“My job is to imagine, and I’ve never been able to get a hold of that.” A powerful statement. Tell us a story of when you've been inspired by your ancestor's strength.

This is heartbreaking. If you're reading this please remember: "he (or she) who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it!"

My father served in WW2 liberating the concentration camps in Germany. He told me that when his platoon entered one of the camps, it was like walking into a nightmare that you could not wake up from. Dead bodies and the smell was just awful. Many of the survivors were just barely alive and were in need of help. 2/3's of my mother's family died in the concentration camps. My mother, grandmother, uncle and two grand aunts were the only survivors because they were sent to factories as slave labor. It was so heartbreaking to see Mandy Patinkin having to see what happened to members of his family. My mother would not talk about what happened in Germany, but my father did tell me. I told my other siblings after my parents passed away and there was utter silence. This is never a pleasant subject, but it has to be told.

Mandy Patinkin is one of the most soulful actors of our time. He’s a true human being.

Okay, I just teared up at Mandy's sob. How tragic and sad to see one of the greatest actors of our time grieving the cousin he never knew he had. I have no words.

His tears are my tears, his heart is my heart. The world still cries for those who have died before their time.

Hearing Mr. Patinkin's cry and how he wept for his fathers family hurt to the core. My heart goes out to him and what they had to endure. Sending my prayers to you sir as you try to find peace in knowing this sad and unbearable truth. 💔🙏😞

This is why I am humbled to be a teacher of the Holocaust. May we never repeat the unimaginable.❤️

I have a friend whose grandmother was the only one left of a very large extended family killed in the Holocaust. She started at one of the smaller death camps but was moved to Auschwitz. When it was liberated, she walked through the gates leaving behind the bodies of her mother and sister, with her father and 3 other siblings all dead back at the first camp. She had grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in Poland before the war. After, there was only her. She married a boy (this would become my friend’s grandfather) who grew up down the street from her, he was a little luckier; his father survived and I think one or two of his sisters did too. But my friend’s grandmother once told her the worst part of it was how she forgot her family’s faces as the decades went on. She had nothing to remember them by, and has never been able to find any relatives who might have a photograph. I can’t imagine the pain of missing your mother or sister so terribly without quite being able to picture them anymore.

his family is all of our family… tears for our worlds family… then and now 🌸

I remember watching this on TV and I really really just wanted to give him a big hug. It's so sad what his family experienced and my heart breaks for him.

When he broke down crying, I wished I could hug him. I did get to meet him and Patti LuPone years ago in Los Angeles. They were so sweet and gracious.

I cried along with him. I had a friend the 1950’s who had come from Poland to our country . Her mother talked about Poland. Her husband and two sons had been killed there. Only her and her daughter (my friend) came to the USA. They had lived a most terrible life. She was so proud to be a US citizen.

That broke my heart. You could see the man imagining what his family went through. Really terrible what people can do to other people.

I love Mandy Patinkin. Not only is he loaded with talent, but he is loaded with heart. Mandy Patinkin, you are a mensch!

Oh Mandy No words. Hugs,, my friend. We met after a superb performance in Lansing, Mi, a few years ago. My daughter Allison & I were so in awe of your talents which you so generously shared that magical evening.

That he managed to read that horrific information aloud and hold together until he was finished is a testament to his skill as an actor.

My grandfather was a prisoner in a concentration camp for more than two years. He was Catholic, and I'm not entirely sure why he was sent there since family stories are rarely accurate. I recently found a letter he wrote about his time in the camp. It was heartbreaking, but I'm so very proud of him.

This broke my heart . I so admire Mandy . Great actor great human

Man's inhumanity to man has no horrific boundaries. May every child , woman , and man lost find everlasting peace.

As soon as he started crying, I just wanted to give him a big hug.

Dear God what a shock that must have been. My step grandmother is Jewish and I just can’t imagine someone wanting to harm such a sweet and gentle woman. She was so kind and soft spoken, and always took care of me even though I was completely unrelated to her.

People protect themselves by not discussing things like this. They might not have known, but they probably knew in their hearts. He learned something so tragic about his family, but he has so many loving moments to pass on too.

I can’t imagine how much pain this caused him, but I feel he was thankful to get this information.

So moving. It's as if you feel and know his pain. We're related in so many ways, we all lost relatives to this horror and others before.

To see Inigo Montoya cry as he has breaks my heart as is his.

That was extremely powerful. When said toward the end, "At the beginning I didn't know why I was asking", I realized have been going through a very similar inquiry myself. It's as if we have a longing to fill in the blanks about family. It's as if we must put something from the past to rest, more so for them, as opposed to ourselves.

Is Unthinkable that this really happen... prayers for all these souls lost.. Mandy, sending a big hug to you.

People didn't want to talk about the war, the Holocaust, it was too traumatic. There were certain things you did not bring up.

The majority of my family were murdered at Auschwitz. Those who were lucky enough to survive came to live in America, until they immigrated to Israel. My family was lucky enough to know who survived and who perished.

After doing my own research I as well have direct ancestors who have died in the holocaust as well. It really gives you perspective on your life. Makes you grateful for your life. It’s also scary to see the direction this country is going these days.

I just love Mandy Patinkin. He seems like such a lovely, sensitive soul.

oh my gosh

Now that I am older (and as an austrian), I sometimes have to hug my family suddenly, thinking what would happen to us (even tho we arent jews, sinti nor roma), my 98 years old granny would be dead within a week, I wouldn't see my brothers anymore, cause of the separation, my mum would be worked to death, or thanks to her immune system would die from sickness, I, with diabetes wouldn't last long. And all the children starving in the ghetto streets, or going into the "showers". Its the same horrible feeling, when u think of the slavery in america. It was the same. Nothing less, nothing more. And when u can't imagine being in this situation (and your family), so powerless and hopeless, u never will understand what had happened to all those people. How can u survive, knowing u are the only one out of your whole extended family who is still alive?

It’s possible he didn’t know. They may have lost contact, they might have assumed but it’s entirely possible they truly didn’t know for sure. Either he knew and was too heartbroken to speak of it or they weren’t sure. The new records becoming available has really helped many new people put their ancestry puzzles together.

Very sad and painful. We must not repeat history. I am horrified of what happened then, but also that some people deny that it happened.

I visited many of the concentration camps when I was in Germany and unfortunately it’s something I will never forget. To touch the barracks and walk inside the gas chambers was almost too much for me. I pretty much cried the entirety of my visit. Absolutely unfathomable what they did.

God remembers, Mandy. Hugs to you.

Mandy Patinkin (aka Jason Gideon from Criminal Minds) feels heart broken about his ancestors during the Holocaust. Even he feels unbelievable about their losses. 😔.

Mandy Patinkin, such a sensitive soul.

To deny this is disgusting. My heart is hurting and I can't stop crying. The inhumanity.

My heart is breaking too 💔😭

I saw your interesting & highly emotional interview on "Finding Your Roots", tonight. I laughed over the woman with the high pitched voice & cried with your losses throughout the Holocaust. What losses they must have been for you to have survived to still be effected so profoundly all these years later. In your closing lines you spoke about your journey & how important & deeply felt it is to you. I hope filling in some of the empty places will help you in completing your journey. Off point-you are a great actor-keep acting-for many reasons.

It has truly broke my heart to see your tears hear the agony in your words.

The profound thing is that we cannot really relate to these huge historical human events unless we or someone related to us experienced it as in this example. Generally, we all know of the holocaust but we all cannot relate it to ourselves without a human connection being at the event. This video demonstrates this. I shed tears seeing this but I know my tears were not of any deep loss of a loved one like this man, only sympathy...God is too grand in creating humanity for me to understand🤏🏽

I always loved you Mr Patinkin! I spoke with you once when I was a hotel phone operator at The Paul Hotel across from the Ordway Center when you were there for a singing tour. I was about 20 years old.. I was pretty thrilled I talked to the "Chicago Hope" doctor. ❤️ 💙 💜and of course main character of The Princess Bride.. which my grand children now love! hope finding this history about about your family brings you peace and a even deeper spiritual connection with your family...love from a still fan in Minnesota 🙏

May their memories be a blessing.

NO ONE SHOULD EVER FORGET!!!

OMG.... how terrible that must have been for his family. I begin to imagine the fear and helplessness they felt. In the days coming I will think about this.

I met him in the Upper West side in NYC. Very humble and nice guy 😊

The thing that hits me hardest is that happened only ten years before he was born.

Thanks for sharing.

I loved Mandy in dead like me he’s a brilliant actor and a nice guy I’m sorry he had to find out such an awful history to his family. I found out one of my ancestors was a policeman and died in a German bombing raid in the war that really upset me. I tried to get hold of a photo of him but the police didn’t have anything of the station he served at left so no pictures.

Mandy's not mad that his grandfather hid this because it really isn't something anyone really wants to share with their children because of how painful it must be. Mandy even says he can't imagine the cruelty of the Holocaust, which for his grandfather's generation is a blessing that must be protected. And Mandy never lied about his family members dying in the tragedy either in all those interviews since he showed he didn't actually know if anyone did. He explained it very clearly. Now he does and if someone asks in another interview, he can tell them how he learned this information.

Easily the most emotional reaction I've yet to see 😭

This episode hurt my heart! You can literally see the pain in this man's face and body! He literally had no idea that his family had been part of the Holocaust!

He was not told because what happened was heartbreaking...soul destroying...and those that loved him wanted him to grow up without that horror weighing down his childhood. It was never mentioned out of love. His parents were giving him the gift of a "normal" childhood.

Heart wrenching.

I wanted to reach through and comfort him as he cried 😔

I traced my ancestry and you get to know your relatives and build a relationship learning their story so even though i know they have passed when i find the evidence of their passing I weep and mourn. I wept with Mandy too knowing they passed yet shocked they were part of the words most horrific hate crimes against humanity is a different matter

Heart wrenching. So sad. God Bless...

So, so sorry for your loss. My heart breaks with you.

Parents who did not tell their children or grandchildren about how their families perished in the Holocaust, did so because they wanted them to grow up strong and not harmed by the horrors that had already befallen them. People I know, whose parents were Holocaust survivors, said that even though their parents never talked about it, the children still absorbed their trauma, which they probably unwittingly passed on to the next generation.

His cry hurt my heart...just heartbreaking. 😢

I cry every time I watch videos about the holocaust, the atrocities are mind bending and soul tearing

No matter your age it is heavy knowledge for anyone, especially a child.

Mandy is one of the best. I always loved how he is. Kind and decent. 😔

heartbreaking, i love this show and it's importance to human kindness this episode in particular broke me.

Mr Patinkin is so wonderful!

Heart wrenching ♥️🙏🏼

I had a good friend and many who were jewish. It was the 70s and I went to a holiday party and the elders all spoke of the holocast as if it happened yesterday and to remember. I knew it happened but was so young and ignorant I did not realise this happened in their life times. I kept ears my eyes open after that and learned a lot for a gentile. They were telling their stories.

Great... Love Patankin... Great Actor

It is very hard to imagine, to remember, but we MUST remember, or it could happen again.

I cried along with Mandy.

A truly great actor. Masterful.

My heart broke with him as he read about his ancestors' death. 💔😭

Never, ever forget.

Just wow

I am so very sorry for your loss.

Your immediate family is just one piece of the puzzle in your family history. Get started on discovering your roots with Ancestry TODAY: visitancestry.com/3AVXtyv

This is so heartbreaking. I have no words.😢

Wow!

Dear God. I have no words. Blessings upon the Patinkin family, past and present.

I am sorry for your loss Mandy

As an elder of the extended Patinkin family, A few facts in Mandy’s story are, his grandfather Max was with his brother David in New York ( not his uncle).Max went on to Chicago. And David went back to Poland. In Poland, before world War 2, David, his wife and 1 daughter were murdered in a robbery in their home. Three other children weren’t home, Harold, Deborah and Lazar. Harold and Deborah came to America before the war. It was Lazar and his family who perished in Treblinka along with 2500 men, women and children from Bransk. Where both my mother and father left in the 1920’s. David’s son Lazar,wife and children were the only Patinkins murdered in the Churban, Holocaust. Totally random genocide of Jews being in wrong place at wrong time……,MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE FOR A BLESSING

Very sad. Great uncle of mine, whom I never met as he passed away before I was born, was in the Army in WWII but never spoke about it. He’d get angry at my grandfather whenever my grandfather brought it up. There’s one photo of my great uncle I have from end of WWII. By looking up his unit patch, he basically went through hell. Fought in the Huertgen forest and his unit was one of the first to discover the concentration camps right after that. Absolutely horrifying. It’s a real interesting photo too because him and my grandfather were only about 3 years apart in age. Grandfather looked like 19-20 years old because he was. Great uncle looked like he was 30.

Heartbreaking

Love you Mandy ❤️🥺

I love this man.

He is such a wonderfully emotion good human being.

I cried with him.

Im sad, looking for records in family search from, Colombia, there is nothing from Boyaca and Cundinamarca, so I can not find my ancestors. Can someone help me?

It happens alot in families not talking about what happened. Doing my Genealogy I found out my great grandfather was Jewish he married a Irish woman... I have Jewish ancestry way back and didn't even know it tell recently and I'm in my sixties. My grandmother never talked about it, her father was from France.

Oh damn, his cry made me cry 💔

Much as we would like to believe this was a horror of WW II the same has happened and is still happening.

1942..80 yrs ago..Just 80 years ago! this happened to Jewish people

I am a bit confused. How did Mandy's grandparents get out? Did they emigrate before 1942?

Tears

God Bless him! ❤

My Jewish ancestors escaped Russia & Austria, I too as a child asked many questions and was given no answers. Too painful? trying to protect us? both...will never know