1 00:00:01,070 --> 00:00:03,278 Viewers like you make this program possible. 2 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:05,350 Support your local PBS station. 3 00:00:15,532 --> 00:00:17,706 I'm Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 4 00:00:17,707 --> 00:00:20,192 Welcome to “Finding Your Roots.” 5 00:00:21,262 --> 00:00:22,676 In this episode, 6 00:00:22,677 --> 00:00:25,817 we'll meet actor Lizzy Caplan and comedian 7 00:00:25,818 --> 00:00:30,098 Hasan Minhaj, two people whose families have been 8 00:00:30,099 --> 00:00:31,790 shaped by immigration. 9 00:00:33,205 --> 00:00:38,002 I grew up seeing the sacrifice it takes to make 10 00:00:38,003 --> 00:00:39,556 the American dream possible. 11 00:00:40,005 --> 00:00:41,833 I have thought about, you know, 12 00:00:41,834 --> 00:00:46,493 what it would be like to be on a boat coming to a 13 00:00:46,494 --> 00:00:48,634 place where you knew nobody. 14 00:00:49,118 --> 00:00:50,152 Yeah. 15 00:00:50,153 --> 00:00:52,224 It's totally unimaginable. 16 00:00:53,018 --> 00:00:54,846 To uncover their roots, 17 00:00:54,847 --> 00:00:57,022 we've used every tool available. 18 00:00:57,781 --> 00:00:59,920 Genealogists comb through paper trails, 19 00:00:59,921 --> 00:01:02,131 stretching back hundreds of years. 20 00:01:02,372 --> 00:01:03,648 No, this is incredible... 21 00:01:03,649 --> 00:01:05,236 I don't, how did you guys find this? 22 00:01:05,237 --> 00:01:07,928 While DNA experts utilize the latest advances in 23 00:01:07,929 --> 00:01:11,173 genetic analysis to reveal secrets that have 24 00:01:11,174 --> 00:01:13,658 lain hidden for generations. 25 00:01:13,659 --> 00:01:15,315 No way. 26 00:01:15,316 --> 00:01:18,906 And we've compiled it all into a “Book of Life,” 27 00:01:19,976 --> 00:01:22,184 a record of all of our discoveries, 28 00:01:22,185 --> 00:01:25,223 and a window into the hidden past. 29 00:01:26,327 --> 00:01:27,707 So, you thought of yourself as Russian? 30 00:01:27,708 --> 00:01:28,846 Yeah. 31 00:01:28,847 --> 00:01:30,227 Did you ever think of yourself as Polish? 32 00:01:30,228 --> 00:01:31,366 No. 33 00:01:31,367 --> 00:01:33,023 You're Polish. Yeah! 34 00:01:33,783 --> 00:01:36,164 It's making me think about a lot of the decisions 35 00:01:36,165 --> 00:01:39,753 that I made in my life, and maybe that courage and 36 00:01:39,754 --> 00:01:41,756 conviction came from my ancestors. 37 00:01:42,481 --> 00:01:45,311 My two guests both descend from people who had to 38 00:01:45,312 --> 00:01:48,384 grow up fast, find their way across the globe, 39 00:01:49,143 --> 00:01:51,628 and build a new life in a new country. 40 00:01:52,871 --> 00:01:54,078 In this episode, 41 00:01:54,079 --> 00:01:56,943 we're going to retrace those journeys and recover 42 00:01:56,944 --> 00:01:59,602 what was lost along the way. 43 00:02:05,401 --> 00:02:11,545 . 44 00:02:22,452 --> 00:02:23,626 . 45 00:02:38,434 --> 00:02:40,367 Hasan Minhaj is on a roll. 46 00:02:41,644 --> 00:02:45,750 The mercurial comedian has won two Peabody Awards and 47 00:02:45,751 --> 00:02:49,376 garnered a legion of fans by blending stories 48 00:02:49,824 --> 00:02:53,379 about himself and his family with keen observations 49 00:02:53,380 --> 00:02:55,278 about Muslim life in America. 50 00:02:55,968 --> 00:02:57,762 My dad sits everybody down at the dinner table, 51 00:02:57,763 --> 00:02:58,832 and he's like, 52 00:02:58,833 --> 00:03:00,179 “All right, Hasan, whatever you do, 53 00:03:00,180 --> 00:03:01,628 do not tell people you're Muslim. 54 00:03:01,629 --> 00:03:03,251 Do not talk about politics.” 55 00:03:03,252 --> 00:03:05,563 I was like, “All right, dad, I'll, I'll just hide it. Cool.” 56 00:03:05,564 --> 00:03:08,980 It's a brilliant act, and he's been refining it since 57 00:03:08,981 --> 00:03:10,982 he was a child. 58 00:03:10,983 --> 00:03:13,985 Growing up in Sacramento, California, 59 00:03:13,986 --> 00:03:15,988 Hasan was a class clown, 60 00:03:16,851 --> 00:03:18,508 often in trouble with his teachers, 61 00:03:19,371 --> 00:03:22,547 perhaps because his home life was quite restrictive. 62 00:03:24,894 --> 00:03:27,758 Hasan's mother had returned to India soon after 63 00:03:27,759 --> 00:03:29,726 his birth to finish her studies. 64 00:03:31,038 --> 00:03:33,108 So, he spent his first eight years in the care 65 00:03:33,109 --> 00:03:37,251 of his father, a man who had a lot of rules. 66 00:03:39,598 --> 00:03:40,978 So how do you think that affected you? 67 00:03:40,979 --> 00:03:42,082 Um... 68 00:03:42,083 --> 00:03:43,325 To me, that would be a nightmare, I mean, 69 00:03:43,326 --> 00:03:45,224 my parents are dead, I love you, Daddy... 70 00:03:45,225 --> 00:03:46,225 Yeah. 71 00:03:46,226 --> 00:03:47,433 ...But I wanted my mama love. 72 00:03:47,434 --> 00:03:48,986 Yeah, so, you know, with, with me, 73 00:03:48,987 --> 00:03:50,988 with me and dad, you know, look, Doctor, we can get 74 00:03:50,989 --> 00:03:52,403 into this, and I don't know if you're a, 75 00:03:52,404 --> 00:03:54,888 if you do psychology, but the, the level of 76 00:03:54,889 --> 00:03:56,684 draconian law is pretty crazy. 77 00:03:57,237 --> 00:03:58,685 That's 'cause he had a crazy kid. 78 00:03:58,686 --> 00:03:59,721 Yeah. 79 00:03:59,722 --> 00:04:00,756 You know, you're outta control. 80 00:04:00,757 --> 00:04:01,999 Yeah, but no touching the thermostat. 81 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:03,138 No video game consoles? 82 00:04:03,139 --> 00:04:04,484 No cable television. 83 00:04:04,485 --> 00:04:05,589 Oh. 84 00:04:05,590 --> 00:04:07,107 Um, oh, yeah, yeah. 85 00:04:07,108 --> 00:04:08,488 Now we we're getting closer to, uh... 86 00:04:08,489 --> 00:04:09,731 Oh, yeah, Sacramento, you, 87 00:04:09,732 --> 00:04:11,284 you know how hot Sacramento is, Doctor? 88 00:04:11,285 --> 00:04:12,492 It's incredibly hot. 89 00:04:12,493 --> 00:04:13,597 We can't touch the AC; 90 00:04:13,598 --> 00:04:15,392 there's oscillating fans in the house. 91 00:04:15,393 --> 00:04:17,740 Four oscillating fans don't touch the, the thermostat. 92 00:04:18,706 --> 00:04:21,052 So, I, I, even though I lived in the suburbs, 93 00:04:21,053 --> 00:04:23,745 our house was like a trap house without all 94 00:04:23,746 --> 00:04:25,334 the fun of cooking cracker meth. 95 00:04:26,231 --> 00:04:27,507 . 96 00:04:27,508 --> 00:04:29,268 You know, this is the type of man this was, 97 00:04:29,269 --> 00:04:31,028 this guy was. 98 00:04:31,029 --> 00:04:32,788 Though Hasan didn't know it yet, 99 00:04:32,789 --> 00:04:35,344 his father would actually help launch his career. 100 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,520 He started doing standup in college with material 101 00:04:40,521 --> 00:04:41,971 drawn from his family, 102 00:04:42,799 --> 00:04:45,145 but fearing that his parents wouldn't approve, 103 00:04:45,146 --> 00:04:46,424 he tried to conceal it. 104 00:04:48,011 --> 00:04:49,667 My mother and father did not know I was doing 105 00:04:49,668 --> 00:04:50,910 this at the time. 106 00:04:50,911 --> 00:04:53,499 Uh-huh, so if they didn't know, when did they know? 107 00:04:53,500 --> 00:04:56,502 They found out when I took my dad's car, 108 00:04:56,503 --> 00:04:58,332 and I totaled it on the way to a comedy gig. 109 00:04:59,333 --> 00:05:00,540 Then, unfortunately, they found out, 110 00:05:00,541 --> 00:05:02,784 I said I was at the library, um, 111 00:05:02,785 --> 00:05:03,923 but I was on the way to 112 00:05:03,924 --> 00:05:05,649 Tommy T's Comedy Club in Pleasanton. 113 00:05:05,650 --> 00:05:06,960 Now, how old, when was this? 114 00:05:06,961 --> 00:05:09,516 Um, I'm like maybe a junior in college, yeah, yeah. 115 00:05:09,826 --> 00:05:12,138 And my dad, I had to call my dad to come get me, 116 00:05:12,139 --> 00:05:13,312 and he goes, 117 00:05:13,313 --> 00:05:16,591 “Wow, we're about 40 miles from the library? 118 00:05:16,592 --> 00:05:18,248 You sure you're going to the library?” 119 00:05:18,697 --> 00:05:20,388 . 120 00:05:20,389 --> 00:05:23,045 With his secret out in the open, 121 00:05:23,046 --> 00:05:26,395 Hasan was able to devote himself fully to his craft. 122 00:05:28,258 --> 00:05:31,331 After college, he began releasing videos on YouTube, 123 00:05:32,642 --> 00:05:36,507 which led to a spot on the “Daily Show” and a breakout 124 00:05:36,508 --> 00:05:41,063 special on Netflix featuring a routine that was largely 125 00:05:41,064 --> 00:05:42,721 focused on his childhood. 126 00:05:44,033 --> 00:05:47,553 The only problem, his parents still didn't know 127 00:05:47,554 --> 00:05:49,279 exactly what he was doing. 128 00:05:50,729 --> 00:05:54,008 Did you tell your parents about it before you let them see it? 129 00:05:54,492 --> 00:05:58,979 They came to the off-Broadway show in New York, 130 00:05:59,704 --> 00:06:01,981 so by the time it was up and running, they finally... 131 00:06:01,982 --> 00:06:03,362 So, what was their reaction? 132 00:06:03,363 --> 00:06:04,777 Because it's about them. 133 00:06:04,778 --> 00:06:06,192 Yeah, um... 134 00:06:06,193 --> 00:06:07,849 Were they hurt? 135 00:06:07,850 --> 00:06:10,059 I would say, 136 00:06:12,130 --> 00:06:13,855 it's very complicated, 'cause it's a lot... 137 00:06:13,856 --> 00:06:14,994 Mm-hmm. 138 00:06:14,995 --> 00:06:17,272 On one-on-one hand, they're proud. 139 00:06:17,273 --> 00:06:18,480 Mm-hmm. 140 00:06:18,481 --> 00:06:21,621 Like, I remember seeing my parents at the show, 141 00:06:21,622 --> 00:06:23,589 they're looking at other people to be like, 142 00:06:23,590 --> 00:06:24,969 “Wait, they're all here to see him?” 143 00:06:24,970 --> 00:06:26,005 Right. 144 00:06:26,006 --> 00:06:27,213 So, they're acknowledging that. 145 00:06:27,214 --> 00:06:28,594 Right, right. Right? 146 00:06:28,595 --> 00:06:31,010 And then at the same time, there's a level of like, 147 00:06:31,011 --> 00:06:32,875 “Hey, why are you, why are you talking about this stuff?” 148 00:06:33,116 --> 00:06:34,358 Yeah, right. 149 00:06:34,359 --> 00:06:35,497 “And why are you making it more dramatic?” 150 00:06:35,498 --> 00:06:36,533 Right. 151 00:06:36,534 --> 00:06:37,706 You know, like "You're really, 152 00:06:37,707 --> 00:06:38,914 you're really hamming it up here..." 153 00:06:38,915 --> 00:06:40,088 Right. 154 00:06:40,089 --> 00:06:41,330 "...for them, and why are you doing that?" 155 00:06:41,331 --> 00:06:42,849 So, there's all these layers to it, 156 00:06:42,850 --> 00:06:45,265 which is, there is, 157 00:06:45,266 --> 00:06:49,062 there is this simultaneous like wonder... 158 00:06:49,063 --> 00:06:50,443 Mm-hmm. 159 00:06:50,444 --> 00:06:53,895 Curiosity, awe, pride, 160 00:06:53,896 --> 00:06:56,416 and “Why do you have to do this?” 161 00:06:56,795 --> 00:06:57,933 Yeah. 162 00:06:57,934 --> 00:06:59,072 It's like five different emotions going on. 163 00:06:59,073 --> 00:07:00,488 Do you and you sensor yourself... 164 00:07:00,489 --> 00:07:01,730 Sure. ...because of that? 165 00:07:01,731 --> 00:07:03,076 A little bit. Little bit. 166 00:07:03,077 --> 00:07:04,319 There's, there's a, there's, 167 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:06,252 there's some things that I will change or modify or 168 00:07:06,253 --> 00:07:07,667 cut or truncate. 169 00:07:07,668 --> 00:07:08,979 It'd be too, too painful. 170 00:07:08,980 --> 00:07:12,154 It'd be too painful, and also, you just want, like, 171 00:07:12,155 --> 00:07:13,501 these are people that I love. 172 00:07:13,502 --> 00:07:14,502 Mm-hmm. 173 00:07:14,503 --> 00:07:15,779 You know, they're ultimately, 174 00:07:15,780 --> 00:07:16,987 they're people that I really love, 175 00:07:16,988 --> 00:07:18,575 and I want them to be happy. 176 00:07:18,576 --> 00:07:20,750 And we have, we have so much else to fight about. 177 00:07:21,613 --> 00:07:23,650 We, it doesn't have to be about the act, yeah. 178 00:07:25,237 --> 00:07:27,550 My second guest is actor Lizzy Caplan, 179 00:07:28,551 --> 00:07:31,865 who came to fame in the cult classic “Mean Girls.” 180 00:07:32,797 --> 00:07:34,419 . 181 00:07:35,351 --> 00:07:36,903 . 182 00:07:36,904 --> 00:07:39,181 And has built a remarkable career by crafting a 183 00:07:39,182 --> 00:07:42,151 series of unforgettable offbeat characters. 184 00:07:45,982 --> 00:07:47,535 Oh, I'm sorry. 185 00:07:47,536 --> 00:07:49,676 Did you think that I was like those other girls? 186 00:07:50,055 --> 00:07:52,644 Lizzy is blessed with impeccable comic timing, 187 00:07:54,543 --> 00:07:57,131 but her own story begins in tragedy. 188 00:07:57,856 --> 00:08:01,481 As a child, Lizzy's world was turned upside down 189 00:08:02,378 --> 00:08:04,691 when she lost her mother to cancer. 190 00:08:06,865 --> 00:08:08,625 She was sick for a year. 191 00:08:08,626 --> 00:08:11,869 Uh, it still was a great shock to everybody. 192 00:08:11,870 --> 00:08:14,147 She was young. She was 50. 193 00:08:14,148 --> 00:08:15,666 Can I ask you how you coped? 194 00:08:15,667 --> 00:08:17,703 I can't imagine that losing my mother at that, 195 00:08:17,704 --> 00:08:18,773 at that age. 196 00:08:18,774 --> 00:08:19,981 Yeah. 197 00:08:19,982 --> 00:08:22,604 Not well, I mean, it's, it's funny when, 198 00:08:22,605 --> 00:08:24,295 when people lose a parent, funny, 199 00:08:24,296 --> 00:08:26,401 obviously not funny ha-ha, 200 00:08:26,402 --> 00:08:28,230 but when people lose a parent and, you know, 201 00:08:28,231 --> 00:08:29,231 everybody says, 202 00:08:29,232 --> 00:08:30,543 “Oh, that's such a horrible age.” 203 00:08:30,544 --> 00:08:32,994 I don't know when a good age would be. 204 00:08:32,995 --> 00:08:35,583 Uh, if you're very small and you never really have 205 00:08:35,584 --> 00:08:37,239 any lasting memories of that person, 206 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:39,621 that's its own tragedy. 207 00:08:39,622 --> 00:08:41,554 And then for me, I was 13, you know, 208 00:08:41,555 --> 00:08:45,903 right on the cusp of womanhood like an adolescent, 209 00:08:45,904 --> 00:08:47,906 and that was pretty bad. 210 00:08:48,389 --> 00:08:50,598 That was a pretty bad time for it to happen; 211 00:08:50,599 --> 00:08:52,047 I was very close with my mother. 212 00:08:52,048 --> 00:08:53,186 Mm-hmm. 213 00:08:53,187 --> 00:08:54,429 All of my siblings were; 214 00:08:54,430 --> 00:08:57,605 she definitely was the center of the family that 215 00:08:57,606 --> 00:09:00,918 kept everybody together, and when she passed away, 216 00:09:00,919 --> 00:09:05,372 we kind of all lost our way as a family for quite a while. 217 00:09:07,270 --> 00:09:10,410 Lizzy would ultimately find her way, 218 00:09:10,411 --> 00:09:12,586 but it took more than a little luck. 219 00:09:13,483 --> 00:09:15,657 Soon after her mother's death, 220 00:09:15,658 --> 00:09:18,280 she was accepted into an arts high school 221 00:09:18,281 --> 00:09:20,282 in Los Angeles. 222 00:09:20,283 --> 00:09:22,733 She was supposed to study piano, 223 00:09:22,734 --> 00:09:24,493 but lost interest, 224 00:09:24,494 --> 00:09:27,739 so she switched to acting and discovered her calling. 225 00:09:29,430 --> 00:09:30,638 I just liked it. 226 00:09:30,639 --> 00:09:33,226 Certain things came sort of easily to me, 227 00:09:33,227 --> 00:09:37,853 learning lines and diving into a character, um, 228 00:09:38,543 --> 00:09:41,407 and I also think, you know, in retrospect, I've, 229 00:09:41,408 --> 00:09:42,650 I've thought about this, 230 00:09:42,651 --> 00:09:46,654 that in my sort of angst-ridden teenage brain, 231 00:09:46,655 --> 00:09:49,691 I was actively trying to make sense of 232 00:09:49,692 --> 00:09:50,761 my mother's death. 233 00:09:50,762 --> 00:09:52,867 Why did this terrible thing happen to me? 234 00:09:52,868 --> 00:09:54,593 And in my mind, I mean, I wanted nothing to do 235 00:09:54,594 --> 00:09:56,077 with doing comedy, 236 00:09:56,078 --> 00:09:58,735 I was gonna be a serious actress and Shakespearean actress, 237 00:09:58,736 --> 00:10:01,427 and I needed to have this like, 238 00:10:01,428 --> 00:10:03,740 trauma and darkness and depth in order to access 239 00:10:03,741 --> 00:10:05,569 these parts of myself. 240 00:10:05,570 --> 00:10:06,881 And I think, honestly, 241 00:10:06,882 --> 00:10:08,468 it probably got me through a lot of, 242 00:10:08,469 --> 00:10:10,470 a lot of that time. 243 00:10:10,471 --> 00:10:14,682 Um, because it was me just trying to like attach meaning 244 00:10:14,683 --> 00:10:17,443 to this horrible thing that happened. 245 00:10:17,444 --> 00:10:19,065 And the way that I attached meaning to it was, 246 00:10:19,066 --> 00:10:22,622 “Oh, I need this darkness to pursue this acting thing.” 247 00:10:24,727 --> 00:10:26,694 Lizzy may have been wrong about her 248 00:10:26,695 --> 00:10:28,661 future with Shakespeare, 249 00:10:28,662 --> 00:10:31,216 but she quickly found another outlet for her talents. 250 00:10:32,873 --> 00:10:34,771 Although her father had no connections to the 251 00:10:34,772 --> 00:10:36,945 entertainment industry, 252 00:10:36,946 --> 00:10:39,017 she had an uncle who was a publicist. 253 00:10:39,846 --> 00:10:41,641 So, she turned to him for help, 254 00:10:42,503 --> 00:10:45,334 and that would change her life forever. 255 00:10:47,198 --> 00:10:51,651 He introduced me to this manager he knew, 256 00:10:52,548 --> 00:10:53,721 but it was like the, 257 00:10:53,722 --> 00:10:56,137 the lowest assistant on the totem pole of this 258 00:10:56,138 --> 00:10:57,828 tiny management company. 259 00:10:57,829 --> 00:11:00,003 And this guy agreed to sort of represent me, 260 00:11:00,004 --> 00:11:02,039 probably as a favor to my uncle. 261 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:03,282 Right. 262 00:11:03,283 --> 00:11:05,146 And I started going out for auditions, 263 00:11:05,147 --> 00:11:07,528 and I just, I started getting jobs, 264 00:11:07,908 --> 00:11:10,220 but not anything like, in my mind, 265 00:11:10,221 --> 00:11:11,877 I was gonna be the lead of the show, 266 00:11:11,878 --> 00:11:14,120 and it was gonna be like, shot out of a cannon. 267 00:11:14,121 --> 00:11:15,466 And it was not that. 268 00:11:15,467 --> 00:11:17,537 It was, you know, my first job was one line, 269 00:11:17,538 --> 00:11:19,712 “girl number one” in a pilot. 270 00:11:19,713 --> 00:11:20,817 Mm-hmm. 271 00:11:20,818 --> 00:11:23,336 And it just gave me enough, like, 272 00:11:23,337 --> 00:11:26,823 not enough to be fulfilling, but enough to like, 273 00:11:26,824 --> 00:11:28,583 "Just keep going, just keep going a little, 274 00:11:28,584 --> 00:11:30,412 just a little, see what happens, see what happens." 275 00:11:30,413 --> 00:11:31,655 And for whatever reason, 276 00:11:31,656 --> 00:11:35,729 I never like doubted that that was gonna be my thing. 277 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:37,316 Huh. 278 00:11:37,317 --> 00:11:39,214 And I, I don't know, I think probably only in recent 279 00:11:39,215 --> 00:11:40,629 years do I think, 280 00:11:40,630 --> 00:11:43,287 oh, okay, maybe I, maybe I, I feel good about 281 00:11:43,288 --> 00:11:44,633 the work that I'm doing, 282 00:11:44,634 --> 00:11:46,049 and maybe this was what I was supposed to do, 283 00:11:46,050 --> 00:11:47,498 as opposed to like, well, I can't do anything else. 284 00:11:47,499 --> 00:11:48,603 Right. 285 00:11:48,604 --> 00:11:49,673 I got no college education, 286 00:11:49,674 --> 00:11:50,950 I have no plan B. Like, what am I gonna do? 287 00:11:50,951 --> 00:11:52,365 Right, yeah. 288 00:11:52,366 --> 00:11:56,645 Um, but I, I also just genuinely love doing it, 289 00:11:56,646 --> 00:11:58,924 I love it as much as I'd probably, I mean, more so, 290 00:11:58,925 --> 00:12:00,339 than when I was a kid. 291 00:12:00,340 --> 00:12:01,859 It just was an instant fit. 292 00:12:03,481 --> 00:12:06,103 My two guests have been fortunate. 293 00:12:06,104 --> 00:12:09,382 Both have thrived in the public eye, finding fame 294 00:12:09,383 --> 00:12:10,937 and fulfillment in the limelight, 295 00:12:12,490 --> 00:12:16,113 but their family trees are filled with people whose 296 00:12:16,114 --> 00:12:18,841 stories have long lingered in obscurity. 297 00:12:20,394 --> 00:12:22,500 It was time for that to change. 298 00:12:23,812 --> 00:12:28,748 I started with Hasan and with his father, Najme Minhaj. 299 00:12:29,818 --> 00:12:32,233 Najme immigrated to the United States when 300 00:12:32,234 --> 00:12:35,444 he was 31 years old, seeking work as a chemist. 301 00:12:36,928 --> 00:12:39,861 But Hasan believes that his father's job was never 302 00:12:39,862 --> 00:12:42,106 the most important thing in his life. 303 00:12:43,486 --> 00:12:44,693 I went to his retirement party, 304 00:12:44,694 --> 00:12:46,350 and his coworkers gave speeches, 305 00:12:46,351 --> 00:12:48,421 and we cut Costco sheet cake. 306 00:12:48,422 --> 00:12:49,768 . 307 00:12:49,769 --> 00:12:52,356 And then they were like, thank you for the 35 years. 308 00:12:52,357 --> 00:12:53,599 Did he cry? 309 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:56,119 No, he didn't cry. 310 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:57,983 But I was really moved. 311 00:12:57,984 --> 00:12:59,260 Mm-hmm. 312 00:12:59,261 --> 00:13:01,780 Because I, I kind of looked at his office and 313 00:13:01,781 --> 00:13:06,302 his floor and I was like, man, like, you know, 314 00:13:06,993 --> 00:13:08,372 it's just a sea of cubicles. 315 00:13:08,373 --> 00:13:09,753 It looks like the TV show “Severance.” 316 00:13:09,754 --> 00:13:11,203 Hmm. You know? 317 00:13:11,204 --> 00:13:12,514 Oh, wow. 318 00:13:12,515 --> 00:13:13,688 It's just a sea of cubes. 319 00:13:13,689 --> 00:13:15,863 And I was like, "Man, my dad came here every day, 320 00:13:15,864 --> 00:13:18,382 he took the light rail or the bus, 321 00:13:18,383 --> 00:13:21,869 and he had this job that I'm sure he, 322 00:13:21,870 --> 00:13:24,804 I know he did not like, but he did that all for me." 323 00:13:25,218 --> 00:13:26,632 Wow. And my sister. 324 00:13:26,633 --> 00:13:27,909 Mm-hmm. 325 00:13:27,910 --> 00:13:29,946 And I see my dad still to this day as someone 326 00:13:29,947 --> 00:13:34,088 who is obviously extremely intelligent, 327 00:13:34,089 --> 00:13:35,710 but has so much potential. 328 00:13:35,711 --> 00:13:36,953 Mm-hmm. 329 00:13:36,954 --> 00:13:40,336 And, um, you know, 330 00:13:40,854 --> 00:13:45,409 maybe I'm trying to pursue this path that 331 00:13:45,410 --> 00:13:49,311 I'm on and see my potential through in his honor, 332 00:13:49,759 --> 00:13:51,865 'cause he really sacrificed a lot. 333 00:13:54,143 --> 00:13:56,386 Perhaps because of his sacrifices, 334 00:13:56,387 --> 00:13:59,182 Najme chose to focus on the future, 335 00:13:59,183 --> 00:14:00,805 not on the past. 336 00:14:01,806 --> 00:14:04,844 And rarely discussed the life he'd left behind in India. 337 00:14:06,052 --> 00:14:07,812 We set out to recover it. 338 00:14:08,571 --> 00:14:12,678 Beginning in Sherkot, the city in northern India, 339 00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:15,061 where his mother's family has deep roots. 340 00:14:17,822 --> 00:14:19,444 Have you ever seen that photo? 341 00:14:20,963 --> 00:14:22,447 No. 342 00:14:23,932 --> 00:14:25,864 That photo was taken at your grandmother's 343 00:14:25,865 --> 00:14:29,247 house in Sherkot sometime around 1948. 344 00:14:31,594 --> 00:14:33,734 So that's two years before your father was born. 345 00:14:34,770 --> 00:14:37,807 Wow. This is a beautiful place. 346 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:41,431 I mean, like, if you look at the, 347 00:14:41,432 --> 00:14:43,536 the archway of that, that's incredible. 348 00:14:43,537 --> 00:14:44,952 Well, guess what? 349 00:14:44,953 --> 00:14:47,023 Your father told us that in the back of the house, 350 00:14:47,024 --> 00:14:49,198 there were quarters to house elephants. 351 00:14:49,785 --> 00:14:50,923 What? 352 00:14:50,924 --> 00:14:52,166 Yes. 353 00:14:52,167 --> 00:14:54,582 And your aunt remembers that they own two adult elephants 354 00:14:54,583 --> 00:14:56,343 and a baby elephant. 355 00:14:57,068 --> 00:14:58,793 What do you mean they owned elephant? 356 00:14:58,794 --> 00:15:00,070 They just had elephants? 357 00:15:00,071 --> 00:15:01,900 Yeah, I mean, like, you have a dog, 358 00:15:01,901 --> 00:15:03,246 do you have a dog, a cat? 359 00:15:03,247 --> 00:15:04,730 No, I don't have a dog; we have a rabbit. 360 00:15:04,731 --> 00:15:06,560 They had elephants. 361 00:15:12,877 --> 00:15:15,569 This is so weird because when I was a kid, 362 00:15:15,776 --> 00:15:18,192 I asked my dad, well, my sister really wanted a dog. 363 00:15:18,193 --> 00:15:19,469 Mm-hmm. 364 00:15:19,470 --> 00:15:21,817 And he was like, “No pets, we have Hasan.” 365 00:15:22,576 --> 00:15:23,956 . 366 00:15:23,957 --> 00:15:26,786 And his, he had a, in his family, they had elephants. 367 00:15:26,787 --> 00:15:29,686 Three; two adults and a baby at the time that 368 00:15:29,687 --> 00:15:31,378 photograph was taken. 369 00:15:31,827 --> 00:15:32,896 Oh my God. 370 00:15:32,897 --> 00:15:34,553 Mm-hmm. 371 00:15:34,554 --> 00:15:35,968 That's awesome, that's really cool. 372 00:15:35,969 --> 00:15:37,695 I think it's cool. That's so cool. 373 00:15:39,248 --> 00:15:42,078 We wanted to learn more about Najme's family, 374 00:15:42,079 --> 00:15:44,046 but we faced a huge roadblock. 375 00:15:45,358 --> 00:15:48,016 Few historical records survive in northern India, 376 00:15:49,327 --> 00:15:53,158 and those that exist are often difficult to locate 377 00:15:53,159 --> 00:15:55,955 because they lack filing systems or indexes. 378 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:01,166 This problem is compounded by the fact that the widespread 379 00:16:01,167 --> 00:16:04,825 use of permanent surnames within India is relatively new. 380 00:16:06,172 --> 00:16:10,658 And many unrelated families share the same surname because 381 00:16:10,659 --> 00:16:14,559 they were initially derived from trades or professions. 382 00:16:16,182 --> 00:16:18,356 So doing genealogy in this part of the world 383 00:16:18,736 --> 00:16:20,910 can be extraordinarily tricky. 384 00:16:21,773 --> 00:16:24,948 But we got lucky when we discovered that the surname of 385 00:16:24,949 --> 00:16:29,195 Hasan's grandmother is Begum, which has unusual roots. 386 00:16:31,576 --> 00:16:32,749 Did you know that? 387 00:16:32,750 --> 00:16:34,095 No. 388 00:16:34,096 --> 00:16:36,339 Begum is an Urdu word, uh, 389 00:16:36,340 --> 00:16:38,894 with roots in a Turkish word for “princess.” 390 00:16:41,034 --> 00:16:43,208 And historically, it was given to women who were 391 00:16:43,209 --> 00:16:45,624 the wife or daughter of a Beg, 392 00:16:45,625 --> 00:16:47,351 meaning a Lord or a chieftain. 393 00:16:48,248 --> 00:16:50,837 Ever thought of your family as maybe having royal roots? 394 00:16:51,113 --> 00:16:52,769 I know in your fantasy, when you look at a mirror, 395 00:16:52,770 --> 00:16:53,839 you see a prince. 396 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:54,909 But... 397 00:16:54,910 --> 00:16:56,117 . 398 00:16:56,118 --> 00:16:58,258 Um, you know, 399 00:16:58,569 --> 00:17:01,020 I got cousins that have egos like that, but, 400 00:17:01,503 --> 00:17:03,781 but I don't know if we, we are related in that way. 401 00:17:04,264 --> 00:17:06,403 Well, we didn't find any evidence that any of your 402 00:17:06,404 --> 00:17:09,545 ancestors were royalty, except etymologically. 403 00:17:10,408 --> 00:17:12,306 But it's certainly possible because of that, 404 00:17:12,307 --> 00:17:13,341 that they were... 405 00:17:13,342 --> 00:17:14,446 Mmm. 406 00:17:14,447 --> 00:17:16,173 What's it like to think about that? 407 00:17:17,588 --> 00:17:18,691 It's pretty incredible. 408 00:17:18,692 --> 00:17:20,246 Mm-hmm. Yeah. 409 00:17:20,798 --> 00:17:24,905 And it's pretty amazing to 410 00:17:27,218 --> 00:17:30,255 just understand who you are and 411 00:17:30,256 --> 00:17:34,224 where you come from and what generations before 412 00:17:34,225 --> 00:17:35,570 may have been doing. 413 00:17:35,571 --> 00:17:36,951 Mm, it is. 414 00:17:36,952 --> 00:17:38,194 Yeah. 415 00:17:38,195 --> 00:17:39,643 Riding around on those elephants in the backyard. 416 00:17:39,644 --> 00:17:41,957 Yeah, riding elephants, sure, yeah. 417 00:17:43,545 --> 00:17:44,993 Though we couldn't connect Hasan's 418 00:17:44,994 --> 00:17:47,065 family to royalty, 419 00:17:47,066 --> 00:17:49,240 we did uncover something fascinating. 420 00:17:50,207 --> 00:17:53,381 Hasan's relatives told us that his great-grandfather, 421 00:17:53,382 --> 00:17:57,455 a man named Sibghat Ullah, was a prominent landowner, 422 00:17:59,147 --> 00:18:02,735 and as we combed through the archives in his home region, 423 00:18:02,736 --> 00:18:06,187 we uncovered a British publication that seemed 424 00:18:06,188 --> 00:18:08,052 to confirm this. 425 00:18:09,018 --> 00:18:11,882 "The town of Dhampur..." Mm-hmm. 426 00:18:11,883 --> 00:18:13,505 "...is the seat of several well-known families 427 00:18:13,506 --> 00:18:14,713 who own land." 428 00:18:14,714 --> 00:18:16,128 Mm-hmm. 429 00:18:16,129 --> 00:18:18,061 “Mohammed Sibghat Ullah, 430 00:18:18,062 --> 00:18:20,237 the principal sheik resident of the place.” 431 00:18:20,789 --> 00:18:22,894 That name sound familiar? 432 00:18:24,689 --> 00:18:26,104 That's my great-grandfather. 433 00:18:26,105 --> 00:18:27,381 We can't be certain, 434 00:18:27,382 --> 00:18:29,245 but we spoke with a scholar about this at length, 435 00:18:29,246 --> 00:18:32,732 and we think this may be indeed your great-grandfather. 436 00:18:34,216 --> 00:18:35,803 The names are similar, 437 00:18:35,804 --> 00:18:38,876 and Dhampur is about five miles from Sherkot. 438 00:18:40,257 --> 00:18:42,706 Wow, and this is from a newspaper. 439 00:18:42,707 --> 00:18:44,950 “The Bijnor Gazetteer.” 440 00:18:44,951 --> 00:18:46,227 Yeah. 441 00:18:46,228 --> 00:18:47,470 Which is a geographical index. 442 00:18:47,471 --> 00:18:48,816 Yeah, Bijnor, my dad has talked about 443 00:18:48,817 --> 00:18:49,989 Bijnor just casually. 444 00:18:49,990 --> 00:18:51,232 Oh yeah? 445 00:18:51,233 --> 00:18:52,923 When he talks about Sherkot and Bijnor, but it, 446 00:18:52,924 --> 00:18:54,994 it just sounds like he's describing different regions 447 00:18:54,995 --> 00:18:56,099 from “Game of Thrones.” 448 00:18:56,100 --> 00:18:57,342 Huh. 449 00:18:57,343 --> 00:18:58,722 I'm like, I, I don't know what that territory is. 450 00:18:58,723 --> 00:19:00,518 . 451 00:19:01,588 --> 00:19:03,762 This index not only indicates that 452 00:19:03,763 --> 00:19:05,902 Sibghat owned land, 453 00:19:05,903 --> 00:19:08,526 it also describes him as being the principal 454 00:19:08,871 --> 00:19:10,425 sheikh of his town, 455 00:19:11,046 --> 00:19:14,153 which was potentially a very significant find. 456 00:19:15,809 --> 00:19:19,674 The term “Sheikh” refers to a social class of Muslims 457 00:19:19,675 --> 00:19:21,332 in northern India, 458 00:19:21,919 --> 00:19:24,092 a group that claims Arab descent through the 459 00:19:24,093 --> 00:19:27,406 Prophet Muhammad and two of the founding 460 00:19:27,407 --> 00:19:29,339 Caliphs of Islam, 461 00:19:29,340 --> 00:19:31,653 Abu Bakr and Umar. 462 00:19:33,206 --> 00:19:35,243 Did you ever think you might have Arabic roots? 463 00:19:36,347 --> 00:19:37,934 No. 464 00:19:37,935 --> 00:19:40,558 What's it like to think of that possibility? 465 00:19:43,043 --> 00:19:47,737 That's, um, I, you know, in our faith, the, 466 00:19:47,738 --> 00:19:50,982 the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and, um, 467 00:19:52,121 --> 00:19:58,299 Abu Bakr and Umar the Khalifa are extremely important 468 00:19:58,300 --> 00:19:59,749 in our faith. 469 00:19:59,750 --> 00:20:01,268 Yeah. 470 00:20:01,269 --> 00:20:06,757 And they're like the tent poles of what became Islam 471 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:09,277 and the spread of Islam around the world, so... 472 00:20:09,587 --> 00:20:10,761 Mm-hmm. 473 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:18,700 No, this is, um, this is extremely, um, 474 00:20:23,636 --> 00:20:26,225 very powerful and very, um... 475 00:20:30,263 --> 00:20:31,678 I had no idea. 476 00:20:33,197 --> 00:20:35,544 There were no records to test this theory, 477 00:20:36,580 --> 00:20:38,823 so we turned to DNA. 478 00:20:39,859 --> 00:20:42,757 While most modern-day Indians do not have any 479 00:20:42,758 --> 00:20:44,760 genetic ties to the Arab world, 480 00:20:46,003 --> 00:20:49,937 Hasan's admixture reveals that 2.3% of his 481 00:20:49,938 --> 00:20:52,423 DNA comes from West Asia, 482 00:20:54,011 --> 00:20:56,944 which includes what is now Iran, 483 00:20:56,945 --> 00:21:00,224 and 0.3% comes from the Arabian Peninsula. 484 00:21:03,814 --> 00:21:06,541 That is a significant result. 485 00:21:07,542 --> 00:21:12,374 So, you have a DNA connection to Iran and to the Arab world. 486 00:21:13,341 --> 00:21:15,066 For most other Indians... 487 00:21:16,067 --> 00:21:17,482 Oh, wow. 488 00:21:17,483 --> 00:21:19,069 So, what's it like to learn this? 489 00:21:19,070 --> 00:21:21,520 Yeah, this is very powerful stuff, uh, 490 00:21:21,521 --> 00:21:24,593 both spiritually and historically. 491 00:21:25,111 --> 00:21:27,699 Yeah, what's your father gonna say? 492 00:21:27,700 --> 00:21:29,770 Oh, he is gonna, he's gonna love this, 493 00:21:29,771 --> 00:21:31,668 this is gonna blow my dad's mind. 494 00:21:31,669 --> 00:21:33,705 This is gonna mean, uh, I can't, 495 00:21:33,706 --> 00:21:36,880 I cannot tell you this is gonna mean so much to my, my family. 496 00:21:36,881 --> 00:21:38,607 It means so much to me. 497 00:21:39,574 --> 00:21:42,576 We had one more detail to share with Hasan, 498 00:21:42,577 --> 00:21:46,512 it concerns what's called the First Battle of Panipat. 499 00:21:48,410 --> 00:21:50,963 The battle was fought near the city of Delhi in 500 00:21:50,964 --> 00:21:55,486 April of 1526 and marked the start of the Mughal Empire, 501 00:21:56,936 --> 00:21:59,663 the last Islamic Empire to rule India. 502 00:22:01,216 --> 00:22:05,219 It's a seminal event memorialized in countless poems 503 00:22:05,220 --> 00:22:06,635 and paintings... 504 00:22:07,567 --> 00:22:11,743 and you may well have had an ancestor who fought 505 00:22:11,744 --> 00:22:14,228 in that battle. 506 00:22:14,229 --> 00:22:16,437 It's pretty cool. 507 00:22:16,438 --> 00:22:19,372 . 508 00:22:22,030 --> 00:22:23,582 Yeah, this is a wild painting. 509 00:22:23,583 --> 00:22:24,928 Yeah, it's totally wild. 510 00:22:24,929 --> 00:22:27,586 Yeah, there's like guys on horseback. 511 00:22:27,587 --> 00:22:29,416 There's a dude getting beheaded, 512 00:22:29,417 --> 00:22:31,314 but it's very beautiful, the, the, it's, 513 00:22:31,315 --> 00:22:32,765 the painting is very beautiful. 514 00:22:33,075 --> 00:22:35,491 But what's it like to think of that possibility and 515 00:22:35,492 --> 00:22:37,665 to be introduced to the complexity of 516 00:22:37,666 --> 00:22:40,081 your genetic makeup? 517 00:22:40,082 --> 00:22:41,220 I mean, it's surreal, 518 00:22:41,221 --> 00:22:45,190 this is one of the most epic stories of, 519 00:22:45,191 --> 00:22:47,642 you know, the greater Indian subcontinent in its history. 520 00:22:47,918 --> 00:22:49,056 Yeah. 521 00:22:49,057 --> 00:22:50,368 When you go to Delhi, 522 00:22:50,369 --> 00:22:51,955 you can still see those old Mughal forts. 523 00:22:51,956 --> 00:22:53,163 Yeah. 524 00:22:53,164 --> 00:22:54,441 And so, to know that we have a connection to 525 00:22:54,442 --> 00:22:57,065 that is pretty epic. 526 00:22:57,272 --> 00:22:59,688 Does it change the way you, you see your father? 527 00:23:00,413 --> 00:23:01,482 100%. 528 00:23:01,483 --> 00:23:02,828 Yeah. 529 00:23:02,829 --> 00:23:04,728 Yeah. This is, uh... 530 00:23:12,839 --> 00:23:14,772 This is, um... 531 00:23:21,503 --> 00:23:23,435 yeah, there's a level of depth to this that I 532 00:23:23,436 --> 00:23:25,611 did not anticipate. 533 00:23:28,476 --> 00:23:30,028 Much like Hasan, 534 00:23:30,029 --> 00:23:33,238 Lizzy Caplan was about to discover a hidden depth 535 00:23:33,239 --> 00:23:34,689 to her family. 536 00:23:36,207 --> 00:23:39,313 The story begins on her mother's side with Lizzy's 537 00:23:39,314 --> 00:23:40,729 great-grandfather, 538 00:23:41,627 --> 00:23:44,181 a man named Abraham Lajb Miodownik. 539 00:23:45,493 --> 00:23:50,151 Abraham was born sometime around 1892 in 540 00:23:50,152 --> 00:23:52,258 what was then the Russian Empire. 541 00:23:53,570 --> 00:23:55,295 But he didn't stay in Russia for long. 542 00:23:56,849 --> 00:24:00,093 We found him in New York City when he was 19 years old, 543 00:24:01,370 --> 00:24:03,959 applying for American citizenship. 544 00:24:06,375 --> 00:24:09,896 That's amazing. That's amazing. 545 00:24:11,484 --> 00:24:12,761 19. 546 00:24:17,697 --> 00:24:19,491 That's crazy. 547 00:24:19,492 --> 00:24:22,150 What's it like to see that? 548 00:24:25,533 --> 00:24:27,188 I've tried to, 549 00:24:27,189 --> 00:24:29,777 you know, imagine what that would, you know, I, 550 00:24:29,778 --> 00:24:31,848 I haven't spent a ton of time trying to imagine it, 551 00:24:31,849 --> 00:24:34,161 but I have thought about, you know, what would it be 552 00:24:34,162 --> 00:24:38,753 like to be on a boat coming to a place where 553 00:24:39,098 --> 00:24:42,273 you knew nobody, not a soul. 554 00:24:44,068 --> 00:24:46,104 And for whatever reason, I never imagined it as a, 555 00:24:46,105 --> 00:24:48,210 a 19-year-old kid. 556 00:24:48,832 --> 00:24:52,213 And I know 19 was different then than it is now, but man, 557 00:24:52,214 --> 00:24:57,184 I, just, like, children having to make these 558 00:24:57,185 --> 00:25:00,049 monumental decisions. 559 00:25:00,050 --> 00:25:02,086 Mm-hmm. It's wild. 560 00:25:03,778 --> 00:25:05,744 We don't know what motivated Abraham 561 00:25:05,745 --> 00:25:07,264 to come to America, 562 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:10,267 but that decision forever altered his life. 563 00:25:11,371 --> 00:25:13,856 And we found the passenger list of the ship 564 00:25:13,857 --> 00:25:15,306 that brought him here, 565 00:25:16,273 --> 00:25:19,517 giving Lizzy a glimpse of her ancestor at 566 00:25:19,518 --> 00:25:21,520 that crucial moment. 567 00:25:23,211 --> 00:25:26,835 Name in full: Abram, uh, Miodownik. 568 00:25:27,456 --> 00:25:29,010 Russia. 569 00:25:29,666 --> 00:25:31,357 Race or people, Hebrew. 570 00:25:31,875 --> 00:25:35,084 Whether in possession of $50 and if less, 571 00:25:35,085 --> 00:25:36,604 how much, $3. 572 00:25:38,364 --> 00:25:40,123 Whether going to join a relative? 573 00:25:40,124 --> 00:25:42,644 Sister, Anna Miodownik. 574 00:25:43,127 --> 00:25:44,162 Mm-hmm. 575 00:25:44,163 --> 00:25:47,925 New York, 16th East, 118th Street. 576 00:25:48,892 --> 00:25:52,240 That is Abraham arriving in the United States of America. 577 00:25:53,759 --> 00:25:56,693 So, does this say he had $3? 578 00:25:57,003 --> 00:25:59,212 Yep. 579 00:26:01,456 --> 00:26:02,732 Yeah. 580 00:26:02,733 --> 00:26:04,562 It says, “Do you have at least $50?” 581 00:26:04,563 --> 00:26:06,633 He answered “No.” “How much do you have?” 582 00:26:06,634 --> 00:26:08,359 “I have $3.” 583 00:26:08,601 --> 00:26:10,569 He came here with three bucks. 584 00:26:11,639 --> 00:26:13,261 Unreal. 585 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:19,785 I mean, yeah, I don't even, like, how do you even... 586 00:26:20,164 --> 00:26:22,995 you make this decision because you have no other choice, 587 00:26:23,271 --> 00:26:27,965 I suppose, many situations, but that, that, I mean, 588 00:26:29,449 --> 00:26:30,933 just the, the idea that he was coming to 589 00:26:30,934 --> 00:26:33,521 join his sister, who I've never heard of. 590 00:26:33,522 --> 00:26:37,249 And even just the, the correspondence that would be 591 00:26:37,250 --> 00:26:40,080 required to make those plans and how long that would take... 592 00:26:40,081 --> 00:26:41,322 Mm-hmm. 593 00:26:41,323 --> 00:26:42,530 ...and how... 594 00:26:42,531 --> 00:26:44,187 I mean, it's, it's crazy. 595 00:26:44,188 --> 00:26:46,397 I keep saying that, but it's crazy, it's crazy. 596 00:26:48,710 --> 00:26:50,918 We now set out to learn about Abraham's life 597 00:26:50,919 --> 00:26:52,645 before he immigrated. 598 00:26:53,819 --> 00:26:56,614 Lizzy had long been told that her mother's ancestors 599 00:26:56,615 --> 00:26:58,237 were Russian Jews. 600 00:26:58,962 --> 00:27:01,136 But that was not exactly true. 601 00:27:02,621 --> 00:27:04,898 At the time of Abraham's birth, 602 00:27:04,899 --> 00:27:08,315 Russia was a vast empire covering much 603 00:27:08,316 --> 00:27:09,800 of Eastern Europe. 604 00:27:10,214 --> 00:27:13,908 And Abraham's hometown was a village called Zawiercie. 605 00:27:15,703 --> 00:27:18,775 It lies on land that we no longer consider to be Russian. 606 00:27:21,329 --> 00:27:22,812 Have you ever heard of this place? 607 00:27:22,813 --> 00:27:23,917 No. 608 00:27:23,918 --> 00:27:25,470 That is your family home. 609 00:27:25,471 --> 00:27:28,438 It's located in the south of modern-day Poland. 610 00:27:28,439 --> 00:27:30,199 Huh? 611 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:32,063 So you, you've thought of yourself as Russian. 612 00:27:32,064 --> 00:27:33,167 Yeah. 613 00:27:33,168 --> 00:27:34,479 Did you ever think of yourself as Polish? 614 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:36,067 No. You're Polish. 615 00:27:36,068 --> 00:27:38,276 Yeah! You gonna visit? 616 00:27:38,277 --> 00:27:39,518 Yeah. Yeah. 617 00:27:39,519 --> 00:27:41,106 I'm booking my, I'm booking my flight. 618 00:27:41,107 --> 00:27:42,763 You got deep roots there. 619 00:27:42,764 --> 00:27:44,732 I know. 620 00:27:45,594 --> 00:27:48,286 When Lizzy visits Abraham's hometown, 621 00:27:48,287 --> 00:27:52,187 she will likely find few traces of the world he knew, 622 00:27:53,602 --> 00:27:57,744 as it was almost completely obliterated by wars in the 623 00:27:57,745 --> 00:27:59,539 first half of the 20th century. 624 00:28:01,058 --> 00:28:03,370 But in the Polish State Archives, 625 00:28:03,371 --> 00:28:06,269 we found documents that help bring Abraham's 626 00:28:06,270 --> 00:28:08,514 world briefly back to life. 627 00:28:10,758 --> 00:28:13,276 “On the 24th of August, 1890, 628 00:28:13,277 --> 00:28:16,245 came in, Beniamin Miodownik, 629 00:28:16,246 --> 00:28:19,248 baker from the village of Zawiercie, 630 00:28:19,249 --> 00:28:20,698 33 years old, 631 00:28:20,699 --> 00:28:24,702 and presented a male infant stating that he was born 632 00:28:24,703 --> 00:28:29,708 in Zawiercie on August 17th of this year to his lawful wife, 633 00:28:30,122 --> 00:28:31,881 Dobra Zysla.” 634 00:28:31,882 --> 00:28:33,227 Mm-hmm. 635 00:28:33,228 --> 00:28:34,712 “The child is circumcised and given the name 636 00:28:34,713 --> 00:28:35,782 Abram Lajb.” 637 00:28:35,783 --> 00:28:38,888 Mm-hmm, that is your great grandfather's 638 00:28:38,889 --> 00:28:40,857 birth certificate. 639 00:28:43,066 --> 00:28:45,378 1890, crazy. 640 00:28:45,620 --> 00:28:48,553 Yep, and Beniamin and Dobra are your 641 00:28:48,554 --> 00:28:50,555 great-great-grandparents; 642 00:28:50,556 --> 00:28:52,384 you have DNA from these people. 643 00:28:52,385 --> 00:28:53,627 Yeah. 644 00:28:53,628 --> 00:28:54,973 These are your biological kin. 645 00:28:54,974 --> 00:28:57,424 And we're back in Poland, over 130 years ago. 646 00:28:57,425 --> 00:28:58,908 What's it like to see that? 647 00:28:58,909 --> 00:29:00,910 Yeah, I mean, look, 648 00:29:00,911 --> 00:29:03,775 I'm sure he'd be thrilled to share the information that 649 00:29:03,776 --> 00:29:07,262 he was circumcised on television 130 years later. 650 00:29:07,573 --> 00:29:11,679 Yeah, it's, it's, it's like I, yeah, in a village, 651 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:12,819 he was a baker. 652 00:29:12,820 --> 00:29:14,027 It's just, this is like a... 653 00:29:14,028 --> 00:29:15,476 Did you know you had any bakers in the family? 654 00:29:15,477 --> 00:29:17,409 No, although... Can you bake? 655 00:29:17,410 --> 00:29:18,583 Probably could've guessed. 656 00:29:18,584 --> 00:29:19,826 Can you bake? Yeah, of course. 657 00:29:19,827 --> 00:29:21,483 Okay. 658 00:29:23,416 --> 00:29:26,522 Abraham's parents, Beniamin and Dobra, 659 00:29:26,523 --> 00:29:29,837 were married in 1883. 660 00:29:30,285 --> 00:29:34,910 By 1900, they had had at least six children together, 661 00:29:34,911 --> 00:29:37,085 but their happiness didn't last. 662 00:29:38,673 --> 00:29:42,056 Dobra died on August 23rd, 1900, 663 00:29:43,022 --> 00:29:45,404 six days after giving birth. 664 00:29:46,267 --> 00:29:48,855 Wow. 665 00:29:48,856 --> 00:29:51,790 Dobra was just 40 years old, 666 00:29:52,238 --> 00:29:53,860 and she left seven children behind, 667 00:29:53,861 --> 00:29:55,551 including a newborn baby. 668 00:29:55,552 --> 00:29:57,347 Can you imagine? 669 00:29:59,418 --> 00:30:01,800 No, of course not. 670 00:30:03,802 --> 00:30:06,976 I mean, no, I don't even know, 671 00:30:06,977 --> 00:30:11,498 like, what is a baker, I, I hope that there 672 00:30:11,499 --> 00:30:12,637 was other family around. 673 00:30:12,638 --> 00:30:14,018 Mm-hmm. 674 00:30:14,019 --> 00:30:17,055 I'm also just thinking about this, yeah, Abe, 675 00:30:17,056 --> 00:30:18,539 Abe being so young... 676 00:30:18,540 --> 00:30:19,678 Mm-hmm. 677 00:30:19,679 --> 00:30:21,266 And losing his mom, oof. 678 00:30:21,267 --> 00:30:22,612 Abraham lost his mother when he was just 679 00:30:22,613 --> 00:30:23,890 10 years old. 680 00:30:23,891 --> 00:30:25,512 He was three years younger than you. 681 00:30:25,513 --> 00:30:26,754 Mm-hmm. 682 00:30:26,755 --> 00:30:28,066 When you lost your mother, 683 00:30:28,067 --> 00:30:30,483 how do you imagine this loss affected him? 684 00:30:32,485 --> 00:30:34,176 I imagine that there probably wasn't a lot 685 00:30:34,177 --> 00:30:38,077 of time to talk about how it affected him... 686 00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:39,698 Mm-hmm. 687 00:30:39,699 --> 00:30:41,424 ...at the time, 688 00:30:41,425 --> 00:30:43,564 I imagine that would be very, very lonely. 689 00:30:43,565 --> 00:30:44,945 Yeah. 690 00:30:44,946 --> 00:30:47,258 And how about Dobra's husband, Beniamin? 691 00:30:47,259 --> 00:30:48,431 Yeah. 692 00:30:48,432 --> 00:30:49,639 How do you think he coped? 693 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:50,917 He was left alone with seven children, 694 00:30:50,918 --> 00:30:52,090 including a newborn baby. 695 00:30:52,091 --> 00:30:53,160 A newborn. 696 00:30:53,161 --> 00:30:54,403 I know, how, I mean, 697 00:30:54,404 --> 00:30:57,268 but yeah, as, I mean, women, I'm sure, you know, 698 00:30:57,269 --> 00:30:59,995 dying in childbirth, yeah, 699 00:30:59,996 --> 00:31:01,789 I have never really thought that through, 700 00:31:01,790 --> 00:31:03,930 that the infant is then left with the father. 701 00:31:03,931 --> 00:31:05,655 Mm-hmm. 702 00:31:05,656 --> 00:31:08,451 In 1900. 703 00:31:08,452 --> 00:31:10,212 . 704 00:31:10,213 --> 00:31:11,938 How, I don't know how you would cope, 705 00:31:11,939 --> 00:31:13,318 how one would cope. 706 00:31:13,319 --> 00:31:14,354 I can't even imagine. 707 00:31:14,355 --> 00:31:16,219 Uh, completely can't imagine. 708 00:31:17,841 --> 00:31:19,083 There is, of course, 709 00:31:19,084 --> 00:31:21,776 no way to know how Beniamin processed his loss. 710 00:31:22,846 --> 00:31:24,537 But we do know that he moved on. 711 00:31:25,711 --> 00:31:27,401 Soon after Dobra's death, 712 00:31:27,402 --> 00:31:30,853 he remarried and transplanted his family to 713 00:31:30,854 --> 00:31:32,787 the town of Czestochowa, 714 00:31:33,650 --> 00:31:35,410 about 30 miles away. 715 00:31:36,653 --> 00:31:38,447 Your great-grandfather Abraham would leave for 716 00:31:38,448 --> 00:31:41,451 America from there in the summer of 1906. 717 00:31:43,384 --> 00:31:45,041 Wow. 718 00:31:45,904 --> 00:31:48,216 He likely never saw his father again, 719 00:31:48,423 --> 00:31:50,080 what do you think that was like for him? 720 00:31:52,289 --> 00:31:55,982 I just, I can't even begin to fathom what that 721 00:31:55,983 --> 00:31:59,433 family relationship would be like with all of those kids. 722 00:31:59,434 --> 00:32:00,676 Mm-hmm. 723 00:32:00,677 --> 00:32:04,060 Um, very limited resources. 724 00:32:05,095 --> 00:32:06,130 I mean, who knows? 725 00:32:06,131 --> 00:32:07,441 You can only like, 726 00:32:07,442 --> 00:32:09,064 speculate what he thought about his own mother, 727 00:32:09,065 --> 00:32:11,584 let alone this stepmother. 728 00:32:12,275 --> 00:32:17,383 Um, maybe it was lovely, and it was horrible to leave, 729 00:32:17,694 --> 00:32:20,007 and maybe it was horrible, and it was a great escape. 730 00:32:20,490 --> 00:32:21,559 “I'm outta here.” 731 00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:22,940 Yeah, I mean, who could... 732 00:32:22,941 --> 00:32:24,597 we'll never, never know. 733 00:32:25,184 --> 00:32:26,598 Wow. 734 00:32:26,599 --> 00:32:28,738 Lizzy, let's just take a moment to think about the sheer 735 00:32:28,739 --> 00:32:30,913 magnitude of your great-grandfather Abraham's 736 00:32:30,914 --> 00:32:34,744 decision to move to the United States with how much 737 00:32:34,745 --> 00:32:35,883 in his pocket? 738 00:32:35,884 --> 00:32:37,609 $3. $3. 739 00:32:37,610 --> 00:32:41,199 That singular brave decision completely changed 740 00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:44,168 his fate and, by extension, your fate. 741 00:32:44,169 --> 00:32:45,480 Yep. 742 00:32:46,274 --> 00:32:49,069 Think about what could have happened had he decided, 743 00:32:49,070 --> 00:32:50,795 uh, “I don't speak English.” 744 00:32:50,796 --> 00:32:52,486 “I ain't got no money,” you know, 745 00:32:52,487 --> 00:32:54,075 “I like, uh, the vodka here.” 746 00:32:54,420 --> 00:32:55,558 Yeah. 747 00:32:55,559 --> 00:32:57,043 . 748 00:32:57,044 --> 00:32:58,423 You know? 749 00:32:58,424 --> 00:33:01,496 What's it like to realize that, to think about that, you know, 750 00:33:01,738 --> 00:33:04,741 "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood..." 751 00:33:05,086 --> 00:33:06,155 you know? 752 00:33:06,156 --> 00:33:07,501 Yep, that's it, right? 753 00:33:07,502 --> 00:33:08,744 Yeah. 754 00:33:08,745 --> 00:33:10,125 It's, you are the product of a bunch of decisions 755 00:33:10,126 --> 00:33:11,678 made by people that you've never met before. 756 00:33:11,679 --> 00:33:13,404 Mm-hmm. 757 00:33:13,405 --> 00:33:16,372 It's impossible not to think that there's some 758 00:33:16,373 --> 00:33:19,893 kind of cosmic plan or fate or something. 759 00:33:19,894 --> 00:33:21,239 Mm-hmm. 760 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:22,861 And even if it's all just random, 761 00:33:22,862 --> 00:33:25,417 it's still miraculous. 762 00:33:26,797 --> 00:33:30,732 We'd already traced Hasan Minhaj's father's roots, 763 00:33:31,423 --> 00:33:34,735 revealing a surprising connection to Islamic India 764 00:33:34,736 --> 00:33:36,083 in the 1500s. 765 00:33:38,085 --> 00:33:40,672 Now turning to his mother's family, 766 00:33:40,673 --> 00:33:43,676 we found a surprise in the much more recent past. 767 00:33:45,644 --> 00:33:48,646 The story begins with Hasan's grandmother, 768 00:33:48,647 --> 00:33:50,890 a woman named Tausif Rizvi. 769 00:33:52,202 --> 00:33:54,686 Hasan remembers her as a stern, 770 00:33:54,687 --> 00:33:59,001 but loving disciplinarian who rarely spoke about 771 00:33:59,002 --> 00:34:00,728 her own childhood. 772 00:34:01,487 --> 00:34:03,731 And we think we know why. 773 00:34:04,697 --> 00:34:06,699 Tausif was born in Meerut, 774 00:34:07,183 --> 00:34:09,116 a district in northern India. 775 00:34:10,358 --> 00:34:12,670 Her parents were farmers, 776 00:34:12,671 --> 00:34:15,087 but she wasn't raised by her parents. 777 00:34:15,915 --> 00:34:18,469 Instead, soon after her birth, 778 00:34:18,470 --> 00:34:21,611 she was adopted by her mother's childless elder sister. 779 00:34:24,234 --> 00:34:26,822 So, you're telling me my grandmother, Tausif Rizvi... 780 00:34:26,823 --> 00:34:27,857 Mm-hmm. 781 00:34:27,858 --> 00:34:28,893 Was raised by... 782 00:34:28,894 --> 00:34:30,170 Her aunt. 783 00:34:30,171 --> 00:34:31,862 Wow. 784 00:34:35,314 --> 00:34:37,246 She was a sign-and-trade, like in the NBA. 785 00:34:37,247 --> 00:34:38,523 . 786 00:34:38,524 --> 00:34:40,146 And you've never heard this story before? 787 00:34:40,147 --> 00:34:41,630 No, I've never heard this story before. 788 00:34:41,631 --> 00:34:42,803 It's like a fairytale. 789 00:34:42,804 --> 00:34:44,220 Yeah. 790 00:34:44,944 --> 00:34:47,946 This adoption would affect Tausif in ways 791 00:34:47,947 --> 00:34:50,088 her family never could have predicted. 792 00:34:51,641 --> 00:34:54,506 At the time, India was a colony of Great Britain, 793 00:34:55,472 --> 00:34:56,921 ruled by a government, 794 00:34:56,922 --> 00:34:58,889 informally known as The Raj. 795 00:35:00,167 --> 00:35:03,859 And Tousif's aunt was married to a doctor who spent much of 796 00:35:03,860 --> 00:35:05,689 his career working for the Raj, 797 00:35:06,759 --> 00:35:09,866 including two terms in a government-run jail. 798 00:35:11,557 --> 00:35:14,180 We found a description of the jail, 799 00:35:14,181 --> 00:35:16,872 offering a glimpse into Tausif's 800 00:35:16,873 --> 00:35:19,047 highly unusual childhood. 801 00:35:21,015 --> 00:35:25,088 “The district jail is at Rajbari and civil lines. 802 00:35:25,295 --> 00:35:26,916 It was formed out of some of the abandoned barracks, 803 00:35:26,917 --> 00:35:29,712 and is somewhat larger than most of the Oudh 804 00:35:29,713 --> 00:35:32,991 jails having been originally designed as 805 00:35:32,992 --> 00:35:34,510 a divisional jail. 806 00:35:34,511 --> 00:35:36,443 It is, as usual, 807 00:35:36,444 --> 00:35:38,066 under the charge of the civil surgeon.” 808 00:35:38,377 --> 00:35:40,102 According to your family, 809 00:35:40,103 --> 00:35:42,656 your grandmother and her parents lived in a government 810 00:35:42,657 --> 00:35:44,969 house next to the jail, 811 00:35:44,970 --> 00:35:47,420 with inmates doing chores in their home and 812 00:35:47,421 --> 00:35:49,111 even growing their vegetables. 813 00:35:49,112 --> 00:35:51,078 This explains why she was so strict with me. 814 00:35:51,079 --> 00:35:52,357 Could be. 815 00:35:53,254 --> 00:35:55,462 Your grandmother never talked about this? 816 00:35:55,463 --> 00:35:57,327 Never talked about this, no. 817 00:35:57,569 --> 00:35:59,467 Do you know what “civil lines” refers to? 818 00:35:59,743 --> 00:36:00,812 I have no idea. 819 00:36:00,813 --> 00:36:01,986 Well, under the Raj, 820 00:36:01,987 --> 00:36:03,263 civil lines were areas within cities where 821 00:36:03,264 --> 00:36:06,024 the British Civil Administration resided. 822 00:36:06,025 --> 00:36:07,164 Wow. 823 00:36:07,165 --> 00:36:08,544 Where the White people lived. 824 00:36:08,545 --> 00:36:10,615 British officers and administrators lived within 825 00:36:10,616 --> 00:36:12,756 them in European - style bungalows. 826 00:36:13,240 --> 00:36:14,654 Same in Africa. 827 00:36:14,655 --> 00:36:16,207 Tea was served on verandas, 828 00:36:16,208 --> 00:36:19,245 and leisure activities included horseback riding and, 829 00:36:19,246 --> 00:36:20,798 of course, cricket. 830 00:36:20,799 --> 00:36:23,559 And the only Indians permitted to live in civil lines 831 00:36:23,560 --> 00:36:26,736 were household staff or high-ranking Indian officials, 832 00:36:27,254 --> 00:36:29,117 such as judges and doctors. 833 00:36:29,808 --> 00:36:32,706 So, your family was living alongside the British 834 00:36:32,707 --> 00:36:34,398 in these compounds. 835 00:36:34,399 --> 00:36:35,675 Wow. 836 00:36:35,676 --> 00:36:36,917 So, what do you think that was like 837 00:36:36,918 --> 00:36:38,091 for your grandmother? 838 00:36:38,092 --> 00:36:39,644 I could only imagine that, I mean, for my, 839 00:36:39,645 --> 00:36:43,683 for my Nani code switching and going between 840 00:36:43,684 --> 00:36:48,274 two worlds and trying to understand how to navigate both, 841 00:36:48,275 --> 00:36:50,725 certainly probably shaped her... 842 00:36:51,105 --> 00:36:52,900 Mm-hmm. 843 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:55,489 ...understanding of how to survive and make it. 844 00:36:55,765 --> 00:36:57,145 Mm-hmm. 845 00:36:57,387 --> 00:37:02,219 Um, she definitely made sure that on my mom's side, 846 00:37:02,220 --> 00:37:04,255 everybody was extremely educated. 847 00:37:04,256 --> 00:37:05,463 Mm-hmm. 848 00:37:05,464 --> 00:37:07,362 So, I'm sure that living within these civil lines 849 00:37:07,363 --> 00:37:11,298 shaped perhaps her emphasis on education. 850 00:37:11,815 --> 00:37:13,057 Mm-hmm. 851 00:37:13,058 --> 00:37:14,231 Like, this is the way you make it, 852 00:37:14,232 --> 00:37:15,992 and this is how you succeed. 853 00:37:16,303 --> 00:37:19,960 Hasan is not alone in his opinion of Tousif. 854 00:37:19,961 --> 00:37:23,896 His family gave us a poem that she memorized as a child. 855 00:37:25,622 --> 00:37:29,246 It was written by her adoptive father and recited by 856 00:37:29,247 --> 00:37:32,319 her at a school function to mark the departure 857 00:37:32,664 --> 00:37:34,148 of one of her teachers. 858 00:37:35,391 --> 00:37:39,325 Antiquated, yet entertaining, the poem shows her immense 859 00:37:39,326 --> 00:37:42,156 enthusiasm for her own education. 860 00:37:44,814 --> 00:37:46,332 “This news is dreadful. 861 00:37:46,333 --> 00:37:47,955 What will happen to me after your departure, 862 00:37:48,714 --> 00:37:50,059 you are indeed leaving. 863 00:37:50,060 --> 00:37:52,303 But please forgive me if I was ever insolent after 864 00:37:52,304 --> 00:37:53,616 receiving your guidance. 865 00:37:54,617 --> 00:37:56,480 I understand the teacher - student relationship. 866 00:37:56,481 --> 00:37:57,860 Once respectful manners are learned, 867 00:37:57,861 --> 00:37:59,759 a little jest is allowed. 868 00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:01,450 Who will now teach arithmetic, 869 00:38:01,451 --> 00:38:03,452 algebra, and history like you? 870 00:38:03,453 --> 00:38:05,868 Examinations are near, and you are no longer here. 871 00:38:05,869 --> 00:38:08,250 Remember this always, it is praise for you. 872 00:38:08,251 --> 00:38:10,184 My writing is a small token of appreciation.” 873 00:38:10,495 --> 00:38:11,564 . 874 00:38:11,565 --> 00:38:14,463 So, this, this is two things, 875 00:38:14,464 --> 00:38:20,056 like, to me, number one, you know, kudos to her guts 876 00:38:20,746 --> 00:38:21,988 to stand up on stage. 877 00:38:21,989 --> 00:38:23,230 Sure. 878 00:38:23,231 --> 00:38:24,715 Um, number two, 879 00:38:24,716 --> 00:38:30,756 this is definitive proof that Indians in our DNA 880 00:38:31,447 --> 00:38:32,481 are teachers' pets. 881 00:38:32,482 --> 00:38:36,485 This is the most overachieving, pick me, 882 00:38:36,486 --> 00:38:40,248 can I get extra credit, "Dear Professor" energy. 883 00:38:41,077 --> 00:38:42,871 Which is why it's so crazy that I'm a comedian. 884 00:38:42,872 --> 00:38:44,804 Like this is, this is the, you know, this is, 885 00:38:44,805 --> 00:38:46,012 this is in my blood. 886 00:38:46,013 --> 00:38:48,221 Your family told us that your grandma could 887 00:38:48,222 --> 00:38:49,705 still recite that poem... 888 00:38:49,706 --> 00:38:50,844 Yes. 889 00:38:50,845 --> 00:38:52,190 ...from memory at the age of 93. 890 00:38:52,191 --> 00:38:53,226 Yes. 891 00:38:53,227 --> 00:38:54,365 That's amazing. 892 00:38:54,366 --> 00:38:55,608 Yeah. 893 00:38:55,609 --> 00:38:56,850 How does it feel to read this, 894 00:38:56,851 --> 00:38:58,024 is that the first time you've read it? 895 00:38:58,025 --> 00:38:59,405 This is the first time I've read it; 896 00:38:59,406 --> 00:39:00,509 this is the second time I've heard it. 897 00:39:00,510 --> 00:39:01,993 The first time my uncle performed it. 898 00:39:01,994 --> 00:39:02,994 Oh, that's cool. 899 00:39:02,995 --> 00:39:04,133 And it was really beautiful to hear 900 00:39:04,134 --> 00:39:05,203 him perform it. 901 00:39:05,204 --> 00:39:06,584 Did you know that your grandmother went to 902 00:39:06,585 --> 00:39:09,622 a high school that had only 10 female students? 903 00:39:09,623 --> 00:39:11,487 No. 904 00:39:11,901 --> 00:39:15,006 She studied arithmetic, English, Hindi, history, 905 00:39:15,007 --> 00:39:17,941 geography, and Urdu, and even played badminton. 906 00:39:18,701 --> 00:39:20,564 I didn't know, I didn't know that 907 00:39:20,565 --> 00:39:21,737 Isn't that cool? 908 00:39:21,738 --> 00:39:23,049 Yeah, yeah, 'cause by the time, you know, 909 00:39:23,050 --> 00:39:24,084 I got to know her. 910 00:39:24,085 --> 00:39:26,570 She was, she was a, a small, you know, 911 00:39:26,571 --> 00:39:28,503 the way all grandmothers are, 912 00:39:28,504 --> 00:39:30,332 she was just a Golgappa at that point, 913 00:39:30,333 --> 00:39:31,402 you know, she's like a small, 914 00:39:31,403 --> 00:39:32,818 cute little round babushka. 915 00:39:33,198 --> 00:39:36,062 She graduated in 1946 and then went back to 916 00:39:36,063 --> 00:39:38,444 Zunheboto and where she married your 917 00:39:38,445 --> 00:39:40,032 grandfather in 1950. 918 00:39:40,378 --> 00:39:41,724 Wow. 919 00:39:41,931 --> 00:39:43,241 She had a tumultuous childhood, 920 00:39:43,242 --> 00:39:45,589 but she persevered and thrived. 921 00:39:45,590 --> 00:39:47,418 You feel a connection? 922 00:39:47,419 --> 00:39:49,593 I feel a huge connection to her, and she, um, 923 00:39:49,594 --> 00:39:55,323 regularly during my birthdays would give me 924 00:39:57,222 --> 00:39:58,636 money for my birthday present. 925 00:39:58,637 --> 00:39:59,982 Mm-hmm. 926 00:39:59,983 --> 00:40:03,192 But it, it could only be used to buy something that 927 00:40:03,193 --> 00:40:05,471 would help me in my pursuits. 928 00:40:05,472 --> 00:40:06,644 Mm. 929 00:40:06,645 --> 00:40:08,853 So, she helped me buy my first MacBook Pro 930 00:40:08,854 --> 00:40:10,234 that I edited my first sketches on. 931 00:40:10,235 --> 00:40:11,338 Oh, yeah? 932 00:40:11,339 --> 00:40:12,788 Yeah, so that's because of my... 933 00:40:12,789 --> 00:40:14,515 Oh, that's cool. ...my grandmother, yeah. 934 00:40:15,516 --> 00:40:19,554 We had one more story to share with Hasan returning 935 00:40:19,555 --> 00:40:22,212 to Tausif's hometown in Maroth, 936 00:40:22,972 --> 00:40:25,145 we were able to trace her husband's roots back 937 00:40:25,146 --> 00:40:30,635 two generations and place Hasan's ancestors at ground zero 938 00:40:31,429 --> 00:40:34,811 for what's often called India's First War of Independence. 939 00:40:36,261 --> 00:40:39,056 A troop rebellion against the British that led 940 00:40:39,057 --> 00:40:41,542 to uprisings across the nation. 941 00:40:43,233 --> 00:40:45,925 Though it was ultimately crushed, 942 00:40:45,926 --> 00:40:48,617 the rebellion lives on in memory, 943 00:40:48,618 --> 00:40:52,726 even to this day, and it began in Meerut. 944 00:40:54,831 --> 00:40:56,936 So how does it feel to know that you have ancestors, 945 00:40:56,937 --> 00:40:58,696 your third great-grandparents, 946 00:40:58,697 --> 00:41:01,666 who may have been there at the very start? 947 00:41:02,252 --> 00:41:04,392 It's really powerful, and, um, 948 00:41:04,600 --> 00:41:06,601 I'm out here complaining when the Wi-Fi goes down. 949 00:41:06,602 --> 00:41:08,016 . 950 00:41:08,017 --> 00:41:10,674 But in all seriousness, 951 00:41:10,675 --> 00:41:13,331 it's like I can only imagine what they witnessed 952 00:41:13,332 --> 00:41:16,439 and what they went through and saw in their life. 953 00:41:16,957 --> 00:41:22,617 And, um, it makes me feel really proud. 954 00:41:22,618 --> 00:41:28,555 And I feel, um, really 955 00:41:32,282 --> 00:41:34,456 overwhelmed with gratitude and 956 00:41:34,457 --> 00:41:37,666 humility that this is my family and I'm lucky enough 957 00:41:37,667 --> 00:41:39,497 to be their great-great- great-grandson. 958 00:41:41,809 --> 00:41:44,570 We'd already traced Lizzy Caplan's mother's roots 959 00:41:44,571 --> 00:41:47,711 from Poland to New York, 960 00:41:47,712 --> 00:41:49,609 revealing how her great-grandfather 961 00:41:49,610 --> 00:41:52,061 Abraham came to America. 962 00:41:53,407 --> 00:41:55,823 We now turn to a darker side of this story. 963 00:41:57,480 --> 00:42:00,863 In 1926, Abraham's younger brother, 964 00:42:01,726 --> 00:42:06,524 a man named Wolf Miodownik, moved from Poland to Belgium, 965 00:42:07,835 --> 00:42:11,286 likely hoping to find the kind of opportunities that had drawn 966 00:42:11,287 --> 00:42:15,186 Abraham to the United States. 967 00:42:15,187 --> 00:42:16,913 But those hopes would be dashed. 968 00:42:18,397 --> 00:42:23,402 On May 10th, 1940, Belgium was invaded by Nazi Germany. 969 00:42:25,059 --> 00:42:27,682 Wolf was 30 years old at the time. 970 00:42:27,683 --> 00:42:30,030 His wife Leiba was 23. 971 00:42:31,376 --> 00:42:32,479 Can you imagine? 972 00:42:32,480 --> 00:42:34,793 No. Genuinely, no. 973 00:42:36,105 --> 00:42:39,453 Um, just what a terrifying time. 974 00:42:40,350 --> 00:42:42,869 Did you ever think you had a personal familial 975 00:42:42,870 --> 00:42:44,802 connection to this? 976 00:42:44,803 --> 00:42:48,842 I thought maybe it was odd that I didn't. 977 00:42:49,325 --> 00:42:50,636 Mm-hmm. 978 00:42:50,637 --> 00:42:54,950 But, um, so I, I guess it's with all of the siblings, 979 00:42:54,951 --> 00:42:56,952 it's, it's not completely surprising, 980 00:42:56,953 --> 00:42:59,092 but I do, you know, growing up, 981 00:42:59,093 --> 00:43:01,025 it was my friends whose grandparents had 982 00:43:01,026 --> 00:43:02,268 survived the Holocaust, 983 00:43:02,269 --> 00:43:04,615 and we were very aware of who those grandparents were, 984 00:43:04,616 --> 00:43:06,513 and my grandparents were not in that group. 985 00:43:06,514 --> 00:43:07,722 Mm-hmm. 986 00:43:07,723 --> 00:43:09,241 So, this is news to me. 987 00:43:10,898 --> 00:43:12,278 Wolf and Leiba are Lizzy's 988 00:43:12,279 --> 00:43:14,832 great-grand uncle and aunt, 989 00:43:14,833 --> 00:43:17,595 and though the details of their story were not passed down, 990 00:43:18,596 --> 00:43:21,909 its outlines would prove painfully familiar. 991 00:43:23,911 --> 00:43:25,947 After the German invasion, 992 00:43:25,948 --> 00:43:29,640 they watched helplessly as the Nazis began seizing 993 00:43:29,641 --> 00:43:33,334 Jewish property and implementing anti-Semitic laws. 994 00:43:34,888 --> 00:43:37,269 Then, in March of 1944, 995 00:43:37,994 --> 00:43:41,100 just months after the birth of their first child, 996 00:43:41,101 --> 00:43:42,792 the family was arrested, 997 00:43:43,655 --> 00:43:46,762 and their situation became unimaginably worse. 998 00:43:48,867 --> 00:43:51,317 They were sent to a transit camp in northern 999 00:43:51,318 --> 00:43:53,871 Belgium called Mechelen, 1000 00:43:53,872 --> 00:43:55,977 and then they were put on a train called 1001 00:43:55,978 --> 00:43:58,946 “Transport number 24.” 1002 00:44:00,672 --> 00:44:03,744 And guess where transport number 24 was heading? 1003 00:44:04,296 --> 00:44:08,507 I, uh, God, I, where, 1004 00:44:09,543 --> 00:44:12,132 I don't even where, where? 1005 00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:14,548 Please turn the page. 1006 00:44:16,515 --> 00:44:17,930 Yeah. 1007 00:44:17,931 --> 00:44:19,760 Auschwitz. 1008 00:44:20,002 --> 00:44:22,798 Yeah, I had no idea I had relatives in Auschwitz. 1009 00:44:23,108 --> 00:44:27,043 Ugh, yeah, it's, it's so awful. 1010 00:44:30,426 --> 00:44:31,909 And you see, like in these pictures, 1011 00:44:31,910 --> 00:44:33,428 which I've seen so many times, 1012 00:44:33,429 --> 00:44:37,847 so many kids, and yeah, it's, uh, 1013 00:44:39,953 --> 00:44:41,436 it is different when it's your own, 1014 00:44:41,437 --> 00:44:44,026 when you know it's your own people, family. 1015 00:44:47,305 --> 00:44:50,445 Roughly 1.1 million people were murdered 1016 00:44:50,446 --> 00:44:51,827 in Auschwitz. 1017 00:44:53,035 --> 00:44:56,486 The vast majority were killed upon arrival in gas chambers. 1018 00:44:57,902 --> 00:45:02,250 The rest were consigned to slave labor and generally died 1019 00:45:02,251 --> 00:45:04,184 of starvation or disease. 1020 00:45:05,979 --> 00:45:08,705 Precise records were not kept, 1021 00:45:08,706 --> 00:45:13,295 but the fates of the people on Transport 24 are set down 1022 00:45:13,296 --> 00:45:15,816 in what's known as the “Auschwitz Chronicle.” 1023 00:45:17,093 --> 00:45:20,993 A documentation of daily life in the camp written by 1024 00:45:20,994 --> 00:45:22,650 a Polish historian, 1025 00:45:24,376 --> 00:45:26,827 most were immediately sent to the gas chambers. 1026 00:45:27,241 --> 00:45:29,174 A small percentage were selected for labor, 1027 00:45:29,830 --> 00:45:31,935 and none of the 54 children who were on this 1028 00:45:31,936 --> 00:45:35,698 transport appeared to have been admitted to the camp. 1029 00:45:36,423 --> 00:45:37,699 So, you know what that means? 1030 00:45:37,700 --> 00:45:43,154 Ugh. Oh my God, that's so horrible, 1031 00:45:44,224 --> 00:45:46,536 yeah, that's so horrible. 1032 00:45:50,540 --> 00:45:51,817 I just, I, yeah, 1033 00:45:51,818 --> 00:45:53,473 I don't know how you exist in that much fear, 1034 00:45:53,474 --> 00:45:56,200 and then I don't know how you recover from, 1035 00:45:56,201 --> 00:45:59,998 or forget recover, but like, go on from that. 1036 00:46:00,447 --> 00:46:02,275 What, and what would be worse if they, 1037 00:46:02,276 --> 00:46:06,763 if they were selected to work or if they were, 1038 00:46:06,764 --> 00:46:08,005 I don't know how, I mean, 1039 00:46:08,006 --> 00:46:09,386 somebody takes your baby from you. 1040 00:46:09,387 --> 00:46:10,559 I just... 1041 00:46:10,560 --> 00:46:11,940 You know, ripping the baby out of your arms, 1042 00:46:11,941 --> 00:46:14,563 Wolf's six-month- old son, Beniamin, 1043 00:46:14,564 --> 00:46:17,187 was likely killed immediately upon arrival. 1044 00:46:17,188 --> 00:46:19,879 And since he was so young, could not walk, 1045 00:46:19,880 --> 00:46:22,744 his mother Leiba would've likely gone to 1046 00:46:22,745 --> 00:46:24,367 her death alongside him. 1047 00:46:24,920 --> 00:46:26,161 Just to carry him in. 1048 00:46:26,162 --> 00:46:27,854 Mm-hmm. 1049 00:46:30,442 --> 00:46:32,168 Ah. 1050 00:46:32,686 --> 00:46:34,445 "You two go this way, take your baby..." 1051 00:46:34,446 --> 00:46:37,346 and you lure them in. 1052 00:46:37,967 --> 00:46:39,589 Yeah. 1053 00:46:40,659 --> 00:46:44,593 And I'm, God, it's so, it's like, it's like such a, 1054 00:46:44,594 --> 00:46:49,496 uh, there's no good outcome here, no matter what, 1055 00:46:49,807 --> 00:46:53,361 I'm glad though to hear they were together, 1056 00:46:53,362 --> 00:46:55,088 mother and son. 1057 00:46:57,021 --> 00:46:58,745 With his family dead, 1058 00:46:58,746 --> 00:47:00,714 Wolf entered Auschwitz on his own. 1059 00:47:02,198 --> 00:47:06,581 Incredibly, he would survive for more than eight months, 1060 00:47:06,582 --> 00:47:09,136 only to face another horrifying ordeal. 1061 00:47:11,173 --> 00:47:15,384 In January of 1945, with the war almost over, 1062 00:47:16,385 --> 00:47:18,905 and Russian armies advancing across Poland, 1063 00:47:20,113 --> 00:47:23,116 the Nazis were desperately trying to cover up their crimes. 1064 00:47:25,187 --> 00:47:27,326 Auschwitz was abandoned, 1065 00:47:27,327 --> 00:47:29,569 and Wolf was eventually transferred 1066 00:47:29,570 --> 00:47:31,227 to Bergen-Belsen, 1067 00:47:31,607 --> 00:47:34,230 a notorious concentration camp in northern Germany. 1068 00:47:35,922 --> 00:47:40,236 From there, he was shipped some 400 miles south to Dachau, 1069 00:47:41,582 --> 00:47:43,377 yet another camp. 1070 00:47:45,069 --> 00:47:48,348 So, how do you think Wolf found the strength to keep going? 1071 00:47:48,589 --> 00:47:52,455 I don't know, that's just human will to survive, 1072 00:47:52,835 --> 00:47:55,078 'cause like, what is this life? 1073 00:47:55,079 --> 00:47:57,321 Mm. 1074 00:47:57,322 --> 00:47:59,290 Why would you want to keep going? 1075 00:48:00,429 --> 00:48:04,605 Just like shuttled from one of these horror shows to the next? 1076 00:48:04,847 --> 00:48:06,054 It's... 1077 00:48:06,055 --> 00:48:08,022 And just think of the terror. 1078 00:48:08,023 --> 00:48:09,023 That's it, right? 1079 00:48:09,024 --> 00:48:10,300 Yeah. 1080 00:48:10,301 --> 00:48:11,818 Constant, constant terror. 1081 00:48:11,819 --> 00:48:13,130 Mm-hmm. 1082 00:48:13,131 --> 00:48:14,995 With no end in sight. 1083 00:48:15,823 --> 00:48:19,206 I, yeah... they were, 1084 00:48:19,724 --> 00:48:22,106 they were tougher than we were, than we are. 1085 00:48:24,349 --> 00:48:28,388 Dachau was liberated on April 29th, 1945, 1086 00:48:29,527 --> 00:48:32,392 almost two months after Wolf arrived. 1087 00:48:33,876 --> 00:48:37,121 He was likely emaciated and very close to death. 1088 00:48:38,846 --> 00:48:41,262 But as it turns out, Wolf had a great deal, 1089 00:48:41,263 --> 00:48:42,781 more life left in him. 1090 00:48:44,852 --> 00:48:47,062 After the war, Wolf returned to Belgium, 1091 00:48:48,132 --> 00:48:50,893 where he married a fellow Holocaust survivor. 1092 00:48:51,756 --> 00:48:53,931 They welcomed a daughter in 1949, 1093 00:48:55,380 --> 00:48:57,416 and then three years later, 1094 00:48:57,417 --> 00:49:00,696 moved one final time to America. 1095 00:49:03,043 --> 00:49:06,080 “Wolf Miodownik, nationality, stateless. 1096 00:49:06,081 --> 00:49:07,564 Race, Hebrew. 1097 00:49:07,565 --> 00:49:09,290 Age 41. 1098 00:49:09,291 --> 00:49:11,775 Final destination in United States, 1099 00:49:11,776 --> 00:49:14,779 Mr. Charles Meadow, 1138 Wooster Street.” 1100 00:49:17,782 --> 00:49:21,198 God, it's so crazy to see just like the map of the 1101 00:49:21,199 --> 00:49:26,756 concentration camps and then Wooster in LA. 1102 00:49:27,412 --> 00:49:29,172 Like that's crazy. 1103 00:49:29,173 --> 00:49:31,002 Yeah. 1104 00:49:33,246 --> 00:49:36,974 Yeah, that's, that's pretty nuts. 1105 00:49:38,561 --> 00:49:39,837 It's a miracle. 1106 00:49:39,838 --> 00:49:43,877 It is. Absolutely. 1107 00:49:48,813 --> 00:49:51,125 Wolf was 42 years old when he arrived in 1108 00:49:51,126 --> 00:49:52,541 the United States. 1109 00:49:53,852 --> 00:49:58,305 Incredibly, he had survived at least four concentration camps 1110 00:49:59,582 --> 00:50:01,895 and lost a wife and a child, 1111 00:50:02,447 --> 00:50:04,553 as well as countless friends and relatives. 1112 00:50:06,106 --> 00:50:08,971 But he was able to build a new life for himself. 1113 00:50:09,661 --> 00:50:13,113 A life that would be celebrated right up until the end, 1114 00:50:14,218 --> 00:50:16,737 as evidenced even by his grave. 1115 00:50:18,256 --> 00:50:19,740 Wow. 1116 00:50:20,189 --> 00:50:22,502 Wolf lived to be 93 years old. 1117 00:50:22,950 --> 00:50:25,435 Nice Wolf. 1118 00:50:25,436 --> 00:50:28,955 He died November 10th, 2003, 1119 00:50:28,956 --> 00:50:33,270 and is buried along with his second wife, Mala, 1120 00:50:33,271 --> 00:50:36,033 in Coma, California, just outside of San Francisco. 1121 00:50:36,792 --> 00:50:38,379 Golden Mensch. 1122 00:50:38,380 --> 00:50:40,105 How about that? 1123 00:50:40,106 --> 00:50:41,555 I love it. 1124 00:50:43,005 --> 00:50:44,764 What's it like to see that? 1125 00:50:44,765 --> 00:50:47,112 Oh, this makes me so happy, 1126 00:50:47,113 --> 00:50:49,217 'cause like he's got little funny things on his... 1127 00:50:49,218 --> 00:50:50,322 Yeah. 1128 00:50:50,323 --> 00:50:52,635 ...on his Tombstone. Like that's... 1129 00:50:54,396 --> 00:50:55,948 He was loved. 1130 00:50:55,949 --> 00:50:59,021 Yeah. They both were. 1131 00:50:59,608 --> 00:51:01,265 Oh my God, this is amazing. 1132 00:51:02,714 --> 00:51:05,717 The paper trail had now run out for Lizzy and Hasan; 1133 00:51:06,787 --> 00:51:09,997 it was time to unfurl their full family trees, 1134 00:51:11,033 --> 00:51:14,416 now filled with people whose names they'd never heard before. 1135 00:51:15,244 --> 00:51:16,348 That's incredible. 1136 00:51:16,349 --> 00:51:18,143 For each, it was a moment of awe. 1137 00:51:18,144 --> 00:51:19,937 Wow. 1138 00:51:19,938 --> 00:51:23,734 Offering the chance to reflect on the sacrifices that 1139 00:51:23,735 --> 00:51:27,360 shaped their families and forged their identities. 1140 00:51:29,914 --> 00:51:32,295 When you see your parents struggling 1141 00:51:32,296 --> 00:51:34,055 and working hard and clipping out coupons... 1142 00:51:34,056 --> 00:51:35,160 Mm-hmm. 1143 00:51:35,161 --> 00:51:37,955 ...you don't think you're someone... 1144 00:51:37,956 --> 00:51:39,440 ...or from somewhere. 1145 00:51:39,441 --> 00:51:40,682 Mm-hmm. 1146 00:51:40,683 --> 00:51:42,132 You know, you just think you're scraping by 1147 00:51:42,133 --> 00:51:43,375 and surviving. 1148 00:51:43,376 --> 00:51:44,617 Mm-hmm. 1149 00:51:44,618 --> 00:51:45,929 But when you see stuff like this, you're like, 1150 00:51:45,930 --> 00:51:47,137 maybe I'm part of something bigger. 1151 00:51:47,138 --> 00:51:48,932 The only way that I'm sitting here now 1152 00:51:48,933 --> 00:51:51,210 is because of the decisions that they were either forced 1153 00:51:51,211 --> 00:51:52,729 to make or that they chose to make. 1154 00:51:52,730 --> 00:51:53,902 Mm-hmm. 1155 00:51:53,903 --> 00:51:57,906 And I feel very lucky, 1156 00:51:57,907 --> 00:52:01,082 like in the dictionary definition of the word 1157 00:52:01,083 --> 00:52:03,672 “lucky” that they made those decisions. 1158 00:52:04,776 --> 00:52:08,572 That's the end of our journey with Hasan Minhaj 1159 00:52:08,573 --> 00:52:09,850 and Lizzy Caplan. 1160 00:52:11,058 --> 00:52:15,407 Join me next time when we unlock the secrets of the past 1161 00:52:15,408 --> 00:52:18,411 for new guests on another episode of 1162 00:52:19,066 --> 00:52:20,240 “Finding Your Roots.”