Jewish genealogy and heritage travel: How Scott Familant made a personal connection to his roots in Belarus

Article by Tasha Ackerman

 

During a heritage trip to Belarus, as Scott Familant unearthed insights into the lives of his ancestors, he was told that one of the names of the shtetls where his great-grandmother’s paternal family was from, Uzliany, had a meaning akin to “wood over mud.” This revelation offered him a profound understanding of how challenging life was for those living on the land of the former Pale where his ancestors hailed from. Even though the shtetl no longer exists, by walking through the community and being invited into the home of a current resident, Scott could get a sense of what life was like for his ancestors. 

 

Jewish heritage tours across Europe and the Middle East tell the stories of Jewish communities, allowing people living in the diaspora to dig into their roots and learn about the culture, the history and the land that shaped them. Jews who have been displaced and resettled around the world have many reasons to be called home and to explore the land of their ancestors. Learning about the past inevitably teaches about the present. For Scott, it has given him a deep appreciation for what life was like for his ancestors.  

 

 

Scott had been researching his genealogy over the years, always curious to learn more about past generations and to understand how they have shaped his own identity. As his mother’s 75th birthday was approaching, Scott’s desire to unearth answers into his family’s genealogy strengthened as he had, for a long time, hoped that, one day, as a family, they could visit the places of their origins. 

 

Scott reached some roadblocks in his independent research, intending to locate all of the major lines so that he could plan a trip to the locations as a way to celebrate her birthday. He had known that his great-grandfather came from somewhere around Vilnius and his great-grandmother near Minsk, but he was having difficulties locating records from this great-grandfather. He began wondering, if maybe “near Vilnius” is similar to how people say they’re from New York, but they’re really from Long Island or New Jersey- and realised that he needed to expand his search to neighbouring areas. 

 

 

There are many hurdles that one might face when digging into their genealogy. Depending on the country, records may or may not be digitalized and accessible to the public. And even if they can be found, they are oftentimes handwritten in a language you might not be familiar with. By working with researchers on the ground and connecting the information he knew from stories, Scott was able to identify the shtetl that his great-grandfather had come from, Konvalishki. 

 

In Belarus, Scott travelled with his mother and their family to Konvalishki, Smiolvich, and Uzliany as well as locations in Ukraine and Lithuania that were also tied to his mother’s family.  

 

 

For Scott, the quest to find answers was not solely an interest in history or an opportunity to travel abroad. Tracing his roots became a holistic practice of gratitude. He has built empathy for the lives of his ancestors and has developed a respect for the challenges that they faced– accompanied by an appreciation of what has bloomed in the generations following their decision to uproot their lives and plant seeds in a land where, despite having richer soil, they would still face many challenges adapting to their new lives. “I don’t know to what extent they really were able to appreciate in their lives the gift that they gave to everybody else.” He knows their lives changed profoundly. The technology and standards of living they ultimately enjoyed in America would have been unheard of in the shtetl, such as the ability to own a home that is heated rather than warmed by firewood, or having a refrigerator that was more than a big piece of ice. “It’s not lost on me in the least that a lot of what I enjoy today is truly by virtue of their courageous decision to immigrate to the USA.”

 

 

After the trip, Scott attended a virtual talk hosted by The Together Plan’s Sonia Shaipak and Vasily Zaitsau, through Qesher, about connecting to Jewish roots in Belarus. They spoke about initiatives to preserve Jewish history in Belarus such as the Jewish Heritage Trail and its archive services. After attending, Scott could not help but see the connections between his own story to their mission.  So, following the presentation, Scott connected with The Together Plan offering his services as a volunteer. Today Scott is actively involved in helping to amplify the work of The Together Plan through its sister non-profit in the USA, Jewish Tapestry Project, and holds the role of Development Director.

 

Upon reflection on his own journey, Scott recognizes that not everyone has the time, resources, and patience that he needed in order to pursue research of their genealogy. But he recognizes the value of his persistence, which has provided him with a deep understanding of his ancestors and, in return, influenced the way he views himself. 

 

 

Belarusian Jewish history is not well understood nor well documented. The fate of this history is tenuous and needs resources and attention in order to be preserved. Scott sees involvement with The Together Plan (UK)  and Jewish Tapestry Project (USA) as an opportunity, fueled by his own experience, to volunteer with an organisation that seeks to build bridges from this history to the present, making meaningful experiences accessible to others. 

 

The Together Plan, supported by Jewish Tapestry Project, is building the Jewish Heritage Trail with a multifaceted approach, striving to build connections that will support local Jewish communities across Belarus through tourism and education. With the intention of putting Jewish history in Belarus back on the map, this work honours both the past lives of the shtetl and the present-day Jewish communities, promoting a future rooted in tolerance. For people like Scott, locating one’s roots is only the beginning; with each answer blooms new questions and new opportunities.

 

Even now, Scott is still dying to uncover certain questions: Why did his great-grandfather’s surname change from Portnoy, which means tailor in Polish, to Gordon? How did his ancestors learn about the opportunity to come to America? And after calculating that the train travel that his great-grandfather embarked on from his village to the port of Rotterdam took at least 36 hours, he wonders what that experience could have possibly been like for an 11-year-old child?  These questions fuel further learning and collaboration with others on a similar path. 

 

 

Scott believes there is a way we can build collective knowledge to make connecting and relating to our history accessible. Jewish Tapestry Project is an important community to build for the Jewish populations located across the US. Not only is this work important, to Scott: “It’s just so intrinsically interesting in what it reveals.” While the stories from Belarusian shtetls are more challenging to unearth and discover, they are worth the effort.

Have you ever wondered what stories are yet to be unearthed? The Together Plan offers an archive service to support you in discovering your roots.

All images in this article are used with the permission of Scott Familant.

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