Boston: Jewish genealogy class to begin

An easy way to get a good grounding in family history research is to take a class with an experienced instructor. If you're looking for your Jewish ancestors, you'll need to learn specialized information, history, geography and other topics.

Taking a good class will help you avoid making false starts, teach you how to organize material, provide resources, special knowledge and more.

Genealogy classes are offered in person or online, are short term or longer; costs vary.

Readers in the Boston area may wish to take advantage of a course offered by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston and Hebrew College in Newton Centre, who are collaborating to provide "Foundations of Jewish Genealogical Research."

The new eight-session course will meet from 7-9pm on Mondays, beginning February 25. The instructors are a team of experienced researchers, coordinated by Heidi Urich (JGSGB president) and Tom Weiss (JGSGB board member). Students must have basic computer skills.

According to the course description, "Students will gain a strong foundation in Jewish genealogy to enable them to research family origins. The course will include introductions to relevant world history, geography, methodology and knowledge of resources."

It will cover:

--Getting Started on Family History Research: Basic Steps, Strategy and Skills

--Technical Tools and Online Resources for Genealogy

--History of Jewish Migration, the Diaspora and Changing National Borders

--Identifying Your Immigrant Ancestors: Methods and Resources for Researching Family Members in the U.S.

--Finding Your Ancestors in European Records and Learning about Their Lives

--Identifying Holocaust Victims and Survivors. Finding Family Members Living in Israel

--DNA Research: The Next Frontier in Genealogy

--Using your Research: Making Connections and Publicizing Your Findings

The class is limited to 25 students; the cost is $250.

For more information, click here.