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at the Jewish Community Center,
Darren vividly remembers a visit from
author Ira Wolfman, who inspired the
kids to talk to their elders and learn
about their family histories.
"He got me hooked," says Darren,
a thoughtful and articulate 18-year-old.
"I talked to great aunts and uncles, most
of whom emigrated from Russia. They
remembered life before World War I."
Ten years later, most of those relatives
have passed away, but Darren has that
precious trunk full of snippets of their
everyday lives.
A couple of years ago, Darren was
introduced to the Holocaust Memorial
Center's Jewish archives library. He went
there to study his own family's genealogy,
researching towns in the Volhynia region
of the Ukraine and along the Black Sea.
Since then, he's volunteered there several
times a week, translating Yiddish books
and putting first-person accounts and
histories on the Internet.
"The library has one of the largest
collections of memorial books in the
country," says Darren, who's also
conducting private research for an Israeli
man.
Darren's interest and curiosity in
history and genealogy became so great
he took it to another level, becoming
the youngest member of the Jewish
Genealogical Society of Michigan and
serving as its recording secretary. He
and his dad, Wayne County Prosecutor
Michael King, traveled to Ireland to
research the King side of the family.
"It's a great hobby," Darren says.
"I've spent lots of time in the library
and on various Web sites. I printed
genealogical charts to give to members
of my family.
"The Torah refers to researching one's
history as a mitzvah," Darren says. "It's
a way of reconnecting to my roots and
understanding my ancestors' culture.
By gathering information on the Jewish
community in little Russian villages,

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