Joseph Kupiec and his sister, both Polish Catholics, were seized by the Germans to do forced labor during World War II.  One of his sister's children, Jan, was born at the end of the war, and the families were separated in the postwar confusion. No one ever knew what happened to the little girl after she was separated from the rest the family at the age of 9. When Joseph's sister died in 1998, one of her daughter's discovered the passport, baptismal record and birth certificate of the missing Jan. 

Joseph contacted the Red Cross, and we were able to locate his niece. After five decades, Jan reunited with her aunt, uncle and many other family members.  Later, Jan called the Red Cross to say that she felt like royalty after meeting her new family members, and was thankful for our help.

Using the vast resources of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Red Cross network, we connect families separated by war, civil disturbance, natural disasters or changing world conditions. The Red Cross sends messages, assists in emigration, issues travel documents, provides casework services, and obtains information on the health and welfare of close relatives.

ARC/GNY's Project Search Tracing program helps people still searching for information about relatives lost during the Holocaust. The search can reveal the date of a family member's death, provide certification for reparations and/or pensions to civilian survivors and, in some special cases, can even reunite family members separated during World War II.

The American Red Cross also has a unique mandate to educate the American public about International Humanitarian Law—the branch of international law that encompasses both humanitarian principles and international treaties that seek to save lives and alleviate suffering of both combatants and noncombatants during armed conflicts. The Greater New York Chapter provides more international law training than any other chapter in the United States.