Oregon: Jewish in Japan, April 15

What kind of records are available concerning Jews who lived in Japan? Are there census record? Are these available to genealogists? What happened to Jewish aliens living in Japan during the Second World War?

If these questions are intriguing, then the next program of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon will be of interest.

George Sidline will present "Somehow We'll Survive: A Story of Growing Up Jewish in WWII-era Japan," beginning at 7pm, Tuesday, April 15, at Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Portland.

Sidline, the second of two sons, was born in Japan of Jewish parents before World War II. When war broke out, the family remained in Kobe, Japan, where George's father ran an import/export business. After the war, the family stayed in Japan, eventually immigrating to Canada in 1954. In 1962, George moved to the US, where he worked in California's Silicon Valley.

Many people urged George to write a book about his wartime experiences and the experiences of others among the foreign population living in Japan during the war. He published his book in 2007, chronicling some of the harrowing events that engulfed the family.

The book is available at www.amazon.com, titled "Somehow, We'll Survive, Life in Japan during WWII through the eyes of a young Caucasian boy." A retired engineer, George lives with his wife in Portland, Oregon, where his children and grandchildren reside.

For more details and directions, click here.