This genealogist has helped me in my searches, not vice versa! I am honored to be included in the ground-breaking research done by her and her colleagues into the Hasidic families of Ukraine.

I first made Russ Lipton’s acquaintance several years ago, when he wrote to me after noting a close DNA match between a member of my family and his late father, who was an adoptee and had taken a DNA test ten years earlier. As a result, Russ developed friendly relationships with his DNA match and with several of his new-found cousins. Further DNA testing confirmed that his family and mine are connected, although distantly, so we are mishpocha, too! We are still working on his paternal ancestry to find the exact connection.

In the process, we have become good friends. Although we reside on opposite sides of the continent, we were delighted to meet in person at a Jewish genealogy conference last year. (Instead of clenching a rose between his teeth, so that I would recognize him, he sent me a photo of himself, wearing a yellow tam o’shanter, and later that day, when we attended the same conference session in a huge lecture hall, there he was, wearing that same yellow hat and waving to me! Cleverness, imagination, and sense of humor, all rolled into one!)

I’ve observed that Russ is a passionate and dedicated genealogist and an excellent researcher; he is intelligent, insightful, and analytical, and he has an eye for noting disparate details and drawing them into a coherent hypothesis. He loves solving mysteries and has the dogged persistence that sometimes leads to a great discovery, although it may take years to materialize. And yet, he respects personal boundaries and does not publish confidential information without permission. He is also an amazing human being! He radiates warmth, friendliness, empathy, and enthusiasm. He’s a true family man, with a loving wife, five children, and ten grandchildren.

Susan S.