A Wedding in Rio and Family Reunions Across Generations
- Mattan Segev-Frank
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
A few days ago, I returned from a destination wedding in Brazil, and I find myself filled with stories to tell. This journey combined joyous family celebrations with meaningful professional encounters — and as often happens in my life, genealogy was at the heart of it all.
When you travel for a family wedding — especially one that takes you to an unexpected destination — Jewish genealogy has a way of making every experience deeper, richer, and more moving.
A Family Milestone in Rio de Janeiro
This wasn’t just any wedding. The groom was my nephew — the very first of the younger generation in our family to marry. That alone was thrilling enough. But why Brazil?
Because love brought us there. My nephew met his bride, a native of Rio, during her Masa program visit to Israel. She later moved to Israel to be with him, but it was deeply important to her that the wedding be held in her hometown — surrounded by her family, friends, and the city she had grown up in. She wanted us, her new extended family, to experience her world before she had to leave it behind.
It was a big ask — flying across continents for a wedding. Yet, despite being spread across three continents, our family invested the time, energy, and resources to be there. And we showed up — joyfully. In turn, the bride, with immense thoughtfulness, organized not just a wedding but an entire week of activities and tours for her guests. She opened the doors of Rio to us, and it was simply unforgettable.
As the days unfolded, we not only celebrated but truly connected. We got to know her family — warm, kind, and fascinating people — and in doing so, created bonds that felt magical.
For us, this trip was layered with extra meaning. After three years apart (my sisters and I each live on a different continent), my own family finally reunited, fully. Additionally, a few of our beloved cousins flew in from the Netherlands. And perhaps most moving of all: my father, now nearly 80, met his first cousin from Brazil for the very first time. Her father had been my grandfather’s brother — the branch of our family that had settled in South America. Apart from one brief meeting with me years earlier, she had never met anyone from our side of the family. To witness that long-overdue meeting was extraordinary. And to finally meet her husband, son and daughter-in-law was amazing as well. And the best part was just how easy and fun it all went, as if we were always in each other's lives and not like it sometimes goes meeting people, even relatives, for the first time. In the warmth and openness - Brazilians and Israelis turn out to be a lot alike!
A Lecture in Rio de Janeiro
As if all this wasn’t enough, I also had the privilege of giving a lecture at the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue of Ipanema.
Together with members of Rio’s Jewish community, we explored:
The historic ties between Brazilian Jews and Central Europe
The major events that shaped Jewish life there
How shifting borders and jurisdictions affect genealogical research
Common “brick walls” that researchers encounter and how to overcome them
The wealth of online archives and resources available today
I also shared how, as a historian, genealogist, and storyteller, I help guide people through their own Genealogical Jungle — whether to strengthen identity, uncover family stories, pursue European citizenship, or preserve legacies for generations to come.
The response was heartfelt. The lecture sparked meaningful conversations and even opened the door to several new genealogical journeys with people I met that evening.
And in one case, it led to something extraordinary.
Reconnecting a Family After Nearly a Century
Before the lecture, a woman had reached out to me online. In her own research, she had discovered that her grandfather’s brother had emigrated from Vienna to Rio de Janeiro. Over time, contact between the branches was lost.
She had even uncovered a remarkable detail: a letter preserved in the Red Cross’ International Tracing Service — sent about a decade earlier by a family member in Brazil who had tried to reconnect. But despite her best efforts, she had been unable to reach anyone. Ten years of silence left her disheartened.
Knowing I was traveling to Rio, she asked if I could help. And so, at the close of my lecture, I shared the mystery with the audience and mentioned the surname of the missing branch. To my delight, members of the synagogue community came forward, eager to help. That same evening, I was able to provide her with a phone number. Since then, the two families — once separated for almost a century — have been sharing photos, stories, and memories. To play even a small role in such a reunion is one of the greatest joys of my work, and I am so happy to supply my clients these happy moments of reconnection that start a new chapter for their families.
The Wedding: Tradition and Symbolism
And then — the wedding itself.
I often joke that my family has a tradition of marrying near water: my parents by the Sea of Galilee, my sisters by the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean. If my turn ever comes, I’ve said, it must be in Eilat — by the Red Sea! I wondered whether the next generation would keep this unintentional pattern alive.
In Rio, the answer was breathtaking.
The Chuppah was set in the courtyard of a mansion in the Santa Teresa neighborhood, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with Sugarloaf Mountain behind and Christ the Redeemer watching from afar. The view alone was unforgettable.
Inside, the celebration continued in beautifully designed spaces, designed to the smallest detail, while even seemingly minor details were loaded with a lot of familial and genealogical symbolism, which touched me, and I am sure everyone present as well, and made it all so connected. Two touched me deeply:
A wall of family weddings — black-and-white photographs of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, great-uncles and aunts, lovingly framed in gold and arranged on a backdrop designed with floral motifs. A reminder that every couple stands on the shoulders of generations.
One half of the wall of photographs from past family weddings The Chuppah itself — hand-made by my mother, and already used by both of my sisters at their weddings. I have a deep affection for ritual items imbued with genealogical symbolism: Chuppot, Torah mantles, embroidered family trees, and more. They transform tradition into living memory. (more examples will get a future post of their own)
The hand-made Chuppah made by artist Nava Tibbon-Segev
The entire evening radiated warmth, love, and continuity. It was a celebration that honored not only the couple but also the families, stories, and traditions that brought them together.
Looking Ahead
So that was my August: a reunion of family branches across continents, a celebration of love, a lecture that sparked discoveries, and even the resolution of a genealogical mystery nearly a century old.
Now that I am back home and settling into routine, I’m continuing to work on a special project that I look forward to sharing with you soon.
Until next time, Mattan
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