because I kissed him good–bye, and he pushed me away. I asked, ‘Why did you do that, Wssewolod?’ And he said that he does not like kisses.”
Voice 2
This is a normal thing for a seven year old boy to do. Little boys often do not like kisses. However, he did not know that it would be many years before he saw his sister again. Irene spent much longer than six months working in the labor camp. She worked for three years in the camp as a cook. And she was not released until the end of the war.
Voice 1
After the war, Irene did not know where to find any of her family. She was in Germany, far from her home country of Ukraine. After a few years, Irene married and moved to the United States. Soon, she had children of her own. But she still thought about her parents, brothers and sisters. She believed that they had all died in the war. However, she often dreamed of them. And she wondered if any of them could still be alive.
Voice 2
Wssewolod had also been taken to a Nazi labor camp during the war. He worked for three years and was released after the war was over. He returned to his home country of Ukraine and began to search for his family.
Voice 1
But at that time, he was only ten years old. Most family records had been lost, and there were few resources available. So Wssewolod could not find his family.
Voice 2
After many years, Wssewolod married and raised a family. He stayed in Ukraine and lived a happy life. But he still wondered about the family he had lost.
Voice 1
However, it was impossible to search for them. You see, during most of Wssewolod’s life, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. And the government of the Soviet Union did not let people see records about lost family members.
Voice 2
But in the 1990’s, the Soviet Union broke apart. People were finally able to search through family records!
Voice 1
So Wssewolod began to search for his family. But he did not search alone. Wssewolod worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross in Germany. The Red Cross and Red Crescent organizations have a long history of helping victims of war. Many people know of their work in health care. They help war time soldiers and innocent victims in need of medicine. They also help provide food and health care during natural disasters like floods, earthquakes and storms. However, the International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, provides another service that many people do not know about. They help to reunite families separated by war and disasters.
Voice 2
The ICRC has an international tracing center. This center investigates the movement of people during and after a war. They collect war time records for families and individual people. Then, they organize these records, so that people can search them. Many people use them to find information about family members.
Voice 1
But the ICRC cannot reunite separated family members by themselves. They work together with one hundred and sixty National Red Cross and Red Crescent organizations around the world. The national groups collect and communicate information between local people. They also take requests for missing people, investigate addresses and help plan the first meeting of reunited family members. Together, the national and international centers make up the global system which helps reunite families.
Voice 2
For seventeen [17] years, the ICRC searched for Wssewolod’s family. Finally, they contacted the national American Red Cross Tracing Center. This national center learned that Irene lived in the United States. When the ICRC told Wssewolod that they had found Irene, he was very happy. He cried as he told CNN about it. He said,
Voice 4
“When the Red Cross told me they had found her in America, it was such a joy.”
Voice 1
Seventy three [73] year old Wssewolod was so emotional when he found out, that he had to go to the hospital! Irene, too, was emotional when she learned that Wssewolod was alive. And right away, she decided that she wanted to see Wssewolod again. At eighty three [83] years old, Irene began to plan a trip around the world to visit her brother. And finally, on July 11, 2008, Irene stepped off the airplane in Donetsk, Ukraine. In front of her stood her younger brother Wssewolod. The two immediately hugged. Tears filled their eyes as they held each other close.
Voice 2
Wssewolod told CNN,
Voice 4
“I don’t believe anyone has ever known such happiness. Now, I believe I can die satisfied.”
Voice 1
The story of Irene and Wssewolod began tragically. They were separated by war, time and distance. But even with all of these barriers, their hope remained. And their hope produced great joy. After so many years, their love was still strong. And they can now enjoy life together again.
Voice 2
Have you or someone you know been separated from family because of war or natural disaster? If so, you can contact your local Red Cross or Red Crescent organization. Or you can find a link to the International Committee of the Red Cross family links website on the script page for this program.
