This week a large database of immigrants to Australia will be accessible online to family history researchers.
Although most free settlers in Australia were British, migrants arrived from all over the world, including the United States, Russia, India and China. Jews were also among the First Fleet and represented in every later wave of immigration.
The immigrant records will go online Wednesday, June 4, at Ancestry.com.au, according to this story on CourierMail.com
Millions of free settlers, who arrived 1826-1922,looked on Australia as a land of opportunity. Now, the names of 8.9 million passengers and crew, arriving in New South Wales, will be accessible to researchers around the world.
This collection follows last year's launch of 160,000 convict records.
An Ancestry spokesman comments in the story that the average Aussie has a one-in-three chance of having a free-settler ancestor and that some 7 million Australians were related to early settlers. Of course, this isn't considering the millions of researchers worldwide who might have had an individual or family leaving for "down under."
Why did they go to Australia? For the same reasons people go everywhere: the chance of a better life or, in the early days of Australia, the Gold Rush! And, as is the case in most nations of immigrants, many prominent Australians descend from early immigrants.
The story ended with Rita Miller, a descendant of Englishman William Carseldine who landed in 1854 on the Monsoon with his wife and four children. They went to Moreton Bay for the Gold Rush. The family has just held its 150-year reunion.
Read more here
May 31, 2008
New York: Jewish genealogy in the Hamptons!
If you happen to be in the Hamptons this weekend, why are you reading Tracing the Tribe instead of enjoying the great weather?
Of course, it could be raining, in which case you're entitled to be on the computer instead of enjoying outdoor activities.
And if you need a genealogy fix, you'll be happy to know that The Hampton Synagogue (Westhampton Beach), is planning a genealogy workshop tomorrow (1.30pm, Sunday, June 1), presented by the East End Jewish Community Council.
Enjoy!
Of course, it could be raining, in which case you're entitled to be on the computer instead of enjoying outdoor activities.
And if you need a genealogy fix, you'll be happy to know that The Hampton Synagogue (Westhampton Beach), is planning a genealogy workshop tomorrow (1.30pm, Sunday, June 1), presented by the East End Jewish Community Council.
Enjoy!
New look for Tracing the Tribe
Yes, you are in the right place! Don't change that station! This is still Tracing the Tribe - with a slightly new look.
I made the somewhat traumatic decision to switch to the newer Layout feature of Blogger from the old Template format. I'd been putting it off as I had visions of losing the entire blog and all postings since August 2006. Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and was actually rather simple.
When I made that decision, I decided to tweak things a bit and make it easier to read with a lighter background for the posts. Please let me know how you like it.
Some things still have to be tweaked and added in again, such as the Tag Cloud, but I'm working on it.
Another thing to cross off my to-do list.
I made the somewhat traumatic decision to switch to the newer Layout feature of Blogger from the old Template format. I'd been putting it off as I had visions of losing the entire blog and all postings since August 2006. Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and was actually rather simple.
When I made that decision, I decided to tweak things a bit and make it easier to read with a lighter background for the posts. Please let me know how you like it.
Some things still have to be tweaked and added in again, such as the Tag Cloud, but I'm working on it.
Another thing to cross off my to-do list.
May 30, 2008
Canada: Quebec City's Jewish history
Quebec City is celebrating the little-known history of its Jewish community with a recently opened exhibit - Same Cloth, Different Thread: The Jews of Québec - as part of the city's 400th anniversary, according to the Canadian Jewish News.
The exhibit, open through September 26, is part of Shalom Québec, a series of events and a collaborative research project among historians and academics.
The Shalom Québec website provides much more information about the community, and visitors are are invited to contribute stories or memorabilia.
The bilingual exhibit is in the Gare du Palais railway station, because of its location on a street where many Jewish stores were located. It includes text, photos and more, beginning with a profile of Esther Brandeau of France, considered the first documented Jew to arrive in New France.
In 1738, Brandeau arrived, disguised as a male sailor. When discovered, she was sent to a convent, refused to convert and was sent back to Europe the next year.
Congregation Beth Israel Ohev Shalom is the only synagogue, headed by president Jonathan Hawey, born in Quebec City in 1955, He was raised a Catholic, but his unusual name combined with genealogical research confirmed he was the direct descendant of an 18th century Scottish Jew (who married a Catholic and assimilated). Hawey converted to Judaism and says that his Hebrew is better than his English.
Some of Quebec's early Jews: Samuel Jacobs, 1759; fire chief John Franks, late 18th century; engineer Sigismund Mohr, late 19th century; prominent Jewish businessman Maurice Pollack from Ukraine, early 1900s; Sadie Lazarovitz, one of the first Canadian female law graduates (1928).
Some difficult times are addressed, such as the anti-Semitism of notary Jacques Plamondon, and the synagogue's arson before its inauguration in 1944. World events include France's Dreyfus affair, Russian pogroms, the Nazi era and the State of Israel.
Read more here.
Shalom Quebec offers much more detail on the area's Jewish history, with history, timeline, religion, families, important sites, research and more. The site is in French and English. There is much more information on Brandeau and other early Jews.
Quebec City’s Jewish population was probably never much more than the 125 families it had at its peak in the 1940s and ’50s. But the community’s history goes back to the 18th century and its impact, especially on the capital’s commerce, was far greater than the numbers would suggest.
The exhibit, open through September 26, is part of Shalom Québec, a series of events and a collaborative research project among historians and academics.
The Shalom Québec website provides much more information about the community, and visitors are are invited to contribute stories or memorabilia.
The bilingual exhibit is in the Gare du Palais railway station, because of its location on a street where many Jewish stores were located. It includes text, photos and more, beginning with a profile of Esther Brandeau of France, considered the first documented Jew to arrive in New France.
In 1738, Brandeau arrived, disguised as a male sailor. When discovered, she was sent to a convent, refused to convert and was sent back to Europe the next year.
Congregation Beth Israel Ohev Shalom is the only synagogue, headed by president Jonathan Hawey, born in Quebec City in 1955, He was raised a Catholic, but his unusual name combined with genealogical research confirmed he was the direct descendant of an 18th century Scottish Jew (who married a Catholic and assimilated). Hawey converted to Judaism and says that his Hebrew is better than his English.
Some of Quebec's early Jews: Samuel Jacobs, 1759; fire chief John Franks, late 18th century; engineer Sigismund Mohr, late 19th century; prominent Jewish businessman Maurice Pollack from Ukraine, early 1900s; Sadie Lazarovitz, one of the first Canadian female law graduates (1928).
Some difficult times are addressed, such as the anti-Semitism of notary Jacques Plamondon, and the synagogue's arson before its inauguration in 1944. World events include France's Dreyfus affair, Russian pogroms, the Nazi era and the State of Israel.
Read more here.
Shalom Quebec offers much more detail on the area's Jewish history, with history, timeline, religion, families, important sites, research and more. The site is in French and English. There is much more information on Brandeau and other early Jews.
California: Berkeley's Jewish pioneers
There are so many sources to consult when detailing the genealogy of a person or a family. Don't forget real estate records, university yearbooks, newspapers and a range of other records, as demonstrated in this story on Berkeley's Jewish history.
The story, focusing on the pioneering Fischel family, by Daniella Thompson, appeared in the Berkeley Daily Planet. She also publishes Berkeley Heritage for the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA).
The story centers on a pioneering family - Fischel - which arrived in Berkeley in the late 1870s, and began buying property and building.
Simon Fischel immigrated from Bohemia, then a Crown Land of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Born in 1846 or 1847 (depending on source), he arrived in New York as a teenager in 1865, worked as a butcher for more than 10 years, and became a citizen in 1872. He married Rosa Bauml in 1870 and their first four children were born in New York. Around 1878, they arrived in Berkeley and are listed in the 1879 city directory.
The story thoroughly details the family using such resources as census records, building records, university yearbooks, newspaper advertisements and articles.
Fischel wasn't a kosher butcher, as he sold pork, but he was involved in the First Hebrew Congregation of Oakland, founded by Gold Rush-era settlers.
The story follows their real estate ventures recorded in the Berkeley Advocate and elsewhere. Among his properties was the Fischel Block (1888) on the northwest corner of Shattuck and University.
Then whole clan seems to have been living in the area. Simon's brother Isaac and his wife Elsie built his family home next door to Simon, bought other property and built a rental house, but died early; brother-in-law Jacob and Lilly Bauml built a few doors west.
Simon bought more lots and built more houses which survived until 1955. The story details the deaths of Simon and his wife, and newspaper obituaries for both, a well as continuing commercial activities of other family members.
Elsie Fischel's 1890 house was purchased several years ago and restored - the recipient of a 2008 Preservation Award from the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA).
Read the complete story here.
The story, focusing on the pioneering Fischel family, by Daniella Thompson, appeared in the Berkeley Daily Planet. She also publishes Berkeley Heritage for the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA).
Among the fortune seekers lured to northern California by the Gold Rush, the Jewish contingent was small but significant. Jewish immigrants would go on to play an important role in the economic and cultural development of the Bay Area, and Berkeley was no exception. Although early accounts rarely discuss Berkeley’s Jewish community, some members figured among the young town’s prominent citizens.
The story centers on a pioneering family - Fischel - which arrived in Berkeley in the late 1870s, and began buying property and building.
Simon Fischel immigrated from Bohemia, then a Crown Land of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Born in 1846 or 1847 (depending on source), he arrived in New York as a teenager in 1865, worked as a butcher for more than 10 years, and became a citizen in 1872. He married Rosa Bauml in 1870 and their first four children were born in New York. Around 1878, they arrived in Berkeley and are listed in the 1879 city directory.
The story thoroughly details the family using such resources as census records, building records, university yearbooks, newspaper advertisements and articles.
On Nov. 6, 1890, the Berkeley Advocate regaled its readers with this anecdote: “A lady called on Fischel & Co. the other evening and made arrangements for that company to supply her family with meat. The team was daily sent to the house, when it was discovered that no such family resided there. It turned out that Mr. Fischel was deceived of a young man who donned the garment of a virgin to fool Fischel.”
Fischel wasn't a kosher butcher, as he sold pork, but he was involved in the First Hebrew Congregation of Oakland, founded by Gold Rush-era settlers.
The story follows their real estate ventures recorded in the Berkeley Advocate and elsewhere. Among his properties was the Fischel Block (1888) on the northwest corner of Shattuck and University.
It was by far the most elegant building on the intersection, adorned with bay windows along the second floor, showy corbels under the eaves, a decorative metal railing along the roofline, and an impressive corner turret crowned by a witch’s cap.
Then whole clan seems to have been living in the area. Simon's brother Isaac and his wife Elsie built his family home next door to Simon, bought other property and built a rental house, but died early; brother-in-law Jacob and Lilly Bauml built a few doors west.
Simon bought more lots and built more houses which survived until 1955. The story details the deaths of Simon and his wife, and newspaper obituaries for both, a well as continuing commercial activities of other family members.
Elsie Fischel's 1890 house was purchased several years ago and restored - the recipient of a 2008 Preservation Award from the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA).
Read the complete story here.
Texas: Family reunion and more
In Dallas, the Texas Jewish Post's "All in the Family" section includes a story on the Rachofsky family reunion that took 2 1/2 years to plan.
The section also includes my own stories, "Milestone events are family history opportunities" (while having family at a celebration, get some genealogy work done) and "10 Steps to Family History."
At the Rachofsky family reunion, 37 Dallasites gathered with relatives from across the country. Ongoing for 30 years, their family tree database includes Rachofsky, Kobeisky, Shwayder, Rittmaster, Vitovsky and extended families, totalling some 7,000 people. Nearly 2,000 are direct Rachofsky descendants (including spouses).
It goes on to recount the years of email communication with family researchers in California, hundreds of emails to family in the US, England and Israel. Their researcher attended his first family reunion in 1922, at age 4.
Read about color-coded name tags indicating descent from which of the three brothers, and the previous generations. Some younger members had tags demonstrating nine generations. The family researcher kept busy updating his records.
Researching their tree includes documenting stories and oral histories, digitally preserving photos and more, locating and photographing graves and organizing reunions. The effort is made possible through donations of time and resources of many cousins.
"Milestone events" offers tips on working genealogy into life-cycle events, and explains why I go to weddings and other celebrations with a manila envelope tucked under my arm.
The section also includes my own stories, "Milestone events are family history opportunities" (while having family at a celebration, get some genealogy work done) and "10 Steps to Family History."
At the Rachofsky family reunion, 37 Dallasites gathered with relatives from across the country. Ongoing for 30 years, their family tree database includes Rachofsky, Kobeisky, Shwayder, Rittmaster, Vitovsky and extended families, totalling some 7,000 people. Nearly 2,000 are direct Rachofsky descendants (including spouses).
During the recent winter solstice, 61 Rachofsky family members from Texas and eight other states attended the bi-annual family reunion held at the Marriott Quorum. Attending were 37 from Dallas, as well as family from Houston, the Texas Hill Country, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Florida, California, Colorado, Wyoming, Maryland and New Jersey. They ranged in age from 2 years old to our 90-year-old family matriarch, Norma Ray Gremm. The central focus was a genealogical chart stretching almost 90 feet and mounted in double rows across two long walls of the Marriott’s Mesquite Ballroom. This was accompanied by photos of the three Rachofsky brothers who founded the family dynasty in the United States in the mid-1850s, which now encompasses almost 2,000 descendants.
It goes on to recount the years of email communication with family researchers in California, hundreds of emails to family in the US, England and Israel. Their researcher attended his first family reunion in 1922, at age 4.
Read about color-coded name tags indicating descent from which of the three brothers, and the previous generations. Some younger members had tags demonstrating nine generations. The family researcher kept busy updating his records.
Researching their tree includes documenting stories and oral histories, digitally preserving photos and more, locating and photographing graves and organizing reunions. The effort is made possible through donations of time and resources of many cousins.
"Milestone events" offers tips on working genealogy into life-cycle events, and explains why I go to weddings and other celebrations with a manila envelope tucked under my arm.
Poland: Siedlezcka cemetery restored
The Jerusalem Post carried a story about the recent ceremony marking the restoration of Siedliezcka's Jewish cemetery, founded in 1850.
The cemetery served numerous southeastern Poland communities in the Carpathian Mountain foothills, including Kanczuga, Gac, Bialoboki, Markowa, Manasterz, Zagorze, Chmielnik, Jawornik Polski and Zabratówka.
The last burial was in 1940 and only 500 graves remain. Kanczuga's recorded Jewish history dates to 1638; by 1939, there were more than 1,000 Jews, 80% of the population. In 1942, more than 1,000 Jews from the town were rounded up by the Germans, marched to the cemetery, murdered and their bodies tossed into a mass grave.
Among the attendees were Jerusalem Post columnist Michael Freund, who also chairs Shavei Israel, and the town's mayor, Jacek Solek, who agreed that the town would pay for the paving of a new road to the cemetery.
Freund's family is from Kanczuga.
The restoration was financed partly by Freund and his family (through Warsaw's Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland and the Siedleczka-Kanczuga Landsmanschaft headed by Howard Nightingale). The project included cleaning the cemetery, restoring grave-sites and rebuilding the surrounding stone wall. The wall was essential as farmers had been attempting to expand their fields into the cemetery.
Freund said he funded the work as he could no longer watch the neglect.
Read more here.
The cemetery served numerous southeastern Poland communities in the Carpathian Mountain foothills, including Kanczuga, Gac, Bialoboki, Markowa, Manasterz, Zagorze, Chmielnik, Jawornik Polski and Zabratówka.
The last burial was in 1940 and only 500 graves remain. Kanczuga's recorded Jewish history dates to 1638; by 1939, there were more than 1,000 Jews, 80% of the population. In 1942, more than 1,000 Jews from the town were rounded up by the Germans, marched to the cemetery, murdered and their bodies tossed into a mass grave.
Among the attendees were Jerusalem Post columnist Michael Freund, who also chairs Shavei Israel, and the town's mayor, Jacek Solek, who agreed that the town would pay for the paving of a new road to the cemetery.
Freund's family is from Kanczuga.
The restoration was financed partly by Freund and his family (through Warsaw's Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland and the Siedleczka-Kanczuga Landsmanschaft headed by Howard Nightingale). The project included cleaning the cemetery, restoring grave-sites and rebuilding the surrounding stone wall. The wall was essential as farmers had been attempting to expand their fields into the cemetery.
Freund said he funded the work as he could no longer watch the neglect.
"It was sad for me to see that a number of the gravestones collapsed or were broken and that the cemetery was overgrown by trees and bushes, and essentially looked like a forest. It was also evident that many gravestones were taken from the cemetery over the years to pave local streets, or were looted by local persons," he said.
Read more here.
New York: Jewish walking tour, June 1
The 92nd Street Y is sponsoring a Jewish Colonial America — Lower Manhattan Walking Tour, from 11am-1.30pm, Sunday, June 1.
Visit the sites of early Jewish settlements in lower Manhattan, including the early Spanish/Portuguese rented synagogues, Mill Street Synagogue, Colonial Revival Houses and the famous Stone Street, home of Asser Levi, the Jewish rights activist and first kosher butcher in New York.
Participants will meet at the corner of Pearl and Broad streets, across from Fraunces Tavern Museum. The charge is $25 per person.
For more information and to register, click here.
Visit the sites of early Jewish settlements in lower Manhattan, including the early Spanish/Portuguese rented synagogues, Mill Street Synagogue, Colonial Revival Houses and the famous Stone Street, home of Asser Levi, the Jewish rights activist and first kosher butcher in New York.
Participants will meet at the corner of Pearl and Broad streets, across from Fraunces Tavern Museum. The charge is $25 per person.
For more information and to register, click here.
May 29, 2008
California: Share your stories, June 1
Come and share a genealogical success, failure, brick wall or genealogical artifact at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County (JGSCV).
The "genealogy in the round" program begins at 2pm, Sunday, June 1, at Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks.
It's a great opportunity to learn from one another, share stories and ask questions. Each participant will have 5-10 minutes, depending on the total number of participants, to share their personal experiences.
All JGSCV members and prospective members are invited to the no-charge meeting. The society is dedicated to sharing genealogical information, techniques and research tools with anyone interested in Jewish genealogy and family history.
For more information, email Jan Meisels Allen, publicity(AT)jgscv(DOT)org
The "genealogy in the round" program begins at 2pm, Sunday, June 1, at Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks.
It's a great opportunity to learn from one another, share stories and ask questions. Each participant will have 5-10 minutes, depending on the total number of participants, to share their personal experiences.
All JGSCV members and prospective members are invited to the no-charge meeting. The society is dedicated to sharing genealogical information, techniques and research tools with anyone interested in Jewish genealogy and family history.
For more information, email Jan Meisels Allen, publicity(AT)jgscv(DOT)org
History's Mysteries: Jewish history classes
Jewish genealogy naturally encompasses Jewish and secular history. As we search for our ancestors, we begin to understand the overwhelming impact of history on each of our families.
No matter what time frame we are examining in pursuit of our ancestors, history dictated where they could live, what occupations they could follow, education opportunities, army service and all societal aspects.
Some researchers approach family history because they are first interested in history and how their family fitted into local and world events, while some researchers, never before interested in history - Jewish or otherwise - have found themselves drawn to this subject for the same goal.
During an introductory course in Jewish genealogy to a class of 8th-graders, I asked this question: You have millions of ancestors. What would have happened to you today, if even one of your ancestors had died before marriage? What would have happened if one had been killed in a war, or the ship they were traveling on had sunk in a storm?
When filling in for a teacher in our congregation's Hebrew School, we went around the room discussing each student's Hebrew name, what it meant, and who they were named after. They did rather well on this section. The next question was "And who was that person named after?" For the first time, it seemed, these 4th-grade student realized they were part of a chain of people named after their ancestors who were named after their ancestors, stretching back into time.
In both classes, we utilized a Jewish and secular history timeline. Where were their ancestors at any particular point? What was going on at the time? How were their ancestors impacted by historical events?
History provides context.
In Westchester, New York, there will be Jewish history programs at four locations in the fall, as detailed in this article.
Me'ah is a growing, intensive program on Jewish history founded at Boston's Hebrew College and now expanding throughout the Northeast. Weekly classes over two years bring the region's top Jewish scholars from colleges and seminaries to explain core Jewish texts from four major periods of Jewish history: biblical, rabbinic, medieval and modern.
While these classes won't give provide you with your individual family histories, it will help in putting genealogy in context with world events.
The program will be held at the Mid-Westchester JCC (Scarsdale), Temple Israel Center (White Plains), JCC-on-the-Hudson (Tarrytown) and Bet Torah Synagogue (Mount Kisco).
Try out an introductory class at 7.30pm, June 3 at the Mid-Westchester JCC and at 7pm, June 17 at Temple Shaaray Tefile (Bedford Corners).
The program started with two classes in Boston in 1994, with the goal of offering a rich Jewish history course for those whose religious education may have ended at age 12 or 13. Today, it is offered at 30 sites - Washington and Baltimore to Philadelphia and the New York City region - and has graduated 2,500 people. It is open to people from all Jewish backgrounds.
Me’ah's more than 40 faculty members from such institutions as Columbia, the Jewish Theological Seminary, NYU, Rutgers, Hebrew Union College, the University of Pennsylvania, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Princeton University and Haverford College. Several faculty have presented programs at the annual international conferences of Jewish genealogy, such as Hasia Diner and Glenn Dynner. Sephardic studies are also represented in the work of some faculty, including:
Read the details here. For information on other locations in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, click here.
No matter what time frame we are examining in pursuit of our ancestors, history dictated where they could live, what occupations they could follow, education opportunities, army service and all societal aspects.
Some researchers approach family history because they are first interested in history and how their family fitted into local and world events, while some researchers, never before interested in history - Jewish or otherwise - have found themselves drawn to this subject for the same goal.
During an introductory course in Jewish genealogy to a class of 8th-graders, I asked this question: You have millions of ancestors. What would have happened to you today, if even one of your ancestors had died before marriage? What would have happened if one had been killed in a war, or the ship they were traveling on had sunk in a storm?
When filling in for a teacher in our congregation's Hebrew School, we went around the room discussing each student's Hebrew name, what it meant, and who they were named after. They did rather well on this section. The next question was "And who was that person named after?" For the first time, it seemed, these 4th-grade student realized they were part of a chain of people named after their ancestors who were named after their ancestors, stretching back into time.
In both classes, we utilized a Jewish and secular history timeline. Where were their ancestors at any particular point? What was going on at the time? How were their ancestors impacted by historical events?
History provides context.
In Westchester, New York, there will be Jewish history programs at four locations in the fall, as detailed in this article.
Me'ah is a growing, intensive program on Jewish history founded at Boston's Hebrew College and now expanding throughout the Northeast. Weekly classes over two years bring the region's top Jewish scholars from colleges and seminaries to explain core Jewish texts from four major periods of Jewish history: biblical, rabbinic, medieval and modern.
While these classes won't give provide you with your individual family histories, it will help in putting genealogy in context with world events.
The program will be held at the Mid-Westchester JCC (Scarsdale), Temple Israel Center (White Plains), JCC-on-the-Hudson (Tarrytown) and Bet Torah Synagogue (Mount Kisco).
Try out an introductory class at 7.30pm, June 3 at the Mid-Westchester JCC and at 7pm, June 17 at Temple Shaaray Tefile (Bedford Corners).
The program started with two classes in Boston in 1994, with the goal of offering a rich Jewish history course for those whose religious education may have ended at age 12 or 13. Today, it is offered at 30 sites - Washington and Baltimore to Philadelphia and the New York City region - and has graduated 2,500 people. It is open to people from all Jewish backgrounds.
Weekly classes last almost three hours and add up to about 100 hours over two years. There are reading assignments each week, but no tests. And any classes that are missed can be watched on the Web. The cost is $995 per year plus about $300 for books. Scholarships are available.
Me’ah's more than 40 faculty members from such institutions as Columbia, the Jewish Theological Seminary, NYU, Rutgers, Hebrew Union College, the University of Pennsylvania, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Princeton University and Haverford College. Several faculty have presented programs at the annual international conferences of Jewish genealogy, such as Hasia Diner and Glenn Dynner. Sephardic studies are also represented in the work of some faculty, including:
Benjamin Gampel, author and teacher, specializes in the Jews of the medieval and early modern world. He received his PhD from Columbia University and is the Eli and Dinah Field Professor of Jewish History at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Dr. Gampel edited Crisis and Creativity in the Sephardic World (Columbia University Press; New Ed edition, 1998), which is an account of the international conference held in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the expulsion of the Jews from the Kingdom of Castile and Aragon. At present, he is writing a book on the pogroms and forced conversions of 1391 in the Iberian Peninsula and the effects of those events on the course of Jewish history.
Read the details here. For information on other locations in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, click here.
May 28, 2008
Subscription problem: Help is here now!
Dear Tracing the Tribe readers,
While we are not exactly sure what caused the email alert problem with Feedblitz - it is being investigated - I have just posted two methods to subscribe for email alerts via Feedburner.
Scroll down on the right hand side and you will first see the Subscribe by RSS (also Feedburner). Directly below the orange RSS button, you will see two items:
Method 1: A line that says "Subscribe to Tracing the Tribe by Email via Feedburner."
Method 2: Below that single line, is a box for entering your email address. Click "submit."
Use either method to subscribe via Feedburner for email alerts. You will receive a confirmation link in your email; just follow the directions.
If you are not receiving your Feedblitz email alerts - and we don't yet know why - just sign up using Feedburner email alerts method 1 or 2.
As always, let me know if you experience any problems.
While we are not exactly sure what caused the email alert problem with Feedblitz - it is being investigated - I have just posted two methods to subscribe for email alerts via Feedburner.
Scroll down on the right hand side and you will first see the Subscribe by RSS (also Feedburner). Directly below the orange RSS button, you will see two items:
Method 1: A line that says "Subscribe to Tracing the Tribe by Email via Feedburner."
Method 2: Below that single line, is a box for entering your email address. Click "submit."
Use either method to subscribe via Feedburner for email alerts. You will receive a confirmation link in your email; just follow the directions.
If you are not receiving your Feedblitz email alerts - and we don't yet know why - just sign up using Feedburner email alerts method 1 or 2.
As always, let me know if you experience any problems.
UK: Old Bailey Records expanded
In March 2007, I wrote about the Old Bailey Records here.
The Old Bailey Records have now been expanded and cover some 197,000 criminal trials from 1674-1913, from just prior to the Great Fire to just before the Great War. The original records are also available.
Th expansion of 19th-early 20th century trials also shows new crimes, reflecting changes in society at that time, including mothers convicted for neglecting their children. Throughout the database, there is evidence of the large Sephardic community in London.
In the March 2007 post, researcher Dick Plotz wrote:
I searched for Cohen, it was mentioned 677 times, and 425 for Levi. However, many were from the same cases, so it is not an accurate case count. Additionally, using the search term Jewish, brings up 191 references, ranging from advertisements in the publication, to trials and other related documents.
While some cases are rather short, there are some rather long and complicated cases: Polly Davis (deception/perjury), 26 May 1908; Nathan Klein (bigamy), 8 January 1906; and Louis Gold and Harry Cohen (kidnapping, keeping a brothel, theft, robbery, kidnapping, keeping a brothel, robbery), 22 April 1907. Gold and Cohen were charged with seducing and transporting young women to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they were sold; both men received sentences of hard labor.
Other cases in the expanded dates were for forgery, breaking and entering, violence, coining offences, bigamy, bankruptcy, murder, larceny, perverting justice, libel, burglary, fraud, extortion, forgery, manslaughter and pickpocketing,
Witnesses sometimes included Jewish community officials. In the case of Philip Morgan, James Roach and Rosa Hartley (larceny, theft, receiving) on 10 June 1850, a synagogue secretary produced a marriage register to prove identity:
Another interesting case smacking of anti-Jewish sentiments was detailed on 12 May 1730, Abraham Israel (alias Jonas), 22 and born in Presburg, was due for execution for burglary:
The record (text and original image) shows that the prisoner was strongly pressured to convert to Christianity before execution and he resisted. The official in charge of these attempts called him in one place, "an obstinate and irreclaimable Jew," while another paragraph ends with "and died an obstinate Jewish Infidel."
It is a remarkable database offering glimpses of society and real life.
I've learned that the Old Bailey Proceedings from 1674-1834 have been scanned, retyped, rechecked and placed online. Even better, they are fully searchable and free.
The Old Bailey Records have now been expanded and cover some 197,000 criminal trials from 1674-1913, from just prior to the Great Fire to just before the Great War. The original records are also available.
Th expansion of 19th-early 20th century trials also shows new crimes, reflecting changes in society at that time, including mothers convicted for neglecting their children. Throughout the database, there is evidence of the large Sephardic community in London.
In the March 2007 post, researcher Dick Plotz wrote:
This database is highly relevant to British Jewish genealogy, as its entries start shortly after the readmission of Jews to England by Cromwell and will run through the Victorian period. His search for Cohen yielded 200 hits and, for Levy, 377. I know of at least one Israeli researcher who discovered the name of relative through the database -- a great-great-great-grand-uncle cited in an 1833 record.
I searched for Cohen, it was mentioned 677 times, and 425 for Levi. However, many were from the same cases, so it is not an accurate case count. Additionally, using the search term Jewish, brings up 191 references, ranging from advertisements in the publication, to trials and other related documents.
While some cases are rather short, there are some rather long and complicated cases: Polly Davis (deception/perjury), 26 May 1908; Nathan Klein (bigamy), 8 January 1906; and Louis Gold and Harry Cohen (kidnapping, keeping a brothel, theft, robbery, kidnapping, keeping a brothel, robbery), 22 April 1907. Gold and Cohen were charged with seducing and transporting young women to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they were sold; both men received sentences of hard labor.
Other cases in the expanded dates were for forgery, breaking and entering, violence, coining offences, bigamy, bankruptcy, murder, larceny, perverting justice, libel, burglary, fraud, extortion, forgery, manslaughter and pickpocketing,
Witnesses sometimes included Jewish community officials. In the case of Philip Morgan, James Roach and Rosa Hartley (larceny, theft, receiving) on 10 June 1850, a synagogue secretary produced a marriage register to prove identity:
ISRAEL LEVI LINDENTHALL. I am secretary to the synagogue in Great St. Helen's, Bishopsgate-street. I produce the register of marriages there; it is the regular place for Jewish marriages—(this contained the register of a marriage on 6th Aug., 1846, between Isaac Adler and Rosa Levy.)
Another interesting case smacking of anti-Jewish sentiments was detailed on 12 May 1730, Abraham Israel (alias Jonas), 22 and born in Presburg, was due for execution for burglary:
Abraham Israel, alias Jonas, of St. Peter's Poor, was indicted for feloniously stealing eight Silver Spoons, five Silver Forks, two Silver Canisters, one Diamond Ring, value 250 l. a pair of Diamond Ear-rings, value 90 l. three Diamond Buckles, and other Goods, in the Dwelling-house of John Mendez de Costa.
The record (text and original image) shows that the prisoner was strongly pressured to convert to Christianity before execution and he resisted. The official in charge of these attempts called him in one place, "an obstinate and irreclaimable Jew," while another paragraph ends with "and died an obstinate Jewish Infidel."
It is a remarkable database offering glimpses of society and real life.
DNA: Bennett Greenspan interview
Blaine Bettinger of the The Genetic Genealogist, will be interviewing many of genetic DNA's top names over the next few weeks.
The list includes Bennett Greenspan, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, Terry Barton, Alastair Greenshields, Whit Athey, Ann Turner, Katherine Hope Borges, Max Blankfeld, and Ana Oquendo Pabón.
Now posted, his first interview is with Bennett Greenspan, founder, CEO and president of Family Tree DNA, and Blaine will later interview Bennett's business partner Max Blankfeld.
In it, Bennett addresses numerous topics, including the rationale behind his creation, as founding partner, of DNATraits.
Among the other questions:
The list includes Bennett Greenspan, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, Terry Barton, Alastair Greenshields, Whit Athey, Ann Turner, Katherine Hope Borges, Max Blankfeld, and Ana Oquendo Pabón.
Now posted, his first interview is with Bennett Greenspan, founder, CEO and president of Family Tree DNA, and Blaine will later interview Bennett's business partner Max Blankfeld.
In it, Bennett addresses numerous topics, including the rationale behind his creation, as founding partner, of DNATraits.
Among the other questions:
--How long have you been actively involved in genetic genealogy, and how did you become interested in the field?
--The founding of FamilyTreeDNA
--Genetic genealogy, unfortunately, has received some bad press lately, largely through the misconceptions of journalists or confusion between genetic genealogy and other types of personal genomic services. What can amateur genetic genealogists do to counteract this bad press?
--What do you think the future holds for genetic genealogy?
Southern Jewish History: More grants
The Southern Jewish Historical Society offers grants for project completion, research and travel, and preservation of archival materials in the area of southern Jewish history and culture.
The application deadline is August 1. For more details, including information to be submitted for each proposal, click here.
For 2008, the SJHS will allocate $9,000 among grant recipients.
The Project Completion Grant is intended to facilitate the completion of projects relevant to Jewish history in the Southern United States. Such projects might include the publication of books or exhibit catalogs or the preparation of exhibit modules. Grants may not be used to fund research or travel; $6000 will be divided among funded applications.
The Kawaler Research/Travel Grant assists individuals with travel and other expenses related to conducting research in Southern Jewish history; $2000 will be divided among funded applications. Applicants must present a plan of research, indicating the libraries and/or archives where they intend to work, and their goal, as well as a budget of expenses and other sources of funding and contact information.
The Lowenstein Archival Grant encourages the preservation of archival materials related to Southern Jewish history; $1000 will be divided among funded applications. Applicants must include a description of the project and a budget and contact information.
The Grant Committe includes Dr. Phyllis K. Leffler (University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.), chair; Hollace Weiner (Author, Ft. Worth, TX); Sandra Berman (William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum, Atlanta, GA); and Catherine Kahn (Archivist, Touro Infirmary, New Orleans, LA).
The application deadline is August 1. For more details, including information to be submitted for each proposal, click here.
For 2008, the SJHS will allocate $9,000 among grant recipients.
The Project Completion Grant is intended to facilitate the completion of projects relevant to Jewish history in the Southern United States. Such projects might include the publication of books or exhibit catalogs or the preparation of exhibit modules. Grants may not be used to fund research or travel; $6000 will be divided among funded applications.
The Kawaler Research/Travel Grant assists individuals with travel and other expenses related to conducting research in Southern Jewish history; $2000 will be divided among funded applications. Applicants must present a plan of research, indicating the libraries and/or archives where they intend to work, and their goal, as well as a budget of expenses and other sources of funding and contact information.
The Lowenstein Archival Grant encourages the preservation of archival materials related to Southern Jewish history; $1000 will be divided among funded applications. Applicants must include a description of the project and a budget and contact information.
The Grant Committe includes Dr. Phyllis K. Leffler (University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.), chair; Hollace Weiner (Author, Ft. Worth, TX); Sandra Berman (William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum, Atlanta, GA); and Catherine Kahn (Archivist, Touro Infirmary, New Orleans, LA).
May 27, 2008
Nebraska: Jewish cemetery help request
Although JewishGen's Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR) has now passed the 1 million burial record milestone, there is a major omission, according to Terry Lasky of Colorado, who has taken on this responsibility.
On examination, he has found that no Nebraska Jewish cemetery records are currently represented in JOWBR.
Terry has been trying to coordinate the documentation of cemetery burial records for JOWBR from those states with a limited number of Jewish cemeteries. He has so far completed all the Jewish cemeteries in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico and is working on Oklahoma.
He would like to do the Nebraska cemeteries next.
As he is unable to travel to Nebraska and requires some help to accomplish this goal, Lasky needs individuals or volunteer groups to "adopt" each cemetery and help with two fairly easy tasks:
1) Obtain a list of the burials in the cemetery (Jewish portion only) from either the synagogue or the cemetery, and
2) Take pictures of each gravestone.
He will do any required data entry, reformatting and translating of information on the gravestones. Additionally, JewishGen has volunteers to assist in the translation of Hebrew inscriptions on the matzevot.
The following cemeteries are on his list:
Readers can search JOWBR's 1 million burial records here on JewishGen.
Do any of Tracing the Tribe's readers know of any additional Jewish cemeteries or Jewish cemetery sections that he may have overlooked?
Can Tracing the Tribe readers in Nebraska adopt any of the listed cemeteries?
If you can help, please email Terry Lasky at talasky(AT)comcast(DOT)net
On examination, he has found that no Nebraska Jewish cemetery records are currently represented in JOWBR.
Terry has been trying to coordinate the documentation of cemetery burial records for JOWBR from those states with a limited number of Jewish cemeteries. He has so far completed all the Jewish cemeteries in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico and is working on Oklahoma.
He would like to do the Nebraska cemeteries next.
As he is unable to travel to Nebraska and requires some help to accomplish this goal, Lasky needs individuals or volunteer groups to "adopt" each cemetery and help with two fairly easy tasks:
1) Obtain a list of the burials in the cemetery (Jewish portion only) from either the synagogue or the cemetery, and
2) Take pictures of each gravestone.
He will do any required data entry, reformatting and translating of information on the gravestones. Additionally, JewishGen has volunteers to assist in the translation of Hebrew inscriptions on the matzevot.
The following cemeteries are on his list:
Omaha, Nebraska
Beth El Cemetery
Bnai Abraham & BHH (Fisher Farm) Cemeteries
Golden Hill Cemetery, Bnai Israel Section
Mt. Sinai Cemetery (Adas Jeshurun, Bnai Jacob)
Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Temple Israel, Bnai Jacob, Bnai Shalom)
Hastings, Nebraska
Parkview Cemetery, Mt. Sinai section
Lincoln, Nebraska
Mt. Carmel Cemetery (Bnai Jehuda section)
Wyuka Cemetery (Bnai Jeshurun section)
Mt. Lebanon Cemetery (Jewish section)
Nebraska City, Nebraska
Wyuka Cemetery (Jewish Section)
Tel Shalom Cemetery
Readers can search JOWBR's 1 million burial records here on JewishGen.
Do any of Tracing the Tribe's readers know of any additional Jewish cemeteries or Jewish cemetery sections that he may have overlooked?
Can Tracing the Tribe readers in Nebraska adopt any of the listed cemeteries?
If you can help, please email Terry Lasky at talasky(AT)comcast(DOT)net
May 26, 2008
Poland: Krakow Jewish Festival, June 27-July 6
The 18th Jewish Culture Festival will take place in the Kazimierz quarter of Krakow, Poland, from June 27-July 6. Since 1987, the historic Jewish quarter fills with music, art, dance, lectures and exhibits celebrating the 900-year history of Jews in Poland.
World-famous Jewish music personalities appear, among them Michael Alpert, Brave Old World, Theodore Bikel, The Klezmatics, David Krakauer, Frank London, Cantor Ben-Zion Miller, Andy Statman and others. Fans come from Poland, Central and Western Europe, Israel, the United States, and elsewhere to participate in this event.
The Festival Program runs from morning to night with performances (theater, music) and exhibits (art, photographs) all over Kazimierz at such venues as the Popper Synagogue, Stara Synagogue, Tempel Synagogue, Kupa Synagogue, Wysoka Synagogue, Manggha Museum, Muzeum Inzynierii Miejskiej, Muzeum Etnograficzne, Galicia Museum, National Museum of Krakow and various galleries. Some are organized in connection with Israeli organizations.
There are walking tours (Polish and English) of the quarter's synagogues and Ghetto, Remuh and other cemetery visits, tours of former Krakow environs shtetls, poetry sessions, Yiddish and Hebrew workshops, Judaism lectures, children's workshops, Jewish cooking, Hebrew calligraphy, Jewish paper-cutting workshops, lectures and films.
Music includes lunchtime concerts, choirs, klezmer workshops, drumming workshops, free jazz, Jewish dance, Hasidic singing and dance, klezmer and gypsy musicians, Yiddish singing, Jass Klezmer and even a Sephardic music program with Jordi Savall and Hesperion XXI from Spain.
Jewish genealogy will be represented several times during the festival by the well-known Yale Reisner and Anna Przybyszewska at the Galicia Museum.
See the program here.
See the past Festival posters here.
World-famous Jewish music personalities appear, among them Michael Alpert, Brave Old World, Theodore Bikel, The Klezmatics, David Krakauer, Frank London, Cantor Ben-Zion Miller, Andy Statman and others. Fans come from Poland, Central and Western Europe, Israel, the United States, and elsewhere to participate in this event.
The Festival Program runs from morning to night with performances (theater, music) and exhibits (art, photographs) all over Kazimierz at such venues as the Popper Synagogue, Stara Synagogue, Tempel Synagogue, Kupa Synagogue, Wysoka Synagogue, Manggha Museum, Muzeum Inzynierii Miejskiej, Muzeum Etnograficzne, Galicia Museum, National Museum of Krakow and various galleries. Some are organized in connection with Israeli organizations.
There are walking tours (Polish and English) of the quarter's synagogues and Ghetto, Remuh and other cemetery visits, tours of former Krakow environs shtetls, poetry sessions, Yiddish and Hebrew workshops, Judaism lectures, children's workshops, Jewish cooking, Hebrew calligraphy, Jewish paper-cutting workshops, lectures and films.
Music includes lunchtime concerts, choirs, klezmer workshops, drumming workshops, free jazz, Jewish dance, Hasidic singing and dance, klezmer and gypsy musicians, Yiddish singing, Jass Klezmer and even a Sephardic music program with Jordi Savall and Hesperion XXI from Spain.
Jewish genealogy will be represented several times during the festival by the well-known Yale Reisner and Anna Przybyszewska at the Galicia Museum.
See the program here.
See the past Festival posters here.
DNA: More than you bargained for
The Boston Globe's story on DNA testing, "Unearthing bones can also unearth family secrets," by Alan Wirzbicki, demonstrates some ethical quandries on what testing might reveal and how to handle those revelations.
The story goes on to discuss new technologies to help identify fallen soldiers, and how it faces the possibility that unearthed bones from far-away places could expose family secrets from World War II, such as false paternity cases.
Ethical quandaries are emerging from increasing use of DNA tests. The tests have created dilemmas for physicians, genetics counselors and medical ethicists who are sometimes forced to reveal such cases.
An American Association of Blood Banks official is quoted as saying that "about 25 percent of the roughly 400,000 familial DNA tests conducted every year result in an "exclusion." An Australian researcher says the number of misattributed fathers is between 1 and 3%.
The story claims that the number is believed to be higher for older generations, before abortion was legalized, and when social stigmas concerning illegitimacy and adultery forced couples to keep these events a secret.
Illegitimacy, according to the story, in the war generation may be higher for several factors. The military would uncover misattributed paternity cases in ID'ing war dead on the basis of DNA samples from their children.
Counselors often decide to withhold such findings, but ethicists argue patients have a right to their genetic information. An article in the British medical journal Lancet said that all patients should be informed about their paternity, "no matter how embarrassing or awkward the revelation may be."
The military today has avoided the dilemma because it can't yet use the same kind of nuclear DNA used by forensic labs and genetic counselors. It was too hard to extract samples from long-buried bones and the military has relied on mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA), which is more commonly found and easier to recover. This test is used in 75-80% of missing soldier cases, helping to identify 531 missing military.
Nuclear DNA testing is on hold while the military develops a protocol for collecting samples from family and handling the results.
Read more here.
WASHINGTON - It started off as a routine DNA test to help two parents from a wealthy Southern family decide whether to have children. But the saga that unfolded as a genetic counselor investigated the family's biological roots became a tale of long-concealed secrets worthy of a Faulkner novel.
The counselor discovered that the husband, who was in his 40s, was not the biological son of the man who had raised him from birth. His real father was the man he had grown up calling uncle. The lab results posed a dilemma, the counselor recalled, forcing her to decide whether to break the news to the unsuspecting husband about the true identity of his biological father. In the end, she decided not to.
"You just can't be prepared for each and every case like this," says counselor Debbie Pencarinha.
The story goes on to discuss new technologies to help identify fallen soldiers, and how it faces the possibility that unearthed bones from far-away places could expose family secrets from World War II, such as false paternity cases.
"You could really do a lot of damage to a family," says Johnie E. Webb Jr., the deputy director of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, the military unit responsible for identifying the remains of American soldiers, which has imposed a moratorium on the most powerful tests while drafting ethical guidelines. "We haven't totally come to grips with how we're going to handle it. We're going to make sure we don't do anything that's going to be embarrassing to anyone."
Ethical quandaries are emerging from increasing use of DNA tests. The tests have created dilemmas for physicians, genetics counselors and medical ethicists who are sometimes forced to reveal such cases.
Counselors and medical ethicists say that in the rapidly evolving field there are no firm guidelines for how to handle such inadvertently discovered information. In many cases, physicians simply withhold potentially traumatizing information unless disclosing it is medically necessary.
An American Association of Blood Banks official is quoted as saying that "about 25 percent of the roughly 400,000 familial DNA tests conducted every year result in an "exclusion." An Australian researcher says the number of misattributed fathers is between 1 and 3%.
The story claims that the number is believed to be higher for older generations, before abortion was legalized, and when social stigmas concerning illegitimacy and adultery forced couples to keep these events a secret.
Illegitimacy, according to the story, in the war generation may be higher for several factors. The military would uncover misattributed paternity cases in ID'ing war dead on the basis of DNA samples from their children.
Misattributed parentage is not the only secret that can be accidentally unmasked by testing. Angela Trepanier, president of the National Society for Genetic Counselors, said in one of her cases a World War II veteran who had covered up his Jewish ancestry when he joined the Army had been forced to reveal his background to his family after tests showed that his children carried a genetic disorder found in Jews.
"You sometimes get more than you bargain for," Trepanier said.
Counselors often decide to withhold such findings, but ethicists argue patients have a right to their genetic information. An article in the British medical journal Lancet said that all patients should be informed about their paternity, "no matter how embarrassing or awkward the revelation may be."
The military today has avoided the dilemma because it can't yet use the same kind of nuclear DNA used by forensic labs and genetic counselors. It was too hard to extract samples from long-buried bones and the military has relied on mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA), which is more commonly found and easier to recover. This test is used in 75-80% of missing soldier cases, helping to identify 531 missing military.
Nuclear DNA testing is on hold while the military develops a protocol for collecting samples from family and handling the results.
Read more here.
Hebrew translators needed for Iasi project
If you can read Hebrew fluently, here's a challenge that can help many researchers worldwide.
Bob Wascou (Sacramento, California) of ROM-SIG has informed me about the Iasi, Romania Burial Records Project. ROM-SIG is the special interest group for Romania and it is involved in several interesting projects.
Bob has asked for help from Tracing the Tribe's readers for this important project.
Reuven Singer heads up the Iasi Burial Records Project; he obtained some 3,600 pages of the Iasi Jewish community burial records 1883-2005. The records were photographed at Singer's expense during 2006-2007, following negotiations with the Bucharest Jewish Federation, aided by JewishGen, Inc.
The photographer missed some files on the first go-around, but these have now been obtained and he believes the set for this period is now complete. So far, a substantial amount has been done. However, more remains to be completed.
Records are in various formats. Records were kept only in Hebrew from 1883-1917. A somewhat overlapping set, 1915-1943, was started in Romanian. From 1939-1966, a third set was kept - also in Romanian.
There are also records from 1966-2005, but they'll be ignored for the present, says Bob, who adds, "It will be interesting to evaluate the overlapped records to see if there is material in one set which is duplicated in the other or not, but this has not been completed to date."
For 1939-1966, the men's records are done, the women's records partially completed. Of some 276 pages, 200 have been completed for men from 1915-43; the women's records not yet begun. Records were kept separately for men and women during 1915-1966, but older Hebrew records are not gender-separated.
Here's where Tracing the Tribe's readers can help:
The Hebrew records are the most interesting genealogically because they provide the most information; some 140 pages have been completed. However there are about 1,900 pages overall in the Hebrew section - not even 10% has been completed. The 140 pages completed generally include 1883, 1884, and January-March 1885.
Experts originally recruited by JewishGen claimed the Hebrew script was almost unreadable. Singer, however, has demonstrated - by finding an Israeli genealogist with experience in Hebrew handwriting - that the vast majority of text can be read. With a little experience, he has found it can be read fairly rapidly and fluently with only a few uncertain words present.
Singer is hoping with that more people can be recruited to work on this very interesting Hebrew material - which may provide names, names of parents, dates, causes of death, where an individual died and always the age, Later Romanian files include only names and dates, no ages.
Can you read the old Hebrew records? Would you would like to work on the Romanian records with a minimal amount of Romanian and Hebrew? If you are up to the challenge, contact Bob Wascou at robertw252(AT)aol(DOT)com for more information; he can send sample records to interested readers.
Bob Wascou (Sacramento, California) of ROM-SIG has informed me about the Iasi, Romania Burial Records Project. ROM-SIG is the special interest group for Romania and it is involved in several interesting projects.
Bob has asked for help from Tracing the Tribe's readers for this important project.
Reuven Singer heads up the Iasi Burial Records Project; he obtained some 3,600 pages of the Iasi Jewish community burial records 1883-2005. The records were photographed at Singer's expense during 2006-2007, following negotiations with the Bucharest Jewish Federation, aided by JewishGen, Inc.
The photographer missed some files on the first go-around, but these have now been obtained and he believes the set for this period is now complete. So far, a substantial amount has been done. However, more remains to be completed.
Records are in various formats. Records were kept only in Hebrew from 1883-1917. A somewhat overlapping set, 1915-1943, was started in Romanian. From 1939-1966, a third set was kept - also in Romanian.
There are also records from 1966-2005, but they'll be ignored for the present, says Bob, who adds, "It will be interesting to evaluate the overlapped records to see if there is material in one set which is duplicated in the other or not, but this has not been completed to date."
For 1939-1966, the men's records are done, the women's records partially completed. Of some 276 pages, 200 have been completed for men from 1915-43; the women's records not yet begun. Records were kept separately for men and women during 1915-1966, but older Hebrew records are not gender-separated.
Here's where Tracing the Tribe's readers can help:
The Hebrew records are the most interesting genealogically because they provide the most information; some 140 pages have been completed. However there are about 1,900 pages overall in the Hebrew section - not even 10% has been completed. The 140 pages completed generally include 1883, 1884, and January-March 1885.
Experts originally recruited by JewishGen claimed the Hebrew script was almost unreadable. Singer, however, has demonstrated - by finding an Israeli genealogist with experience in Hebrew handwriting - that the vast majority of text can be read. With a little experience, he has found it can be read fairly rapidly and fluently with only a few uncertain words present.
Singer is hoping with that more people can be recruited to work on this very interesting Hebrew material - which may provide names, names of parents, dates, causes of death, where an individual died and always the age, Later Romanian files include only names and dates, no ages.
Can you read the old Hebrew records? Would you would like to work on the Romanian records with a minimal amount of Romanian and Hebrew? If you are up to the challenge, contact Bob Wascou at robertw252(AT)aol(DOT)com for more information; he can send sample records to interested readers.
Michigan: Steve Morse & Ellis Island, June 2
Unless you've been living in a cave without an Internet connection, you've likely heard of Dr. Stephen Morse of San Francisco, and used the useful tools on his One-Step website to further your family history research more efficiently.
Readers in Michigan will have a chance to meet Steve personally on June 2. Learn how it all began with frustration over the Ellis Island Database search engine when it first came online and how his innovations have helped so many researchers find elusive immigrant ancestors.
He'll present "The Ellis Island Database: An Easier Way to Search," at 7pm, Monday, June 2, hosted by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Michigan, at Congregation B'nai Moshe in West Bloomfield. JGSM members, no charge.
A great guy, Steve is the originator of the grandfather of the Pentium Processor that has made all our work possible. He has revolutionized searching the Internet with his One-Step programs. He's an engaging, educational, enlightened and funny speaker, who makes complicated searching seem so easy.
If he's ever appearing in your area, do try to attend. And, if you're attending Chicago 2008, you'll be able to hear him speak on many other useful programs.
For more information, click here.
Readers in Michigan will have a chance to meet Steve personally on June 2. Learn how it all began with frustration over the Ellis Island Database search engine when it first came online and how his innovations have helped so many researchers find elusive immigrant ancestors.
He'll present "The Ellis Island Database: An Easier Way to Search," at 7pm, Monday, June 2, hosted by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Michigan, at Congregation B'nai Moshe in West Bloomfield. JGSM members, no charge.
A great guy, Steve is the originator of the grandfather of the Pentium Processor that has made all our work possible. He has revolutionized searching the Internet with his One-Step programs. He's an engaging, educational, enlightened and funny speaker, who makes complicated searching seem so easy.
If he's ever appearing in your area, do try to attend. And, if you're attending Chicago 2008, you'll be able to hear him speak on many other useful programs.
For more information, click here.
May 24, 2008
California: Join the 2008 Jamboree
This year's Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree is set for Friday-Sunday, June 27-29, in Burbank, and co-chair Paula Hinkel reminds prospective attendees that advance registration ends June 15.
A special Sunday track offers lectures of particular interest to Jewish genealogists; some will be repeated at other times during the conference. Programs include:
Many well-known professional genealogists, among them Dick Eastman, Tom Underhill, Arlene Eakle, and Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, will speak about online and traditional resources, tech applications for genealogy, including several DNA talks, German ancestry, genealogy applications for today, such as family health histories, dealing with family secrets and black sheep, finding living relatives, and more.
Additionally, I must also mention the first-ever Gen-Bloggers Summit with seven leading genealogy bloggers, moderated by Leland Meitzler (Genealogyblog.com), with Dick Eastman (Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter), Steve Danko (Steve's Genealogy Blog), George G. Morgan, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak (Megan's Roots World and RootsTelevision.com), Randy Seaver (Gena-Musings) and, of course, Tracing the Tribe's yours truly. I'm looking forward to meeting some of my colleagues in person for the first time.
There's still time to join in the Jamboree, the largest West Coast genealogy conference. Closing June 15 will be both advance registration and ticket purchases for meals/events. You'll still be able to register at the door, but who wants to wait on long lines to have registrations processed?.
New events on Friday morning: Visit Hollywood Forever Cemetery, a free three-hour introduction to genealogy and a free kid's genealogy camp. Arriving early? Consider the "Slice of the City" Thursday afternoon tour. For all details, click here.
Attend all three days or only one day. Several Jewish-oriented talks will be presented on Sunday; some repeated on other days. Hours: Friday, 1:30-5:30pm; Saturday, 8:30am-5:30pm; and Sunday, 8.30am-4pm. Find full descriptions of speakers, lectures, evening events, and register here. The Jamboree blog is here.
Planning ahead? Jamboree's future dates will be June 12-14, 2009 and June 11-13, 2010, both at the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel and Convention Center.
A special Sunday track offers lectures of particular interest to Jewish genealogists; some will be repeated at other times during the conference. Programs include:
Peter Lande, "Holocaust Records as a Source for All Genealogists," which includes how to obtain records from Bad Arolsen; Steve Morse, "One-Step Webpages;" Stephanie Weiner, "A Plague on All Our Houses" describing the effects of epidemics on archival records, Jewish migration and Jewish communities; Pamela Weisberger, "When Leopold Met Lena: Marriage, Divorce and Deception in 1892 New York;" Schelly Talalay Dardashti, "Creating Hope" and "Gen-blogging."
Many well-known professional genealogists, among them Dick Eastman, Tom Underhill, Arlene Eakle, and Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, will speak about online and traditional resources, tech applications for genealogy, including several DNA talks, German ancestry, genealogy applications for today, such as family health histories, dealing with family secrets and black sheep, finding living relatives, and more.
Additionally, I must also mention the first-ever Gen-Bloggers Summit with seven leading genealogy bloggers, moderated by Leland Meitzler (Genealogyblog.com), with Dick Eastman (Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter), Steve Danko (Steve's Genealogy Blog), George G. Morgan, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak (Megan's Roots World and RootsTelevision.com), Randy Seaver (Gena-Musings) and, of course, Tracing the Tribe's yours truly. I'm looking forward to meeting some of my colleagues in person for the first time.
There's still time to join in the Jamboree, the largest West Coast genealogy conference. Closing June 15 will be both advance registration and ticket purchases for meals/events. You'll still be able to register at the door, but who wants to wait on long lines to have registrations processed?.
New events on Friday morning: Visit Hollywood Forever Cemetery, a free three-hour introduction to genealogy and a free kid's genealogy camp. Arriving early? Consider the "Slice of the City" Thursday afternoon tour. For all details, click here.
Attend all three days or only one day. Several Jewish-oriented talks will be presented on Sunday; some repeated on other days. Hours: Friday, 1:30-5:30pm; Saturday, 8:30am-5:30pm; and Sunday, 8.30am-4pm. Find full descriptions of speakers, lectures, evening events, and register here. The Jamboree blog is here.
Planning ahead? Jamboree's future dates will be June 12-14, 2009 and June 11-13, 2010, both at the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel and Convention Center.
Dobra, Poland: Memorial planned
If your family history indicates a connection to Dobra, near Turek, in Poland, there will soon be a Place of Remembrance for its Jewish population.
Roni Seibel Liebowitz of the Lodz Area Research Group - LARG - reported on the project being planned by Leon Weintraub of Sweden.
Weintraub has been instrumental in planning this project. The Jewish cemetery has been fenced in and paid for. He decided not to wait for possible financial support from Jewish organizations and will complete the project himself.
He visited Dobra April 9-18 to discuss details with the town's mayor and to finalize construction arrangements. The main part of the memorial will be ready by the end of May.
Weintraub will again meet the mayor and his deputy in June to discuss details for the opening ceremony, and they have promised to arrange the transfer of the gravestones to the cemetery while he is there. The ceremony may take place on Tuesday, August 19.
He later visited Lodz and arranged for the inscriptions on the memorial
Leibowitz says that photos will be posted, and later supplemented by photos of the ceremony in August. She is the Lodz Archive Coordinator for JRI-Poland, and also handles the Lodz ShtetLinks project on JewishGen.
Roni Seibel Liebowitz of the Lodz Area Research Group - LARG - reported on the project being planned by Leon Weintraub of Sweden.
Weintraub has been instrumental in planning this project. The Jewish cemetery has been fenced in and paid for. He decided not to wait for possible financial support from Jewish organizations and will complete the project himself.
He visited Dobra April 9-18 to discuss details with the town's mayor and to finalize construction arrangements. The main part of the memorial will be ready by the end of May.
Weintraub will again meet the mayor and his deputy in June to discuss details for the opening ceremony, and they have promised to arrange the transfer of the gravestones to the cemetery while he is there. The ceremony may take place on Tuesday, August 19.
He later visited Lodz and arranged for the inscriptions on the memorial
Leibowitz says that photos will be posted, and later supplemented by photos of the ceremony in August. She is the Lodz Archive Coordinator for JRI-Poland, and also handles the Lodz ShtetLinks project on JewishGen.
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A few readers have reported some difficulties with email alerts for Tracing the Tribe, and I'm trying to determine if this is a localized glitch or indicative of some other problem.
Are you having problems receiving Feedburner/Feedblitz email alerts or subscriptions?
If so, please let me know as we would like to resolve such problems as quickly as possible.
Chicago 2008: Gesher Galicia events set
if you are searching for your ancestors in Galicia (former Austro-Hungary, present-day Ukraine), Gesher Galicia's Chicago conference program - 3.30-6.30pm Monday, August 18 - will provide much information.
3:30-4pm: Introduction to Gesher Galicia and a "Landowner Records & Cadastral Map Project update," with examples of this untapped resource - a useful complement to fleshing out your ancestors' vital record information.
4-4:45pm: ITS/Bad Arolsen Film & Panel Discussion (Pamela Weisberger, Renee Steinig, Bill Fern). A short film on our May 2008 research trip to this recently opened Holocaust-records archive, followed by a panel discussion/Q & A providing insights gained on the trip, along with information about the ITS's vast resources and researching one's Galician relatives.
4:45-5pm: JRI Poland & Lviv Archive Records Update (Mark Halpern)
5-5:30pm: "Two Tangos: Portrait of Lviv," with Lviv-born Julian Bussgang reporting on his recent visit and introducing the film
5:30-6pm: Gayle Schlissel Riley introduces a film on the Jewish history of
Tarnobrzeg, Poland, made by the town's high school students.
6-6:30pm: "Rimalev: House Number Seven" a film by Will Kahane, who traveled back to the shtetl of Grzymalow to find the house where he was born in 1946 - the the last Jewish child.
Pamela Weisberger is Gesher Galicia's research coordinator.
3:30-4pm: Introduction to Gesher Galicia and a "Landowner Records & Cadastral Map Project update," with examples of this untapped resource - a useful complement to fleshing out your ancestors' vital record information.
4-4:45pm: ITS/Bad Arolsen Film & Panel Discussion (Pamela Weisberger, Renee Steinig, Bill Fern). A short film on our May 2008 research trip to this recently opened Holocaust-records archive, followed by a panel discussion/Q & A providing insights gained on the trip, along with information about the ITS's vast resources and researching one's Galician relatives.
4:45-5pm: JRI Poland & Lviv Archive Records Update (Mark Halpern)
5-5:30pm: "Two Tangos: Portrait of Lviv," with Lviv-born Julian Bussgang reporting on his recent visit and introducing the film
5:30-6pm: Gayle Schlissel Riley introduces a film on the Jewish history of
Tarnobrzeg, Poland, made by the town's high school students.
6-6:30pm: "Rimalev: House Number Seven" a film by Will Kahane, who traveled back to the shtetl of Grzymalow to find the house where he was born in 1946 - the the last Jewish child.
Pamela Weisberger is Gesher Galicia's research coordinator.
Chicago 2008: Film Festival additions
Film Festival coordinator Pamela Weisberger has announced that the film screening schedule at the Chicago conference has been finalized.
Chicago-area premieres: "Tovarisch: I Am Not Dead," about dashing Galician-born doctor Garri Urban who managed to survive the Holocaust, the Gulag and working for the KGB; and "The World Was Ours," dedicated to the memory of pre-war Vilna.
Nazi-era looted art: The Rape of Europa, an epic journey through seven countries and into the violent whirlwind of ideological fanaticism, greed and warfare which threatened to wipe out Europe's artistic heritage of Europe; and "Stealing Klimt," in which conference keynote speaker Randy Schoenberg appears
Popular films: The Counterfeiters, Everything is Illuminated, and Golden Door will keep you on the edge of your seats, while personal family stories like 51 Birch Street get you thinking:"Do we ever really know our parents? Would we want to if given the opportunity?"
Globe-trot: Mahjong and Chicken Feet, (Harbin, China and Russian-Jewish emigres, and the 1,000 year old community of Kaifeng); Adio Kerida on the Jews of Cuba. Go south with De Bessarabia a Entre Rios about Argentina's Jews, while Disneyland meets Stalin-era deportations in a controversial Lithuanian amusement park, Stalin World.
Hit BBC series: Who Do You Think You Are?, take celebrities on a search for their roots, from the UK, back to Slovakia, Belarus, Prussia, South Africa and the Netherlands. Kinderland, Cinderland joins a middle school reunion, where 12 women in their 70s - children when the Nazis came to power in 1933 - are reunited with Christian German classmates in Germany 60 years later.
Brown University Professor Omer Bartov will speak on "The 'Jew' in Cinema: From The Golem to Don't Touch My Holocaust," at 9.30am Tuesday, August 19; both films will be screened. The restored 1920 print of "The Golem" portrays the ancient Hebrew legend as the precursor to Frankenstein myth.
Classic films: Yiddle with His Fiddle, with Molly Picon. Shot in 1936 Kazimierz and Warsaw, Poland, with shtetl residents as extras.
Music lovers: From Shtetl to Swing, and the musical metamorphosis born in darkest Russia to blaze across the Great White Way. Included is rare, archival footage of Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, George Gershwin and Al Jolson among others. Theatre lovers: Yiddish Theatre: A Love Story about Holocaust survivor Zypora Spaisman, who keeps alive the oldest running Yiddish theater in America.
Sports fans: Watermarks, about the Jewish women's Hakoah swimming team, pre-war Vienna; and Jewish Women in American Sports, the history of Jewish female athletes.
Holocaust and World War II: The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank, (Paul Scofield, Mary Steenburgen) telling the Frank family story through the Miep Geis, who helped hide; Uprising, (Donald Sutherland, Jon Voight, David Schwimmer) chronicles the Jewish Fighting Organization, youthful Polish guerrillas and freedom fighters; Swimming in Auschwitz offers six stories of the female concentration camp experience; I Have Never Forgotten You, on the life and legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, famed Nazi hunter and humanitarian.
Back by demand: Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and The American Dream, about the men who founded Hollywood, showing how major American films were influenced by the Eastern European Jewish culture shared by most of the major movie moguls who controlled the studios.
Brooklyn: Pearl Gluck's film A Tour of Chasidic Williamsburg into the heart of Satmarland, including restaurants, shops, shuls and the Rebbe's House - a humorous insider’s glimpse of Williamsburg's Hasidic world.
Last, but not least: Budapest filmmaker Peter Forgacs's Miss Universe 1929: A Queen in Wien, a true story about Lisl Goldarbeiter, a nice Jewish girl growing up in Vienna, crowned Miss Universe and then swept up in the horror of World War II; documented by her Hungarian cousin, Maurice, with a home movie camera.
The complete schedule should be online soon.
Film-only conference registrations are available for friends, spouses, and anyone living in the Chicago area interested in a different kind of Jewish film festival. For all conference details, click here.
The schedule for the film festival at the IAJGS conference has been finalized and we will be showing an exciting, eclectic array of international productions, documentaries, shorts and theatrical features. Some films are strictly genealogical in nature, others historical, and many pure entertainment, and they will screen starting at 8am and into the evening each conference day.
Chicago-area premieres: "Tovarisch: I Am Not Dead," about dashing Galician-born doctor Garri Urban who managed to survive the Holocaust, the Gulag and working for the KGB; and "The World Was Ours," dedicated to the memory of pre-war Vilna.
Nazi-era looted art: The Rape of Europa, an epic journey through seven countries and into the violent whirlwind of ideological fanaticism, greed and warfare which threatened to wipe out Europe's artistic heritage of Europe; and "Stealing Klimt," in which conference keynote speaker Randy Schoenberg appears
Popular films: The Counterfeiters, Everything is Illuminated, and Golden Door will keep you on the edge of your seats, while personal family stories like 51 Birch Street get you thinking:"Do we ever really know our parents? Would we want to if given the opportunity?"
Globe-trot: Mahjong and Chicken Feet, (Harbin, China and Russian-Jewish emigres, and the 1,000 year old community of Kaifeng); Adio Kerida on the Jews of Cuba. Go south with De Bessarabia a Entre Rios about Argentina's Jews, while Disneyland meets Stalin-era deportations in a controversial Lithuanian amusement park, Stalin World.
Hit BBC series: Who Do You Think You Are?, take celebrities on a search for their roots, from the UK, back to Slovakia, Belarus, Prussia, South Africa and the Netherlands. Kinderland, Cinderland joins a middle school reunion, where 12 women in their 70s - children when the Nazis came to power in 1933 - are reunited with Christian German classmates in Germany 60 years later.
Brown University Professor Omer Bartov will speak on "The 'Jew' in Cinema: From The Golem to Don't Touch My Holocaust," at 9.30am Tuesday, August 19; both films will be screened. The restored 1920 print of "The Golem" portrays the ancient Hebrew legend as the precursor to Frankenstein myth.
Classic films: Yiddle with His Fiddle, with Molly Picon. Shot in 1936 Kazimierz and Warsaw, Poland, with shtetl residents as extras.
Music lovers: From Shtetl to Swing, and the musical metamorphosis born in darkest Russia to blaze across the Great White Way. Included is rare, archival footage of Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, George Gershwin and Al Jolson among others. Theatre lovers: Yiddish Theatre: A Love Story about Holocaust survivor Zypora Spaisman, who keeps alive the oldest running Yiddish theater in America.
Sports fans: Watermarks, about the Jewish women's Hakoah swimming team, pre-war Vienna; and Jewish Women in American Sports, the history of Jewish female athletes.
Holocaust and World War II: The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank, (Paul Scofield, Mary Steenburgen) telling the Frank family story through the Miep Geis, who helped hide; Uprising, (Donald Sutherland, Jon Voight, David Schwimmer) chronicles the Jewish Fighting Organization, youthful Polish guerrillas and freedom fighters; Swimming in Auschwitz offers six stories of the female concentration camp experience; I Have Never Forgotten You, on the life and legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, famed Nazi hunter and humanitarian.
Back by demand: Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and The American Dream, about the men who founded Hollywood, showing how major American films were influenced by the Eastern European Jewish culture shared by most of the major movie moguls who controlled the studios.
Brooklyn: Pearl Gluck's film A Tour of Chasidic Williamsburg into the heart of Satmarland, including restaurants, shops, shuls and the Rebbe's House - a humorous insider’s glimpse of Williamsburg's Hasidic world.
Last, but not least: Budapest filmmaker Peter Forgacs's Miss Universe 1929: A Queen in Wien, a true story about Lisl Goldarbeiter, a nice Jewish girl growing up in Vienna, crowned Miss Universe and then swept up in the horror of World War II; documented by her Hungarian cousin, Maurice, with a home movie camera.
The complete schedule should be online soon.
Film-only conference registrations are available for friends, spouses, and anyone living in the Chicago area interested in a different kind of Jewish film festival. For all conference details, click here.
UK: Western Synagogue Cemetery
Gaby Laws and Angela Shire in London have announced they have completed photographing and transliterating more than 500 gravestones in the Western Synagogue (Brompton) Cemetery at Queens Elm Fulham, London.
Genpals.com now includes the following completed cemeteries:
Brady Street, London - 580+ inscriptions
Lauriston Road, London - 160+ inscriptions
Edmonton Western, London - 160+ inscriptions
Happy Valley, Hong Kong - 81 inscriptions.
Earliest burials date from the 1790s. The site includes 1,584 headstone inscription and more than 3,900 individuals.
Search by name, cemetery or a variety of other parameters through "advanced search.
The site is well-done, searching is explained, cemetery histories are included. In the chart of statistics, we see that Solomon Benjamin was the earliest born in the database (1716); the longest lived male (aged 102, 1739-1841)) was Solomon Jacobs (Shelomo b Akiba or Shalom b Jacova, and the longest lived female was Elizabeth Leo (aged 99, 1753-1854. There are 968 families, 605 unique surnames.
There are also a few files showing examples of mason's mistakes and unusual inscriptions. I think I helped out with some mystery inscriptions from the Hong Kong Happy Valley Cemetery. The numbers on the three pictured gravestones were written using the Farsi/Arabic system, which I recognized immediately, and I provided my translations via the Contact Us feature.
Some numbers were somewhat mangled as could be expected by a Chinese mason who didn't know the strange characters. Hong Kong's community included many Sephardim originally from Baghdad, some via India and some from Persia, and the use of such numbers was common.
Many of those buried in this ground were prominent persons, both within the Jewish community and in the wider society beyond. Where possible, we have added details of spouses and children, using corroborative sources such as census returns, wills and Jewish Chronicle announcements. We have also been able to make links with family members interred in Brady Street and Edmonton Western.
Genpals.com now includes the following completed cemeteries:
Brady Street, London - 580+ inscriptions
Lauriston Road, London - 160+ inscriptions
Edmonton Western, London - 160+ inscriptions
Happy Valley, Hong Kong - 81 inscriptions.
Earliest burials date from the 1790s. The site includes 1,584 headstone inscription and more than 3,900 individuals.
Search by name, cemetery or a variety of other parameters through "advanced search.
The site is well-done, searching is explained, cemetery histories are included. In the chart of statistics, we see that Solomon Benjamin was the earliest born in the database (1716); the longest lived male (aged 102, 1739-1841)) was Solomon Jacobs (Shelomo b Akiba or Shalom b Jacova, and the longest lived female was Elizabeth Leo (aged 99, 1753-1854. There are 968 families, 605 unique surnames.
There are also a few files showing examples of mason's mistakes and unusual inscriptions. I think I helped out with some mystery inscriptions from the Hong Kong Happy Valley Cemetery. The numbers on the three pictured gravestones were written using the Farsi/Arabic system, which I recognized immediately, and I provided my translations via the Contact Us feature.
Some numbers were somewhat mangled as could be expected by a Chinese mason who didn't know the strange characters. Hong Kong's community included many Sephardim originally from Baghdad, some via India and some from Persia, and the use of such numbers was common.
May 23, 2008
Los Angeles: Jewish history TV program
Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary, founded 1942 in Southern California, has announced its partnership with “The History of Jewish LA,” a television program examining local Jewish life and culture produced by the Blazer Media Group.
Hillside will sponsor 26 episodes on channel 18 at 9am Sundays from February 1, 2009.
The program will spotlight various Los Angeles personalities, and feature segments with historians and profiles of organizations that have shaped the community’s Jewish history. The show will serve as a model to inspire other North American Jewish communities to create similar local programming.
“We’re grateful that Hillside is making it possible for us to share these important stories about our past and how they continue to shape our lives today,” said the program's host Phil Blazer.
The first Los Angeles charity was the Hebrew Benevolent Society (now Jewish Family Services), established in 1854 - more than 150 years old. Blazer said that the Jewish population of Los Angeles is about 10%, but contributes 70% of the region's charitable giving with 90% going to non-Jewish organizations.
For more information, click here or here.
Hillside will sponsor 26 episodes on channel 18 at 9am Sundays from February 1, 2009.
The program will spotlight various Los Angeles personalities, and feature segments with historians and profiles of organizations that have shaped the community’s Jewish history. The show will serve as a model to inspire other North American Jewish communities to create similar local programming.
“We’re grateful that Hillside is making it possible for us to share these important stories about our past and how they continue to shape our lives today,” said the program's host Phil Blazer.
The first Los Angeles charity was the Hebrew Benevolent Society (now Jewish Family Services), established in 1854 - more than 150 years old. Blazer said that the Jewish population of Los Angeles is about 10%, but contributes 70% of the region's charitable giving with 90% going to non-Jewish organizations.
For more information, click here or here.
May 22, 2008
UK: Jewish population on the rise
Jewish genealogists in the UK may have bigger family trees to compile, as that country's Jewish population is on the rise.
According to a BBC story, University of Manchester researchers say the increase is due to the size of ultra-Orthodox families. The UK's Jewish population peaked at 500,000 at the start of World War I, hit a low of 275,000 in 2005, but has increased to 280,000 in 2008, making it the fifth largest Jewish population in the world.
Figures were based on UK census data and monitoring of Jewish births by academics.
According to Dr Yaakov Wise - of Manchester University's Centre for Jewish Studies - half of all Jewish children younger than 5 in Greater Manchester are ultra-Orthodox. Secular Jewish women have an average of only 1.65 children; the UK average is 1.8. In the ultra-Orthodox community, families have an average of nearly seven children and community elders can have hundreds of descendants. Wise says nearly three of every four Jewish babies are born in the Orthodox community.
In London, this segment of the community is 18%, up from less than 10% in the early 1990s.
According to Wise, the ancestors of these families came to Britain since WWII, as the result of such historic events as the 1956 Hungarian uprising and the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Read more here.
According to a BBC story, University of Manchester researchers say the increase is due to the size of ultra-Orthodox families. The UK's Jewish population peaked at 500,000 at the start of World War I, hit a low of 275,000 in 2005, but has increased to 280,000 in 2008, making it the fifth largest Jewish population in the world.
Figures were based on UK census data and monitoring of Jewish births by academics.
According to Dr Yaakov Wise - of Manchester University's Centre for Jewish Studies - half of all Jewish children younger than 5 in Greater Manchester are ultra-Orthodox. Secular Jewish women have an average of only 1.65 children; the UK average is 1.8. In the ultra-Orthodox community, families have an average of nearly seven children and community elders can have hundreds of descendants. Wise says nearly three of every four Jewish babies are born in the Orthodox community.
In London, this segment of the community is 18%, up from less than 10% in the early 1990s.
According to Wise, the ancestors of these families came to Britain since WWII, as the result of such historic events as the 1956 Hungarian uprising and the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Read more here.
May 21, 2008
UCLA Mediterranean Jewish studies chair endowed
Andrew Viterbi - the father of cellphone technology - has endowed UCLA's Mediterranean Jewish Studies chair.
An Italian Jew who grew up in Boston, Viterbi can trace his paternal roots to 1588 near Rome, and his maternal Sephardic roots from Spain to northern Italy after the Inquisition.
His parents fled Italy after Mussolini's racial laws of 1938 which saw his father, head of the main hospital's opthalmology department, dismissed. He then worked contacts to obtain US visas for his wife and son, then 4. They first lived in New York and later in Boston, where he started a new ophthalmology practice.
Viterbi's wife, Erna Finci, is a descendant of the Bosnian chief rabbi. Living in Sarajevo when the Germans invaded in 1941, her family fled to modern-day Croatia under Italian military control. They were interned in a small Italian village, where all the residents cooperated to hide them, said Viterbi, and eventually landed in Switzerland.
He attended Boston's fameous Boston Latin School, and quotes philosopher George Santayana who said that people who have forgotten their history are doomed to relive it. "I am interested in Jewish history everywhere and throughout the ages for that very reason. I don't want us to have to relive that history."
Viterbi is not alone. Although most American Jews are Ashkenazi, a small group of American Jews have Italian roots, while more have roots in other areas of the Mediterranean.
His family has established a $1.4 million endowment to create the Viterbi Family Program in Mediterranean Jewish studies - to begin next fall - through UCLA's Center for Jewish Studies.
It will bring a distinguished scholar in some aspect of Mediterranean Jewish society, history or culture to campus for one quarter of instruction each year, and will also fund quarterly lectures and seminars on Jewish communities in Italy, France, Spain, the Balkans, North Africa, Egypt or Israel.
Read the complete story to understand Viterbi's evolving understanding of his Italian Jewish heritage and the Holocaust. He has a PhD in electrical engineering from USC and joined its faculty in 1963. A few years later he developed an algorithm that helped make cellular phones possible; founded Linkabit (1960s) and Qualcomm (1985). In 2003, he and his wife donated $52 million to USC.
UCLA's Center for Jewish Studies (established 1994) offers some 70 annual courses, as well as about 50 public lectures, seminars and conferences each year in a variety of fields. Programs include a specialized series in Sephardic studies, Holocaust studies and modern Jewish culture.
Read more here.
An Italian Jew who grew up in Boston, Viterbi can trace his paternal roots to 1588 near Rome, and his maternal Sephardic roots from Spain to northern Italy after the Inquisition.
"All the way through high school and college, I would be asked, 'How can you be an Italian and a Jew?'" the father of cell phone technology recalls with a laugh. "Scholars have always known about Italy's Jews, but to the general public, it's a contradiction in terms."
His parents fled Italy after Mussolini's racial laws of 1938 which saw his father, head of the main hospital's opthalmology department, dismissed. He then worked contacts to obtain US visas for his wife and son, then 4. They first lived in New York and later in Boston, where he started a new ophthalmology practice.
Viterbi's wife, Erna Finci, is a descendant of the Bosnian chief rabbi. Living in Sarajevo when the Germans invaded in 1941, her family fled to modern-day Croatia under Italian military control. They were interned in a small Italian village, where all the residents cooperated to hide them, said Viterbi, and eventually landed in Switzerland.
He attended Boston's fameous Boston Latin School, and quotes philosopher George Santayana who said that people who have forgotten their history are doomed to relive it. "I am interested in Jewish history everywhere and throughout the ages for that very reason. I don't want us to have to relive that history."
Viterbi is not alone. Although most American Jews are Ashkenazi, a small group of American Jews have Italian roots, while more have roots in other areas of the Mediterranean.
His family has established a $1.4 million endowment to create the Viterbi Family Program in Mediterranean Jewish studies - to begin next fall - through UCLA's Center for Jewish Studies.
It will bring a distinguished scholar in some aspect of Mediterranean Jewish society, history or culture to campus for one quarter of instruction each year, and will also fund quarterly lectures and seminars on Jewish communities in Italy, France, Spain, the Balkans, North Africa, Egypt or Israel.
"I am not an anomaly," Viterbi said. "Because the Mediterranean region has been at the crossroads of commerce and ideas for thousands of years, it has been the site of one of the richest and most diverse Jewish cultures in history. I want that culture to be explored and recognized."
Read the complete story to understand Viterbi's evolving understanding of his Italian Jewish heritage and the Holocaust. He has a PhD in electrical engineering from USC and joined its faculty in 1963. A few years later he developed an algorithm that helped make cellular phones possible; founded Linkabit (1960s) and Qualcomm (1985). In 2003, he and his wife donated $52 million to USC.
UCLA's Center for Jewish Studies (established 1994) offers some 70 annual courses, as well as about 50 public lectures, seminars and conferences each year in a variety of fields. Programs include a specialized series in Sephardic studies, Holocaust studies and modern Jewish culture.
Read more here.
May 20, 2008
Bad Arolsen archives: Red Cross role may end
The 60-year role of the Red Cross in running the Bad Arolsen Nazi-era archives may end, according to a just-released AP story.
"Nazi archive in Germany to reconsider role of Red Cross," by AP writer Arthur Max, is on numerous media sites (one link below).
The archives finally opened to families and historians last year. Copies of the files are being sent to centers in the US, Israel and Poland, while another 30 percent remain to be copied.
Red Cross deputy director-general Beat Schwiezer told the commission it should consider the "future structure of, and administrative responsibility for, the ITS."
Red Cross vice president Christine Beerli recently said it needed "to think about a new supporting organization for an institute well-anchored, and for one that envisions new scopes."
Read more here.
"Nazi archive in Germany to reconsider role of Red Cross," by AP writer Arthur Max, is on numerous media sites (one link below).
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- The governors of a newly opened archive of Nazi-era documents said Tuesday they will consider ending the 60-year role of the Red Cross in running the historically invaluable storehouse.
At its annual meeting in Brussels, Belgium, the 11-nation commission that oversees the International Tracing Service decided to review the archive's administrative structure. A panel will report its conclusions to the next annual meeting, spokeswoman Kathrin Flor said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross says that with the generation of Holocaust survivors dying out, the archive's humanitarian mission is ending and will shift toward historic research.
The archives finally opened to families and historians last year. Copies of the files are being sent to centers in the US, Israel and Poland, while another 30 percent remain to be copied.
Red Cross deputy director-general Beat Schwiezer told the commission it should consider the "future structure of, and administrative responsibility for, the ITS."
Red Cross vice president Christine Beerli recently said it needed "to think about a new supporting organization for an institute well-anchored, and for one that envisions new scopes."
Read more here.
NARA and Ancestry: Special access through May 31
Ancestry.com will make its entire US Military Collection free to the public from May 20 through May 31. Click here to view more than 100 million names and 700 titles and databases of military records. The majority come from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and cover all 50 US states.
This special public access commemorates the NARA-Ancestry.com agreement which features on site Ancestry.com technicians and scanners at the National Archives for digitization of historical content.
For more information on the agreement, click here.
Professional Services Desk Manager Suzanne Russo Adams has informed readers that she was just made aware of an Ancestry.com page that lists all NARA series and films currently in Ancestry databases:
She adds that this will prove useful for understanding which NARA records are currently on Ancestry. The page will be updated as more NARA titles are added.
This special public access commemorates the NARA-Ancestry.com agreement which features on site Ancestry.com technicians and scanners at the National Archives for digitization of historical content.
WASHINGTON and PROVO, Utah, May 20 -- The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and The Generations Network, Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com, today announced an agreement that makes millions of historical records more easily available to the American public. The agreement, which will be signed today at the NARA headquarters in Washington, D.C. and celebrated with a military theme in honor of this Memorial Day, allows for the ongoing digitization of a wealth of historical content, including immigration, birth, marriage, death and military records.
The new agreement provides critical access to these important historical records at a faster rate than ever before due to the placement of Ancestry.com technicians and scanning machines at NARA to continually digitize content for online access. The initial NARA collections to be digitized under the new agreement include INS Passenger and Crew Arrival and Departure Lists from 1897-1958 and Death Notices of U.S. Citizens Abroad from 1835-1974, which have not been available to the public outside of NARA research rooms before now.
"The mission of the National Archives and Records Administration is to provide access to the nation's historical records, and we are proud to have The Generations Network among our valued partners," said Professor Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States. "With this new agreement, citizens can discover and learn from these records in remote locations faster than ever before."
For more than a decade, Ancestry.com and NARA have collaborated to make important historical records available to the public, demonstrating their dovetailing commitment to preserving America's heritage. Ancestry.com currently has the largest online collection of digitized and indexed NARA content, including the complete U.S. Federal Census Collection, 1790-1930, passenger lists from 1820-1960 and WWI and WWII draft registration cards. Through this new agreement, Ancestry.com and NARA have greatly enhanced their working relationship. More on the agreement and the long-term relationship between Ancestry.com and NARA can be found at http://www.ancestry.com/nara.
For more information on the agreement, click here.
Professional Services Desk Manager Suzanne Russo Adams has informed readers that she was just made aware of an Ancestry.com page that lists all NARA series and films currently in Ancestry databases:
Scroll past the search template to see a table that lists the NARA series #, the NARA Collection Title, the Ancestry Database Title and the number of film reels and/or fiche in that collection.
She adds that this will prove useful for understanding which NARA records are currently on Ancestry. The page will be updated as more NARA titles are added.
Save the date: Warren Blatt, Maryland, June 8
Now the managing director of Jewishgen, Warren Blatt has been at the forefront of Jewish genealogy for more than 25 years.
He will present "An Introduction to Jewish Names" at the JGS of Greater Washington's member-only event at 1.30pm, Sunday, June 8, at the Clara Barton Community Center in Cabin John, Maryland. Mark your calendars now.
I've heard Warren give this recommended presentation at the international conferences; even experienced researchers will learn something new. If you haven't yet joined the JGSGW, maybe now's the time?
Blatt is the author of "Resources for Jewish Genealogy in the Boston area" and co-author (with Gary Mokotoff) of "Getting Started in Jewish Genealogy;" editor of the Kielce-Radom Special Interest Group Journal; chair, 15th International Seminar on Jewish Genealogy; IAJGS Lifetime Achievement Award, 2004; author, JewishGen FAQ and many JewishGen Infofiles.
Check the JGSGW website for more event details and directions to the meeting venue.
He will present "An Introduction to Jewish Names" at the JGS of Greater Washington's member-only event at 1.30pm, Sunday, June 8, at the Clara Barton Community Center in Cabin John, Maryland. Mark your calendars now.
Learn why "Mordechai Yehuda" is also "Mortka Leib" is also "Max," as Warren provides an introduction to Jewish given names (first names), focusing on practical issues for genealogical research.
Our ancestors each had many different given names and nicknames, in various languages and alphabets - this can make Jewish genealogical research difficult. Learn the history and patterns of Jewish first names, and how to recognize your ancestors' names in genealogical sources.
Topics included: religious and secular names; origins of given names; variants, nicknames and diminutives; double names (unrelated pairs, kinnui, Hebrew/Yiddish translations); patronymics; name equivalents; Ashkenazic naming traditions (naming of children); statistics on the distribution and popularity of given names in various regions and times; spelling issues; Polish and Russian declensions; interpretation of names in documents; and the Anglicization of immigrant Jewish names: adaptations and transformations.
I've heard Warren give this recommended presentation at the international conferences; even experienced researchers will learn something new. If you haven't yet joined the JGSGW, maybe now's the time?
Blatt is the author of "Resources for Jewish Genealogy in the Boston area" and co-author (with Gary Mokotoff) of "Getting Started in Jewish Genealogy;" editor of the Kielce-Radom Special Interest Group Journal; chair, 15th International Seminar on Jewish Genealogy; IAJGS Lifetime Achievement Award, 2004; author, JewishGen FAQ and many JewishGen Infofiles.
Check the JGSGW website for more event details and directions to the meeting venue.
Jewish Genealogy: From A to Z
Did you know that there are nearly 90 Jewish genealogy online discussion groups, ranging from A to Z - AustriaCzech to Zdunska Wola (Poland)?
These groups are excellent resources for people researching specific Jewish genealogy topics (such as Judeo-Alsatian) or geographical locations (JRI-Poland) as members share knowledge and network.
This list provides subscription information for each. They are variously hosted by JewishGen, Rootsweb, Yahoo, or others. Some are sponsored by Jewish genealogy societies (e.g., JGS Sacramento, JFRA Israel).
Some of the others, in addition to JewishGen, are Austria-Holocaust, Belarus, Bialygen, Ciechanow, Early American, Euro-Jewish, FrenchSIG, GERSIG, JCR-UK, SAAfrica, Scandinavia, several Sephardic groups, Yiddish Theater & Vaudville YTANDV, and more.
See the complete list.
These groups are excellent resources for people researching specific Jewish genealogy topics (such as Judeo-Alsatian) or geographical locations (JRI-Poland) as members share knowledge and network.
This list provides subscription information for each. They are variously hosted by JewishGen, Rootsweb, Yahoo, or others. Some are sponsored by Jewish genealogy societies (e.g., JGS Sacramento, JFRA Israel).
Some of the others, in addition to JewishGen, are Austria-Holocaust, Belarus, Bialygen, Ciechanow, Early American, Euro-Jewish, FrenchSIG, GERSIG, JCR-UK, SAAfrica, Scandinavia, several Sephardic groups, Yiddish Theater & Vaudville YTANDV, and more.
See the complete list.
Ancestry: Future databases, recent additions
Ancestry.com is planning the addition of future databases. Read CEO Tim Sullivan's press release in its entirety (link below) but here's just some of what will be coming down the genealogy road on the for-fee subscription site.
The current Ancestry claim is 7 billion names in more than 25,000 databases and titles.
I am particularly interested in the future Canadian Passenger Lists (1865-1935). I finally found my great-grandfather in the Ancestry border crossings database, and hope to find his actual arrival information when that database is made available.
Recently released US databases
Censuses and voter records for California and New Jersey; U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes (1794-1995) and U.S. Passport Applications (1795-1925); US Army, Register of Enlistments (1798-1914), Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans (1879-1903), and US Navy Cruise Books (1940 onward); vital records for Tennessee, Missouri, North Carolina; U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists (1862-1918) and US General Land Office Records (1796-1907).
Future US content
Historical newspapers
Cook County, Illinois Birth, Marriage, and Death Records (1871-1988)
U.S. Yearbook Collection
U.S. City Directories
Florida State Census (update)
International Sites
In addition to Germany, Italy, France and Sweden, Canada, UK, Australia, Ancestry is working on an exclusive agreement with the Shanghai Library to digitize and index its unique collection of Chinese family histories (Jiapu). Both Chinese-and Spanish language Ancestry sites will be introduced.
Recent International Content
Drouin Collection of French-Canadian Vital and Church Records (1621-1967)
Slave Registers of former British Colonial Dependencies (1812-1834)
British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards (1914-1920)
Griffith’s Valuation of Ireland (1848-1864)
German City Directories (1797-1945)
Ontario, Canada Births, Marriages, and Deaths
Swedish Emigration Records (1783-1951)
Future International Content
Chinese Jiapu Collection (2000 BC-1950s)
Bremen Ships Content (1815-1917)
British Army Service Records (1914-1920)
Canadian Passenger Lists (1865-1935)
Paris Vital Records (1798-1902)
Deutsche Telecom (1881-1981)
Australian Free Settlers Collection (1826-1922)
Como Italian Tribunals (1866-1936)
Inbound UK Passenger Lists (1878-1960)
For details on each database, read the full press release here.
The current Ancestry claim is 7 billion names in more than 25,000 databases and titles.
I am particularly interested in the future Canadian Passenger Lists (1865-1935). I finally found my great-grandfather in the Ancestry border crossings database, and hope to find his actual arrival information when that database is made available.
Recently released US databases
Censuses and voter records for California and New Jersey; U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes (1794-1995) and U.S. Passport Applications (1795-1925); US Army, Register of Enlistments (1798-1914), Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans (1879-1903), and US Navy Cruise Books (1940 onward); vital records for Tennessee, Missouri, North Carolina; U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists (1862-1918) and US General Land Office Records (1796-1907).
Future US content
Historical newspapers
Cook County, Illinois Birth, Marriage, and Death Records (1871-1988)
U.S. Yearbook Collection
U.S. City Directories
Florida State Census (update)
International Sites
In addition to Germany, Italy, France and Sweden, Canada, UK, Australia, Ancestry is working on an exclusive agreement with the Shanghai Library to digitize and index its unique collection of Chinese family histories (Jiapu). Both Chinese-and Spanish language Ancestry sites will be introduced.
Recent International Content
Drouin Collection of French-Canadian Vital and Church Records (1621-1967)
Slave Registers of former British Colonial Dependencies (1812-1834)
British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards (1914-1920)
Griffith’s Valuation of Ireland (1848-1864)
German City Directories (1797-1945)
Ontario, Canada Births, Marriages, and Deaths
Swedish Emigration Records (1783-1951)
Future International Content
Chinese Jiapu Collection (2000 BC-1950s)
Bremen Ships Content (1815-1917)
British Army Service Records (1914-1920)
Canadian Passenger Lists (1865-1935)
Paris Vital Records (1798-1902)
Deutsche Telecom (1881-1981)
Australian Free Settlers Collection (1826-1922)
Como Italian Tribunals (1866-1936)
Inbound UK Passenger Lists (1878-1960)
For details on each database, read the full press release here.
CIS: Fee-for-service genealogy program
Jan Meisels Allen is the Public Records Access Monitoring Committee chair and board member of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies. She does a great job in keeping us informed.
Her latest notice is on the US Citizenship and Immigration Service's fee-for-service genealogy program, proposed two years ago. On May 15, the final rule was published and will become effective August 13. View it here.
I took a look at the file, which covers five of the seven pages in the link. It is an interesting document as to comments received from individuals and organizations, the history and numbers of genealogical requests and more. I recommend reading it.
Jan writes:
Historical records under the new program are:
Naturalization certificate files(C-files), September 27, 1906-April 1, 1956 (from federal, state, municipal courts and more);
Microfilmed alien registration forms, August 1, 1940-March 31,1944;
- Visa files, July 1, 1924-March 31, 1944;
- Registry files, March 2, 1929-March 31, 1944;
- Alien files numbered below 8 million, dated prior to May 1,1951;
The final rule has more details on these records.
A special form must be used to request records under this new program (Form
G-1041 for index or Form G 1041A for records request). The forms are not yet posted to the USCIS website. Jan says that once the program begins, requests may be submitted on the site's electronic forms. Online requests must be paid via credit card.
Other details: Written requests can only be paid for by a cashier's check or money order in the exact amount. Because genealogical request information can only be given for deceased individuals, a person is presumed dead if his or her birth date is more than 100 years ago. For more recent birth dates, a primary or secondary document (death record, published obituary, etc) is required to satisfy the USCIS that the individual in question is really deceased.
Thanks, Jan, for keeping us informed about these important matters.
Her latest notice is on the US Citizenship and Immigration Service's fee-for-service genealogy program, proposed two years ago. On May 15, the final rule was published and will become effective August 13. View it here.
I took a look at the file, which covers five of the seven pages in the link. It is an interesting document as to comments received from individuals and organizations, the history and numbers of genealogical requests and more. I recommend reading it.
Jan writes:
The reason for the rule was to streamline and improve the process for acquiring genealogically relevant historical records of deceased individuals. Due to the demand for documents which created a backlog, requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) took months if not years to complete.
As a result of the comments made to the proposed rule the amount per index or record/file request (from a microfilm) will be $20 and $35 for a textual record. The original proposal was a range of $16-$45 for an index search and $16 to $45 for a record/file microfilm request and $26 to $55 for a copy of a textual document.
The reason the USCIS must charge for the documents and any search for the records is due to other regulations by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB rule form 1993) all government offices are required that user fees recover the full cost of services provided. USCIS is also mandated to charge a fee to recover the full costs or providing research and information due to the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Historical records under the new program are:
Naturalization certificate files(C-files), September 27, 1906-April 1, 1956 (from federal, state, municipal courts and more);
Microfilmed alien registration forms, August 1, 1940-March 31,1944;
- Visa files, July 1, 1924-March 31, 1944;
- Registry files, March 2, 1929-March 31, 1944;
- Alien files numbered below 8 million, dated prior to May 1,1951;
The final rule has more details on these records.
A special form must be used to request records under this new program (Form
G-1041 for index or Form G 1041A for records request). The forms are not yet posted to the USCIS website. Jan says that once the program begins, requests may be submitted on the site's electronic forms. Online requests must be paid via credit card.
Other details: Written requests can only be paid for by a cashier's check or money order in the exact amount. Because genealogical request information can only be given for deceased individuals, a person is presumed dead if his or her birth date is more than 100 years ago. For more recent birth dates, a primary or secondary document (death record, published obituary, etc) is required to satisfy the USCIS that the individual in question is really deceased.
Thanks, Jan, for keeping us informed about these important matters.
Avotaynu: Spring 2008 issue
The Spring 2008 issue of "Avotaynu: The International Review of Jewish Genealogy" is packed with 19 interesting articles by experts on many aspects of Jewish genealogy.
It is well worth subscribing. Click here for more information.
This issue includes these and more:
There's more from contributing editors, ask the experts, book reviews and letters. See the complete table of contents here.
It is well worth subscribing. Click here for more information.
This issue includes these and more:
Tombstone Identification through Database Merging.
Can DNA Testing Confirm Jewish Ancestors?
WIRTH DNA Research in New Directions
Central Zionist Archives: Jerusalem Israel
A Window into the Galveston Plan Immigration at the Central Zionist Archives
IAJGS Chicago 2007 Program: Gins, Cats and DNA
German Passports Found in Shanghai
Search Bureau for Missing Relatives: Brief History and Current Status of Records
Coming to America through Hamburg and Liverpool Part II: Crossing the Atlantic
A Method of Deducing Unknown Surnames of Female Ancestors
Researching Old U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Correspondence and Case Files
There's more from contributing editors, ask the experts, book reviews and letters. See the complete table of contents here.
UK: Marriage authorizations online, meeting
Tracing the Tribe reported previously (January 2008) that the British Jewish Marriage Authorisation Certificates would be searchable online.
The first batch of records is now available in this long-term collaboration between the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain (JGSGB) and the United Synagogue.
Louise Messik has been single-handedly indexing the records, due to confidentiality agreements with the United Synagogue. She has indexed 3,900 records from February 17, 1880-December 30, 1886; eventually the database will cover 1845-1907.
Search the database here or here. The fee to obtain records is £15 for United Synagogue/JGSGB members; £20 for non-members. Click here for more information.
These records are for marriages under the Office of the Chief Rabbi of England, which provided local rabbis permission to conduct religious ceremonies. The certificate was provided after both bride and groom proved they were Jewish according to Jewish law or had an acceptable conversion certificate.
Other information: Proposed place and date of marriage, Hebrew/English names of the bride and groom, addresses of the couple, country of origin of the couple, Hebrew names of the fathers of bride and groom, Hebrew names of the groom's unmarried brothers (in case of levirate marriage if the groom died without issue) and which would attend the ceremony.
Some researchers asked why there is a confidentiality agreement for such old records and JGSGB chair Laurence Harris provided more information on this issue and about a meeting set to discuss the new database.
The JGSGB will meet at 8pm, Thursday, June 19 to focus on this project, and expert speakers from the London Beth Din, United Synagogue and JGSGB (including Louise Messik) will address
- The certificates and the genealogical clues they hold
- The history and role of the certificates
- How to search the new online index and how to order a certificate
- Audience questions to the panel of speakers
JGSGB member tickets are free; non-members, £5); seating is limited. To obtain a ticket (first come - first served), email Harris at chairman(AT)jgsgb(DOT)org(DOT)uk.
The first batch of records is now available in this long-term collaboration between the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain (JGSGB) and the United Synagogue.
Louise Messik has been single-handedly indexing the records, due to confidentiality agreements with the United Synagogue. She has indexed 3,900 records from February 17, 1880-December 30, 1886; eventually the database will cover 1845-1907.
Search the database here or here. The fee to obtain records is £15 for United Synagogue/JGSGB members; £20 for non-members. Click here for more information.
These records are for marriages under the Office of the Chief Rabbi of England, which provided local rabbis permission to conduct religious ceremonies. The certificate was provided after both bride and groom proved they were Jewish according to Jewish law or had an acceptable conversion certificate.
Other information: Proposed place and date of marriage, Hebrew/English names of the bride and groom, addresses of the couple, country of origin of the couple, Hebrew names of the fathers of bride and groom, Hebrew names of the groom's unmarried brothers (in case of levirate marriage if the groom died without issue) and which would attend the ceremony.
Some researchers asked why there is a confidentiality agreement for such old records and JGSGB chair Laurence Harris provided more information on this issue and about a meeting set to discuss the new database.
When JGSGB enters into agreements to transcribe or index records for other organisations, these organisations often have different sensitivities and requirements concerning their data. It is always necessary for us to be mindful of these requirements, and we need to comply with them in order to gain permission to index/ transcribe and to build up a positive mutual relationship, so that we get offered more databases to transcribe in the future.
With particular reference to the United Synagogue (US) Marriage Authorisations, the US consider the information on the full certificate to be strictly confidential and special arrangements have had to be put in place to ensure that it remains so whilst we are preparing the index.
Without going into too much detail, confidentiality agreements have had to be signed and even I, as Chairman of JGSGB, have no access to the information on the certificates being indexed. I hope this clarifies the confidentiality issue.
The JGSGB will meet at 8pm, Thursday, June 19 to focus on this project, and expert speakers from the London Beth Din, United Synagogue and JGSGB (including Louise Messik) will address
- The certificates and the genealogical clues they hold
- The history and role of the certificates
- How to search the new online index and how to order a certificate
- Audience questions to the panel of speakers
JGSGB member tickets are free; non-members, £5); seating is limited. To obtain a ticket (first come - first served), email Harris at chairman(AT)jgsgb(DOT)org(DOT)uk.
May 19, 2008
JRI-Poland: New data added
Genealogists and family historians investigating their Polish roots will find their searches more fruitful on the searchable online JRI-Poland Database, with the addition of 160,000 new searchable record indices, indexed data from LDS microfilms of Polish Jewish vital records, and new Lodz area indices.
160,000 NEW SEARCHABLE RECORD INDICES
JRI-Poland's executive director Stanley Diamond of Montreal has announced the addition of one of the largest batches of new data in the group's history. The database contains nearly 3.4 million searchable records.
Data is from 15 Shtetl CO-OPs, 60 Polish State Archives projects and five CRARG (Czestochowa-Radomsko Area Research Group) projects. There were 8,700 additions to the Warsaw Cemetery database, now totaling 65,000 entries.
There are also hundreds of thousands of records from more than 100 towns that cannot yet be uploaded for numerous reasons. Researchers with an interest in Polish records should subscribe to the JRI-Poland mailing list for the most up-to-date information here.
To learn more about towns, record status and how to access indices before they are available online, click here, or email questions@jri-poland.org.
LDS DATA
Hadassah Lipsius, Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator of JRI-Poland, notes that more than 32,000 indices are now available. This includes the newly added towns of Loslau, Nadarzyn, Siedlce, Szczercow, Wolanow and Zory, as well as updated information for Kielce, Konin, Krasnik, Kremenets, Opatow, Opoczno, Ozorkow, Przasnysz and Warszawa.
LODZ
Lodz (Poland) area researchers were notified, by the town's coordinator Roni Seibel Liebowitz, that new indices for towns with records in the Lodz Archives have been added into the online JRI-Poland database.
JRI-Poland's team of Michael Tobias, Stanley Diamond and the town leaders and contributors have made this possible to all researchers. Records include births, marriages, marriage supplements and deaths for these towns:
See what is now online and what needs to be funded before being made available online for the Lodz area here.
ADDITIONAL JRI-POLAND INFORMATION
As noted above, more than 100 towns have data that cannot be uploaded because funding is still needed.
JRI-Poland researchers and supporters know that making a qualifying contribution towards indexing of records for their town will make them eligible to receive the Excel file will all entries in the project. The amount of the contribution depends on the number of records and number of known researchers with an interest in that specific town. Donations are tax deductible in the US and Canada.
For more information, click on JRI-Poland, go to the "Your Town" link and contact the town leader or archive coordinator for your town, or email questions@jri-poland.org
General donations are also accepted to enable funding of "orphan towns."
When fundraising is complete and the data is eligible to go online, some delays may occur because of quality control and processing issues. Please be patient! If something isn't there today, check back frequently.
160,000 NEW SEARCHABLE RECORD INDICES
JRI-Poland's executive director Stanley Diamond of Montreal has announced the addition of one of the largest batches of new data in the group's history. The database contains nearly 3.4 million searchable records.
"More than 160,000 new entries have been added to the JRI-Poland database from 80 towns. The entries include data from 43 towns in our database for the first time as well as new data for later years from previously indexed towns which have had other data in our database."
Data is from 15 Shtetl CO-OPs, 60 Polish State Archives projects and five CRARG (Czestochowa-Radomsko Area Research Group) projects. There were 8,700 additions to the Warsaw Cemetery database, now totaling 65,000 entries.
There are also hundreds of thousands of records from more than 100 towns that cannot yet be uploaded for numerous reasons. Researchers with an interest in Polish records should subscribe to the JRI-Poland mailing list for the most up-to-date information here.
To learn more about towns, record status and how to access indices before they are available online, click here, or email questions@jri-poland.org.
LDS DATA
Hadassah Lipsius, Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator of JRI-Poland, notes that more than 32,000 indices are now available. This includes the newly added towns of Loslau, Nadarzyn, Siedlce, Szczercow, Wolanow and Zory, as well as updated information for Kielce, Konin, Krasnik, Kremenets, Opatow, Opoczno, Ozorkow, Przasnysz and Warszawa.
LODZ
Lodz (Poland) area researchers were notified, by the town's coordinator Roni Seibel Liebowitz, that new indices for towns with records in the Lodz Archives have been added into the online JRI-Poland database.
JRI-Poland's team of Michael Tobias, Stanley Diamond and the town leaders and contributors have made this possible to all researchers. Records include births, marriages, marriage supplements and deaths for these towns:
Alexandrow Lodzki
Bielawy
Konstantynow Lodzki
Lutomiersk
Warta
Widawa
Lodz
Burzenin
See what is now online and what needs to be funded before being made available online for the Lodz area here.
ADDITIONAL JRI-POLAND INFORMATION
As noted above, more than 100 towns have data that cannot be uploaded because funding is still needed.
JRI-Poland researchers and supporters know that making a qualifying contribution towards indexing of records for their town will make them eligible to receive the Excel file will all entries in the project. The amount of the contribution depends on the number of records and number of known researchers with an interest in that specific town. Donations are tax deductible in the US and Canada.
For more information, click on JRI-Poland, go to the "Your Town" link and contact the town leader or archive coordinator for your town, or email questions@jri-poland.org
General donations are also accepted to enable funding of "orphan towns."
When fundraising is complete and the data is eligible to go online, some delays may occur because of quality control and processing issues. Please be patient! If something isn't there today, check back frequently.
Kentucky: Jewish history
I just discovered this interesting piece by Carol Ely on Kentucky's Jewish history at the Kentucky FolkWeb site.
Among Jewish communities in the 19th-early 20th centuries were Louisville, Owensboro, Lexington, Paducah, Covington, Ashland, Henderson, Hopkinsville and Newport, and mentions the influx of German, Polish and Russian immigrants. Today, Ely states, the organized community includes Louisville, Lexington, Owensboro and Paducah.
Blintzes and Grits. Bagels and Bluegrass. "Shalom, Y'all." The jokes come from the obvious contrasts between what we think of as Jewish culture and what we think of as Southern. But the reality is a much more complex blending of cultures and identities, creating a unique kind of Jew — the Kentucky Jew.
Jews were present for the very creation of Kentucky. The Virginia mercantile firm of Cohen and Isaacs hired Daniel Boone to scout out their Kentucky lands; and another merchant family, the Gratz family of Philadelphia, set up trading posts on the Ohio (including the river landing at Gratz, Kentucky) and joined the founders of Lexington.
These early Jews were Sephardic Jews, with roots in the dispersion of Jews from Spain to the rest of Europe and the New World. They followed Sephardic traditions of worship and law and were part of an educated and entrepreneurial transatlantic elite.
By the 1840s Jewish traders and peddlers appeared in greater numbers in Kentucky settlements, emigrating from political unrest, poverty, and restrictive laws in Germany. In most of Europe, Jews were not permitted to own land, so most Jewish immigrants did not expect to become farmers. Instead, small-scale retailing, either through door-to-door, town-to-town peddling, or in a small storefront, was the best opportunity open to them. When enough Jews gathered in one place, it was natural to think of formalizing their community as a congregation.
Among Jewish communities in the 19th-early 20th centuries were Louisville, Owensboro, Lexington, Paducah, Covington, Ashland, Henderson, Hopkinsville and Newport, and mentions the influx of German, Polish and Russian immigrants. Today, Ely states, the organized community includes Louisville, Lexington, Owensboro and Paducah.
Virginia: Early Jewish settlement
Here's a fascinating history of early Jewish settlement in Charlottesville, Virginia. Other sections cover business and commerce, Jefferson and the Jews, community establishment, religious institutions, the Levys at Monticello and other sections.
Thanks to researchers in the South, documentation of Jewish history in this region has increased and covers large port cities to rural towns, reflecting the diversity of Jewish immigrants in America.
Charlottesville's history reflects colonial-era Sephardic Jews and 19th century immigrants from Germany and then from Lithuania and Belarus. According to the website, it's important to note that the town was the home of Thomas Jefferson and that the University of Virgina, which he established, was the first American higher education institute that did not impose or require a particular theology of students or faculty.
"To Seek the Peace of the City" was produced in 1994 to spotlight 19th and early 20th century Jewish life in Charlottesville and the University. It expanded on a 1993 exhibit, "Jewish Life at Mr. Jefferson's University," which was part of the school's commemoration of Jefferson's 250th birthday.
Read more of this section here.
Click here to read all the sections.
Thanks to researchers in the South, documentation of Jewish history in this region has increased and covers large port cities to rural towns, reflecting the diversity of Jewish immigrants in America.
Charlottesville's history reflects colonial-era Sephardic Jews and 19th century immigrants from Germany and then from Lithuania and Belarus. According to the website, it's important to note that the town was the home of Thomas Jefferson and that the University of Virgina, which he established, was the first American higher education institute that did not impose or require a particular theology of students or faculty.
"To Seek the Peace of the City" was produced in 1994 to spotlight 19th and early 20th century Jewish life in Charlottesville and the University. It expanded on a 1993 exhibit, "Jewish Life at Mr. Jefferson's University," which was part of the school's commemoration of Jefferson's 250th birthday.
Though few in number, Jews were a part of the European colonization of Virginia. Expelled from Spain in the very year that Columbus encountered America, they tried to re-establish their communities in northern and central Europe, North Africa, Palestine, Turkey and the city-states of Italy. These Spanish and Portuguese Jews, called the Sephardim, were among the first to settle the Americas, hoping to find places where they could maintain their distinctive Jewish traditions. By the 1640s Sephardic Jews had established trade networks connecting New York, Charleston, Newport, Philadephia, the Caribbean, and Brazil. Many quickly became prominent and respected professionals.
Ashkenazic Jews, with a style of worship typical of the Germanies and Russia, also sought the New World as a refuge. During the 16th to 18th centuries in Europe, Jews were living as a barely tolerated minority in Germany, Austria, and Poland, and somewhat less precariously in Holland and Italy. Eager to find a safe foothold in the New World, Jews participated in the exploration and settlement of the Atlantic coast of the Americas. A Jewish metallurgist from Prague, Joachim Gaunse (or Jacob Gans), was in Virginia as early as 1585 as part of the first English attempt to settle North America at Sir Walter Raleigh's Roanoke Colony. Early Sephardic settlers of Virginia included Dr. John de Sequeyra, a specialist in the treatment of the mentally ill, who arrived in Williamsburg in 1745; in his role as a general practitioner, he was the physician of George Washington's stepdaughter Martha Parke Custis. Also prominent were members of the aristocratic Cardozo and Seixas families. 4
On the eve of the American Revolution there were still just a handful of Jews in Virginia, mainly in Richmond. Jacob Cohen (from Oberdorf, Germany) and Isaiah Isaacs (from Frankfort-am-Main, via England) became business partners who sold merchandise and real estate. They helped to finance Daniel Boone's surveys of Kentucky, were ardent patriots, and though they were slaveowners they both freed their slaves in their wills. In addition to their commercial ventures, both were committed to their religion; Isaacs signed all his deeds in Hebrew. He was a founder of Beth Shalome, Richmond's first synagogue, in 1789, and also helped to fund the first Jewish cemetery, on Richmond's Shockoe Hill. He was a man of prominence, elected to Richmond's Common Hall (forerunner of the City Council), just two years after the enactment of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom made it possible for a Jew to hold elective office. He later moved to Charlottesville and died there in 1806.
Read more of this section here.
Click here to read all the sections.
May 18, 2008
Cervantes: Jewish roots?
In April, the European Jewish Press carried a story by Linda Jimenez Glassman - Was Miguel de Cervantes a Converso? - focusing on historian Abraham Haim's belief that the author of "Don Quixote de la Mancha" was from a Converso family.
Converso means a descendant of a family or individual that was forced to convert to another religion, usually Catholicism in the sense of the Spanish usage. The other term used commonly in Hebrew is bnai anousim (children of the forced).
Among Haim's examples in the book, which was written a century after the 1492 Expulsion from Spain:
-"Don Quixote" (16th century) contains numerous references to the Kabbalah and Jewish traditions. The only possible explanation, says Haim, is that Cervantes was a Converso - Jews forced to convert to Christianity during persecutions in 1391 or other times or those who converted to avoid expulsion in 1492. Many continued secret Jewish practices for decades if not centuries and into contemporary times.
-Cervantes’ birth records were probably forged, claims Haim.
-Cervantes was familiar with Catholic texts, but also included "coded" aspects of Jewish tradition to avoid the Inquisition's notice, but understood by Jews.
-Cervantes says Don Quixote's diet includes "duelos y quebrantos" (literally, suffering and brokenness) on Saturdays. According to the story, this term is used today by Moroccan Jews for eggs and grains (or lentils), but also refers to the sadness of those expelled.
-The "Festival of Tents" is described, in a reference to Succot: families from town build a cabin and young women invite the characters to join them. Haim says the word "huesped" (guest) is related to "ushpizim" (Aramaic, guest).
-Book burnings are mentioned. Asks Haim, "What books did the Inquisition burn? "Those with references to Judaism."
-In Chapter IX, speaking in the first person, Cervantes describes walking through Toledo's old Jewish-Arab section, the Alcana, where he bought some old papers. He thought they were Arabic but a translator said they were written in “a better and older” language. This is a clear reference to Hebrew, believes Haim.
-The most important evidence, says Haim, is the nearly literal translation of an entire page of Talmud. Sancho Panza passes judgment in a dispute between two men over a debt payment; the people call him "a new Solomon" because of his wisdom.
Read more here.
For another article on Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) addressing similar themes, click here. "Cervantes, Don Quijote, and the Hebrew Scriptures," is by Kevin S. Larsen, Professor of Spanish and Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Wyoming. His article, “Conversos,” appeared in the Encyclopedia of Judaism.
Converso means a descendant of a family or individual that was forced to convert to another religion, usually Catholicism in the sense of the Spanish usage. The other term used commonly in Hebrew is bnai anousim (children of the forced).
MADRID (EJP)---Historian Abraham Haim believes that Miguel de Cervantes’ classic "Don Quixote de la Mancha" is the product of "the silence experienced by a Jewish soul."
A specialist in Sephardic history and culture, Haim made the comment during a lecture "Traces of Judaism in Don Quixote" organized by Casa Sefarad-Israel in Madrid at the Cervantes Institute.
Among Haim's examples in the book, which was written a century after the 1492 Expulsion from Spain:
-"Don Quixote" (16th century) contains numerous references to the Kabbalah and Jewish traditions. The only possible explanation, says Haim, is that Cervantes was a Converso - Jews forced to convert to Christianity during persecutions in 1391 or other times or those who converted to avoid expulsion in 1492. Many continued secret Jewish practices for decades if not centuries and into contemporary times.
-Cervantes’ birth records were probably forged, claims Haim.
-Cervantes was familiar with Catholic texts, but also included "coded" aspects of Jewish tradition to avoid the Inquisition's notice, but understood by Jews.
-Cervantes says Don Quixote's diet includes "duelos y quebrantos" (literally, suffering and brokenness) on Saturdays. According to the story, this term is used today by Moroccan Jews for eggs and grains (or lentils), but also refers to the sadness of those expelled.
-The "Festival of Tents" is described, in a reference to Succot: families from town build a cabin and young women invite the characters to join them. Haim says the word "huesped" (guest) is related to "ushpizim" (Aramaic, guest).
-Book burnings are mentioned. Asks Haim, "What books did the Inquisition burn? "Those with references to Judaism."
-In Chapter IX, speaking in the first person, Cervantes describes walking through Toledo's old Jewish-Arab section, the Alcana, where he bought some old papers. He thought they were Arabic but a translator said they were written in “a better and older” language. This is a clear reference to Hebrew, believes Haim.
-The most important evidence, says Haim, is the nearly literal translation of an entire page of Talmud. Sancho Panza passes judgment in a dispute between two men over a debt payment; the people call him "a new Solomon" because of his wisdom.
Read more here.
For another article on Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) addressing similar themes, click here. "Cervantes, Don Quijote, and the Hebrew Scriptures," is by Kevin S. Larsen, Professor of Spanish and Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Wyoming. His article, “Conversos,” appeared in the Encyclopedia of Judaism.
Switzerland: Art returns to Jewish family
European Jewish Press website carried the story of a plundered Constable painting returned to its Jewish family 65 years after it was stolen and auctioned.
The 1820 painting is John Constable's oil-on-canvas "Dedham from Langham."
Read more here.
The 1820 painting is John Constable's oil-on-canvas "Dedham from Langham."
GENEVA (AFP)---A Geneva art gallery will return a 19th century painting by British landscape artist John Constable to relatives of French Jews 65 years after it was stolen and auctioned in wartime occupied France, local official said Friday.
The 1820 John Constable oil-on-canvas "Dedham from Langham" was confiscated from a Jewish family in the French town of Nice on the Mediterranean in 1943 and sold at auction there in 1943.
The museum was "reasonably convinced that this painting was looted," said Geneva city councillor Jean-Pierre Veya.
He said city hall had decided to return the work to the family of southern French art collectors John and Anna Jaffe on moral grounds after a request by Anna Jaffe's great nephew, a Paris-based teacher.
Read more here.
Long Island, NY: Ron Arons, May 25
Genealogist Ron Arons will present "Researching Jewish Criminals, Especially in New York," at the next meeting of the JGS of Long Island.
The author of "Jews of Sing Sing" will speak at 2pm Sunday, May 25 at the Mid-Island Y JCC in Plainview, NY.
Born and raised in New York, Arons has traced his roots to England, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania.
A computer industry veteran with degrees from Princeton and University of Chicago, he appeared in the January 2008 PBS six-hour documentary "Jews in America."
Arons has presented at five IAJGS conferences, local JGSs and other conferences, and received a 2005 research grant from the New York State Archives to facilitate his Sing Sing research.
Society mavens will be available from 1.30pm to answer genealogy questions. Admission is free.
For more information, click here.
The author of "Jews of Sing Sing" will speak at 2pm Sunday, May 25 at the Mid-Island Y JCC in Plainview, NY.
Born and raised in New York, Arons has traced his roots to England, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania.
A computer industry veteran with degrees from Princeton and University of Chicago, he appeared in the January 2008 PBS six-hour documentary "Jews in America."
Arons has presented at five IAJGS conferences, local JGSs and other conferences, and received a 2005 research grant from the New York State Archives to facilitate his Sing Sing research.
Society mavens will be available from 1.30pm to answer genealogy questions. Admission is free.
For more information, click here.
Los Angeles: Sephardic Genealogy, May 21
Descended from a long line of Sephardic rabbis going back to 14th century Kabbalists and authors - as well as Catalan blacksmiths and money lenders - Dr. Jeffrey S. Malka is a pioneer of Sephardic genealogy in the United States, a well-known lecturer/author, and the creator of www.SephardicGen.com.
Malka will present "Discovering Your Sephardic Ancestors and Their World," at 7.30pm, Wednesday, May 21, at Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel in Westwood.
The program is hosted by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles and co-sponsored by the Maurice Amado Foundation of Los Angeles and Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel
Malka, a retired professor of orthopedic surgery who lives in Virginia, is author of the award-winning book "Sephardic Genealogy: Discovering your Sephardic Ancestors and their World." Prior to creating his recently launched SephardicGen.com, he created JewishGen's Sephardic SIG site based on his earlier Sephardic Genealogy Resources website.
The program will include a 7pm dessert reception, followed by Arthur Benveniste's "Spotlight on Sephardim" introduction. The event is free to members, no charge for guests. For directions and more information, click here.
Malka will present "Discovering Your Sephardic Ancestors and Their World," at 7.30pm, Wednesday, May 21, at Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel in Westwood.
The program is hosted by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles and co-sponsored by the Maurice Amado Foundation of Los Angeles and Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel
Have you ever wondered if you had Sephardic ancestors lurking in the deep recesses of your family tree? This overview of Sephardic genealogy will show you where and how to look.
Taking us on a journey traversing environments as diverse as the Amazon Basin or the Ottoman Empire, Jeffrey Malka will explain how to trace Sephardic ancestry through archives as ancient as 12th century Spanish notarial records or as recent as today's modern repositories and online databases.
He will cover the origins of Sephardic surnames and clues derived from their meanings, along with their proper use in determining Sephardic ancestry. Also covered will be genealogical resources unique to Sephardim and recent exciting developments in Sephardic genealogy.
Malka, a retired professor of orthopedic surgery who lives in Virginia, is author of the award-winning book "Sephardic Genealogy: Discovering your Sephardic Ancestors and their World." Prior to creating his recently launched SephardicGen.com, he created JewishGen's Sephardic SIG site based on his earlier Sephardic Genealogy Resources website.
The program will include a 7pm dessert reception, followed by Arthur Benveniste's "Spotlight on Sephardim" introduction. The event is free to members, no charge for guests. For directions and more information, click here.
May 17, 2008
UK: Manchester's rich Jewish history
Manchester (UK) has a rich Jewish history, now documented in a new book - "Jewish Manchester" - by Cheetham Hill's Jewish Museum founder Bill Williams. It examines the community's impact on the city's culture and economy.
Published by Breedon Books (£16.99), read more here.
He said: "Most of the book focuses on Cheetham Hill. That's where the community began and grew from the early 19th century until the Second World War; it was the 'Jewish Quarter'."
Bill, of Park Avenue, Levenshulme, said some of the book's key figures hail from the Cheetham area.
He said: "Nathan Laski came from Cheetham Hill and was essentially the leader of the community from the 1920s to his death during the war when he was knocked down on Cheetham Hill Road.
"He was a giant in the community, someone who helped shape it. One of his sons, Neville, became the president of the Jewish Board of Deputies in London, while his other son, Harold, became Chairman of the Labour party and an important figure in British communism."
Bill is still the honourary president and historical advisor at the museum and helps to lead its historical walks once a month around the old Jewish Quarter.
"The museum helped shape the book a lot" he said. "Most of the photos I've included come from its collection of over 10,000 pictures.
"I'm not Jewish myself, but I admire the community's ambitions and aspirations, and this book is my acknowledgement."
Published by Breedon Books (£16.99), read more here.
May 16, 2008
Coming to America: Galveston, Texas
In 1907, American Jewish leaders developed a plan to encourage Eastern European immigrants to leave the northeast's crowded, unhealthy cities for the wide-open spaces of the west. Through 1914, some 8,000-10,000 immigrants responded to the call.
Back in the Old Country, about 100 agents didn't always find it easy to convince immigrants to spend even more time travelling out west by boat or train, and it was even more difficult to get them to give up familiar city life - despite bad living conditions - for strange lands filled with cowboys, native Americans and wild animals.
The Forward's recent story by Jenna Weissman Joseelit on The Galveston Plan termed the experiment a model of creative thinking.
Read more here about who was recruited, the warnings they received, and why Galveston declined.
Back in the Old Country, about 100 agents didn't always find it easy to convince immigrants to spend even more time travelling out west by boat or train, and it was even more difficult to get them to give up familiar city life - despite bad living conditions - for strange lands filled with cowboys, native Americans and wild animals.
The Forward's recent story by Jenna Weissman Joseelit on The Galveston Plan termed the experiment a model of creative thinking.
Giving Galveston Its Day in the Sun: The Wonders of America
Of all the current national issues that seem to vex us a lot, immigration is surely at or close to the top of the list. Some Americans extend a welcome hand to those who would like to call the United States their home; others turn their backs on them, and still others talk incessantly about boundaries and fences, driver’s licenses, Social Security and workers’ visas. In each instance, what’s most striking is the constancy of the discussion: Immigration has long been a hotly contested issue. Over the years, for every American who spoke lyrically of the potential that would accrue were the nation to welcome immigration, an equal number warned darkly of its consequences.
But some citizens actually did more than talk about immigration; they did something about it. Way back when, in 1907, a number of American Jewish philanthropists, prompted by the redoubtable Jacob Schiff, sought to ameliorate the lot of would-be immigrants by pointing them in the right direction: away from overcrowded and blighted urban areas and toward the wide-open spaces of the West, whose “nature and uncontaminated atmosphere tend to build up constitutions instead of undermining them.”
Determined to alleviate the congestion characteristic of the Northeast’s “great ghettos” and to minimize, avant la lettre, the possibility of antisemitism, Schiff and his associates attempted to prevail on those traveling to the New World to enter its precincts via Galveston, Texas, rather than land in New York or Philadelphia. And then, once in that “part of the country in which opportunity still knocks at every man’s door,” the new arrivals were encouraged to start afresh by taking a train to and settling in Omaha, Neb., and Kansas City, Mo.; Des Moines, Iowa, and Texarkana, Ark.
Read more here about who was recruited, the warnings they received, and why Galveston declined.
May 15, 2008
Zembrover Society 'back from dead'
If the northeastern Polish town of Zembrov (Zembrove) figures in your family history, read The New York Jewish Week's story by Stewart Ain on the United Zembrover Society, one of the last landsmanshaftn, as it retools for a new generation.
Landsmanshaftn were organizations of immigrants from specific geographical areas who joined together for numerous reasons. These benevolent organizations supported such social, religious and cultural activities as burial plots for members, may have supported synagogues, made loans to members, and generally assisted members in their new lives.
The story mentions online Museum of Family History founder Steve Lasky, who said about 70 percent of immigrants who entered via Ellis Island stayed in New York, and that the majority of society burial plots were owned by the landsmanschaftn.
Pulvermacher, 88, said that 20 years ago there were some 3,000 societies. Of the remaining groups, nearly all are weak, although the Krakover Benevolent and Lodzer Young Men's Benevolent societies still meet.
The group attracted people from age 5-83, who lived from Boston to Philadelphia.
Pulvermacher is not optimistic and things it will all disappear, because of the effort involved. Only the cemeteries hold them together. However, younger members felt it could survive if they discussed other relevant issues.
Younger attendees wanted answers to questions about food, marriage, children, education, interactions with non-Jewish citizens, occupations, etc. and were looking for the society to provide a roots connection. They stressed the importance of learning family stories and memories before it is too late, and suggested that some group funds should be earmarked for a town research project to supplement oral histories or perhaps even a roots trip to Zembrove.
According to Professor Jonathan Sarna of Brandis University, these societies were strongest during waves of immigration and after World War I when they raised money for those back home. After the Holocaust - in the 1940s-50s-60s - the societies produced yizkor books (memorial books) about the "disappeared" communities in the Holocaust.
A copy of the Zembrover Society yizkor book was brought by Ronald Miller, whose grandfather came from the town: “I’m surprised this group still survives and is still trying to survive,” he said. He joined the society after another genealogist told him about it.
The group has restored the town's Jewish cemetery and is translating the 650-page yizkor book from Yiddish and Hebrew into English.
Read more here.
Landsmanshaftn were organizations of immigrants from specific geographical areas who joined together for numerous reasons. These benevolent organizations supported such social, religious and cultural activities as burial plots for members, may have supported synagogues, made loans to members, and generally assisted members in their new lives.
The story mentions online Museum of Family History founder Steve Lasky, who said about 70 percent of immigrants who entered via Ellis Island stayed in New York, and that the majority of society burial plots were owned by the landsmanschaftn.
None of the 45 people in the kosher Chinese restaurant on Flatbush Avenue had ever been to Zembrov, a town in northeast Poland, and some even had trouble spelling it. But all had relatives who came from there, and they gathered two weeks ago to keep their memories alive.
The United Zembrover Society is believed to be one of only about 20 surviving New York-area landsmanschaften, fraternal organizations founded in the late 1800s here by immigrants who shared East European hometowns, according to Isaac Pulvermacher, chairman of UJA-Federation’s Council of Jewish Organizations.
But unlike the other societies, sustained by the aging immigrants from Eastern Europe, the United Zembrover Society is the only one being kept alive by the second and third generation, he said.
In an indication of how difficult it might be to sustain the society and attract third-generation members, Amy Rublin, 22, of Wynnewood, Pa., who attended the meeting with her grandmother and other family members, said the gathering’s emphasis on cemeteries was a turnoff.
But she seemed to offer a blueprint for how to keep young people’s attention. “Discussions of people’s stories,” is what Rublin wants to hear.
“I am passionate about history, and I really value my family,” she explained. “What keeps me and my family connected to the society is the memory of my grandfather. What I’d love is to sit through a meeting and learn about the people from whom we descend. Each meeting could talk about a handful of people — where they’re from, memories of the place, whether or not they were impacted by the Holocaust and how, what the reputation of the town was in Poland [and] how Zembrove is emblematic of the Jewish experience in Poland/ Europe.”
This new group, should it take hold, would be a far cry from the landsmanschaften of old.
Pulvermacher, 88, said that 20 years ago there were some 3,000 societies. Of the remaining groups, nearly all are weak, although the Krakover Benevolent and Lodzer Young Men's Benevolent societies still meet.
The Zembrover Society, founded more than 100 years ago, has struggled in recent years to stay alive. In 2005, only 13 people showed up for a meeting. When it met again in 2007 after The Jewish Week publicized its meeting, 32 people came. After a more extensive outreach using Internet searches, 20 new members joined in the last year.
The group voted two weeks ago not only to remain in existence but also to expand its activities beyond simply maintaining its burial grounds at two local cemeteries. And members agreed to meet at the same kosher Chinese restaurant next May — if not before. “We should meet again in December just to get to know each other,” one woman suggested.
The group attracted people from age 5-83, who lived from Boston to Philadelphia.
Pulvermacher is not optimistic and things it will all disappear, because of the effort involved. Only the cemeteries hold them together. However, younger members felt it could survive if they discussed other relevant issues.
Younger attendees wanted answers to questions about food, marriage, children, education, interactions with non-Jewish citizens, occupations, etc. and were looking for the society to provide a roots connection. They stressed the importance of learning family stories and memories before it is too late, and suggested that some group funds should be earmarked for a town research project to supplement oral histories or perhaps even a roots trip to Zembrove.
According to Professor Jonathan Sarna of Brandis University, these societies were strongest during waves of immigration and after World War I when they raised money for those back home. After the Holocaust - in the 1940s-50s-60s - the societies produced yizkor books (memorial books) about the "disappeared" communities in the Holocaust.
A copy of the Zembrover Society yizkor book was brought by Ronald Miller, whose grandfather came from the town: “I’m surprised this group still survives and is still trying to survive,” he said. He joined the society after another genealogist told him about it.
The group has restored the town's Jewish cemetery and is translating the 650-page yizkor book from Yiddish and Hebrew into English.
Read more here.
Conference: "Hebrew Sources," March 2009
Genealogists and family historians may find some aspects of this future conference very interesting.
The call for papers is out for the Renaissance Society of America event, March 19-21, 2009 at UCLA and The Getty Museum. Under "Hebrew Sources" - a catch-all phrase for literature and culture of the Jews and the relations between these and other aspects of Renaissance history - some new topics (there are more) to be emphasized include:
For more information, or to send proposals, 200-word abstracts and brief CVs, email Ilana Zinguer, zingueri(at)research(dot)haifa(dot)ac(dot)il
The call for papers is out for the Renaissance Society of America event, March 19-21, 2009 at UCLA and The Getty Museum. Under "Hebrew Sources" - a catch-all phrase for literature and culture of the Jews and the relations between these and other aspects of Renaissance history - some new topics (there are more) to be emphasized include:
-The converso diaspora, "crypto" literatures, assimilation, and identity.
-Cultural transmission in general through education, emigration of teachers, methods of teaching and their influences, printing and printers.
-The cultural function of glossaries, dictionaries and their circulation among scholars of different cultures; the influence of Latin and the vernacular languages on the development of Hebrew and non-Hebrew Jewish literatures in the Renaissance.
For more information, or to send proposals, 200-word abstracts and brief CVs, email Ilana Zinguer, zingueri(at)research(dot)haifa(dot)ac(dot)il
YIVO: Research Fellowships
The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research accepted applications (the deadline is today, May 16) for six research fellowships with the Milstein Family Jewish Communal Archive Project. This three-year pilot project - "New York and the American Jewish Experience" - focuses on preservation and exploration of the Jewish communal archival heritage in the New York region.
Although the deadline has passed, I believe it is valuable to show readers what resources may be coming down the family history road in the future.
Suggested topics - from the 1880s to the present - include but are not limited to these: Jewish migration experience; social welfare and philanthropy in Jewish communal organizations; Americanization and acculturation; culture, intellectual life and the arts; youth education and camping; Jewish life in New York during and after World War II: GIs, DPs, and the organized Jewish community; Jews of New York in the McCarthy period; Jews of New York and the civil rights movement; and studying and preserving archival resources on Jewish life in New York
The project is being carried out by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in collaboration with the 92nd Street Y, The Educational Alliance, F·E·G·S Health and Human Services System, NYANA [New York Association for New Americans] and Surprise Lake Camp.
The fellowships are funded by the Milstein Family Foundation and the Howard and Abby Milstein Foundation, and they were open to faculty, post-doctoral scholars, independent scholars and doctoral students researching the history of Jews in the New York region as well as those researching the general American Jewish Experience with focus on New York.
The Fellows will present papers at a major conference on New York and the American Jewish Experience at the Center for Jewish History in fall 2009. When information is made available on that event, I'll inform readers.
Although the deadline has passed, I believe it is valuable to show readers what resources may be coming down the family history road in the future.
Suggested topics - from the 1880s to the present - include but are not limited to these: Jewish migration experience; social welfare and philanthropy in Jewish communal organizations; Americanization and acculturation; culture, intellectual life and the arts; youth education and camping; Jewish life in New York during and after World War II: GIs, DPs, and the organized Jewish community; Jews of New York in the McCarthy period; Jews of New York and the civil rights movement; and studying and preserving archival resources on Jewish life in New York
The project is being carried out by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in collaboration with the 92nd Street Y, The Educational Alliance, F·E·G·S Health and Human Services System, NYANA [New York Association for New Americans] and Surprise Lake Camp.
The fellowships are funded by the Milstein Family Foundation and the Howard and Abby Milstein Foundation, and they were open to faculty, post-doctoral scholars, independent scholars and doctoral students researching the history of Jews in the New York region as well as those researching the general American Jewish Experience with focus on New York.
The Fellows will present papers at a major conference on New York and the American Jewish Experience at the Center for Jewish History in fall 2009. When information is made available on that event, I'll inform readers.
Southern Jewish Historical Society: Grant program
The Southern Jewish Historical Society will provide a $2,500 grant to each of two individuals to assist with research and writing outstanding scholarship in southern Jewish history. The Bornblum Foundation of Memphis, Tennessee provided the funding.
The competition is open to any individual pursuing a project substantially enhancing knowledge of southern Jewish history. Graduate students, junior faculty and others are particularly encouraged to apply.
For details write to Dr. Mark K. Bauman, Chair, Bornblum Grant Committee, markkbauman(at)aol(dot)com.
The competition is open to any individual pursuing a project substantially enhancing knowledge of southern Jewish history. Graduate students, junior faculty and others are particularly encouraged to apply.
For details write to Dr. Mark K. Bauman, Chair, Bornblum Grant Committee, markkbauman(at)aol(dot)com.
Poland: Wroclaw Jewish Studies Conference
The Fifth Wroclaw International Conference on Jewish Studies is themed "Modern Jewish Culture: Diversities and Unities," and will take place June 24-26, at Wroclaw University in Poland.
It is organized by the Department of Jewish Studies, Wroclaw University (Poland) and Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, with support from the Rothschild Foundation, Taube Foundation, and Pennsylvania State University. There will be tours of Jewish Wroclaw.
International senior scholars will exploring the intersection of modernity and Jewishness in the expression, representation, and construction of culture.
A small sample of programs:
To register and for complete details, email conference coordinator Agnieszka Jagodziñska, conference coordinator, jagodzinska(at)yahoo(dot)com prior to 23 May.
It is organized by the Department of Jewish Studies, Wroclaw University (Poland) and Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, with support from the Rothschild Foundation, Taube Foundation, and Pennsylvania State University. There will be tours of Jewish Wroclaw.
International senior scholars will exploring the intersection of modernity and Jewishness in the expression, representation, and construction of culture.
A small sample of programs:
--"How Jews understand they are Jews: Jewish Identities in the Modern World," Mikhail Chlenov (State Jewish Maimonidies Academy, Russia).
--"Representing Jewish Culture: The Problem of Boundaries," Jonathan Webber (University of Birmingham, UK)
--"Mixed Motives: Sustaining And Defining Jewish Heritage In A Small Italian City Today," Steve Siporin (Utah State University, USA),
--"Beyond Virtual Jewishness: New Authenticities, Real Imaginary Places, and The Commodification of Jewish Culture," Ruth Ellen Gruber (Italy)
--"Creating, Displaying, and Depicting Jewish Memory and Culture," Richard I. Cohen (Hebrew University, Israel)
--"Building the Museum of the History of Polish Jews: A Work in Progress," Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett (New York University, USA)
--"The Jewish Cemetery Landscape as a Text of Culture," Agnieszka Jagodzinska (Wroclaw University, Poland),
--"Ladino: The Sound That Has Slowly Disappeared From the Wider Soundscape of Turkey," Karen Sarhon (Ottoman-Turkish Sephardic Culture Research Center, Turkey)
--"Culture As Identity Peg: The Role of Culture in the Construction of Jewish Identity," Andras Kovacs (Central European University, Hungary),
--"Migration and Jewish Memory: Means of Transport and Storage in Modern Times," Joachim Schloer (University of Southampton, UK),
--"Poles Rediscovering Their Jewish Roots And Identity: What Does This Mean And How Does It Happen?" Rabbi Michael Schudrich (Poland)
To register and for complete details, email conference coordinator Agnieszka Jagodziñska, conference coordinator, jagodzinska(at)yahoo(dot)com prior to 23 May.
Chicago: Biographic resource online
Did you have prominent ancestors in early 20th century Chicago? You might want to check up on them online in "The Book of Chicagoans: A Biographical Dictionary of Leading Living Men of the City of Chicago," with versions for 1905, 1911 and 1917.
It is available here . The book is organized like the Who's Who volumes, and visitors can choose to view text or PDF versions (heavy files: 1905 is 68 MB).
These volumes may have very valuable information for your Chicago ancestors. Details may be very detailed or sparse (it depended on what information the person named decided to supply). Information may contain names of spouse and children, birth dates, education, employment history, home/office addresses and other details. Some entries are much more detailed than others.
From the 1911 edition:
It is available here . The book is organized like the Who's Who volumes, and visitors can choose to view text or PDF versions (heavy files: 1905 is 68 MB).
These volumes may have very valuable information for your Chicago ancestors. Details may be very detailed or sparse (it depended on what information the person named decided to supply). Information may contain names of spouse and children, birth dates, education, employment history, home/office addresses and other details. Some entries are much more detailed than others.
From the 1911 edition:
It is known that 841 persons whose names appeared in the previous edition have died and that 408 have removed from the city; consequently their sketches have been dropped, and 729 have been omitted for other reasons. The names, however, have been included in the present edition and reference has been made to the volume in which the sketches may be found.
Oklahoma: Historical state maps online
Digitization of various materials and images is the wave of the future for family history resources. One recent program is that of the Oklahoma Historical Society, which has digitized and placed online more than 600 historical maps, thanks to a $200,000 grant from the Chickasaw Nation.
Plans are to make some 4,000 maps accessible through the society's website. PDF versions of the maps can be printed directly from the website and include original plats of nearly every town in what is now eastern Oklahoma. Some gems include an 1856 "New Map of Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico and Indian Territories" (1856).
The grant enabled the OHS to purchase equipment and hire a full-time staff member. The society plans to scan 40,000 rolls of microfilm including its newspaper collection, although these may not be online but recorded on digital disks instead.
The next plan is to acquire enough server space to enable the OHS to open the collection to search engines Google and Yahoo.
The notice appeared here.
Plans are to make some 4,000 maps accessible through the society's website. PDF versions of the maps can be printed directly from the website and include original plats of nearly every town in what is now eastern Oklahoma. Some gems include an 1856 "New Map of Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico and Indian Territories" (1856).
The grant enabled the OHS to purchase equipment and hire a full-time staff member. The society plans to scan 40,000 rolls of microfilm including its newspaper collection, although these may not be online but recorded on digital disks instead.
The next plan is to acquire enough server space to enable the OHS to open the collection to search engines Google and Yahoo.
The notice appeared here.
Michigan: State resources seminar, July 25-26
Are you looking for your ancestors in Michigan? A two-day event at the Library and Archives of Michigan, in Lansing, may provide valuable family history resources.
"Piecing Together our Past: 2008 Abrams Genealogy Seminar" will take place Friday and Saturday, July 25-26, at the Library of Michigan for researchers of all levels. The seminar covers resources at the Abrams Foundation Historical Collection, genealogical and historical collections at selected state libraries and archives. The seminar will take place at the Library of Michigan.
In addition to tours of the archives and library, programs focused on these resources include finding Revolutionary War ancestors, genealogical research, bringing ancestors to life, researching in Michigan Townships, archival treasures, Michigan death records digitization project, genealogical gems in Saginaw public libraries, Civil War genealogy, newspapers, sharing success, local history resources for genealogists, city directories and more.
Registration is $40 (Ingraham County Genealogical Society members, $25). For registration and additional information, click here.
"Piecing Together our Past: 2008 Abrams Genealogy Seminar" will take place Friday and Saturday, July 25-26, at the Library of Michigan for researchers of all levels. The seminar covers resources at the Abrams Foundation Historical Collection, genealogical and historical collections at selected state libraries and archives. The seminar will take place at the Library of Michigan.
In addition to tours of the archives and library, programs focused on these resources include finding Revolutionary War ancestors, genealogical research, bringing ancestors to life, researching in Michigan Townships, archival treasures, Michigan death records digitization project, genealogical gems in Saginaw public libraries, Civil War genealogy, newspapers, sharing success, local history resources for genealogists, city directories and more.
Registration is $40 (Ingraham County Genealogical Society members, $25). For registration and additional information, click here.
ISFHWE writing winners named
Winners of the 2008 International Society of Family History Writers and Editors Excellence in Writing Contest were announced May 14, at the NGS conference in Kansas City, during the annual ISFHWE banquet.
I'm happy to be in the good company of my distinguished colleagues Colleen Fitzpatrick and Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak in Category II - Articles, and congratulate everyone recognized this year.
Here is the complete list as provided by 2008 contest coordinator Yolanda Campbell Lifter:
I'm happy to be in the good company of my distinguished colleagues Colleen Fitzpatrick and Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak in Category II - Articles, and congratulate everyone recognized this year.
Here is the complete list as provided by 2008 contest coordinator Yolanda Campbell Lifter:
Category I-Newspaper Columns
First Place: Mary Alice Dell, "Land Ho"
Second Place: Julie Miller, "Dear Lucy, Love Phil: A Cotton Family Legacy"
Third Place: Mary Penner, "Union Vets Joined Posts Across Nation"
Category II-Articles
First Place: Colleen Fitzpatrick, "Clues Left Around a House"
Second Place: Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak: "Found! Serial Centenarians"
Third Place: Schelly Talalay Dardashti: "Planting the Family Tree"
Category III-Original Research Story
First Place: Hazlehurst Smith Beezer, "Dr. James Hill: Skeleton in the Hall Family Closet"
Second Place: Terry R. Barnhart, "Unraveling the Mystery in Ginghamsburg"
Third Place: Nancy Waters Lauer, "When a Brick Wall Crumbles Onto the Wrong Path"
Category IV-Want-to-Be Writer/Columnist
First Place: Debra A. Hoffman, "Bricks & Mortality"
Second Place: Harold Henderson, "City Directories as Clue Factories"
Third Place: J.H. Fonkert, "Celebrate Minnesota's History by Starting Your Own"
Congratulations to all the winners!
Yolanda Campbell Lifter, 2008 Contest Coordinator
Malabar, FL
UK paper: DNA testing 'a rip-off'
According to the UK's Daily Mail, ancestral DNA test kits are a rip off because an Ancestors magazine (published by the UK National Archives) deputy editor tested with three companies and received three different results, raising suspicions.
Here's the Daily Mail story (link below), as well as the response from Family Tree DNA (which was NOT one of three tested companies).
Law said that some DNA tests can be used for family history but that heritage DNA tsts should be treated as fun, "you can't rely on them."
Here are the three companies tested, the charge, the results, and company response:
International Biosciences, £199
Result: East Asia - an area covering China, Japan and Korea.
Response: "We're perfectly happy with the way we do the tests. We've never had any complaints."
Oxford Ancestors, £180
Result: Velda, a clan mother who lived in modern-day Spain.
Response: "We have had a number of clients who have found discrepancies with results from other firms."
Ancestry DNA, £90,
Result: Near East - including areas such as Turkey, Palestine and Jordan - 25,000 years ago.
Response: "Ancestry DNA said it provided a 'good level of accuracy,' although a spokesman added: 'The science is still in its infancy and will develop as time goes on.'"
Read the complete story here.
====================================
Family Tree DNA was not one of the three firms selected and I asked for a comment to the story. VP of operations and marketing Max Blankfeld responded with the following letter to group administrators, and wrote to both the Daily Mail and Ancestors magazine:
Here's the Daily Mail story (link below), as well as the response from Family Tree DNA (which was NOT one of three tested companies).
£200-a-time ancestral DNA test kits are a rip off, say experts
They are popular with those who want to delve thousands of years deeper into their family history than the documents at the local records office will allow.
But DNA heritage tests, which can cost up to £200 a go, could be worthless, according to a leading journal.
The tests are supposed to reveal where a subject's ancestors came from by comparing their genes to those of others from around the world.
Family tree: with DNA heritage testing firms each giving wildly different results, the tests should just be treated as fun, says Ancestors magazine
The popularity of the tests has boomed over the past five years as the technology to build genetic databases developed.
Tens of thousands of the tests are estimated to have been carried out in Britain.
But firms which carry out the tests are providing results that often appear to have nothing to do with applicants' biological or genetic backgrounds, Ancestors magazine claims in its latest edition.
Deputy editor Penny Law sent DNA samples to three firms - but each came up with different ancestries, suggesting her origins were either in East Asia, Spain or the near East.
'All were working from the same DNA with the same technology so to come back with different results is suspicious,' she said.
Law said that some DNA tests can be used for family history but that heritage DNA tsts should be treated as fun, "you can't rely on them."
Here are the three companies tested, the charge, the results, and company response:
International Biosciences, £199
Result: East Asia - an area covering China, Japan and Korea.
Response: "We're perfectly happy with the way we do the tests. We've never had any complaints."
Oxford Ancestors, £180
Result: Velda, a clan mother who lived in modern-day Spain.
Response: "We have had a number of clients who have found discrepancies with results from other firms."
Ancestry DNA, £90,
Result: Near East - including areas such as Turkey, Palestine and Jordan - 25,000 years ago.
Response: "Ancestry DNA said it provided a 'good level of accuracy,' although a spokesman added: 'The science is still in its infancy and will develop as time goes on.'"
Read the complete story here.
====================================
Family Tree DNA was not one of the three firms selected and I asked for a comment to the story. VP of operations and marketing Max Blankfeld responded with the following letter to group administrators, and wrote to both the Daily Mail and Ancestors magazine:
Dear Fellow Genealogist,
This week an article was published in the UK newspaper Daily Mail, quoting Ancestors Magazine, under the title: "£200-a-time ancestral DNA test kits are a rip off, say experts", by Andrew Levy.
The article was based on tests by the following companies: Oxford Ancestors, Ancestry DNA, and International Biosciences.
Family Tree DNA was not contacted for testing purposes, nor mentioned in that article. Having tested over 350,000 individuals (over 100,000 of our direct customers and 250,000 participants in National Geographic's Genographic Project) we could supply anyone who asks us with thousands of examples that prove the opposite of what the article stated.
Unfortunately, the journalist's conclusion is based on opportunist companies who noted our success and jumped into Genetic Genealogy to get a piece of it, but who did not have the science or the database that would allow for a serious work. Again, note that Family Tree DNA was NOT one of the companies that the journalist approached.
About 2 years ago, Oxford Ancestors announced to the world that they found a descendant of Genghis Khan living in Florida - a Caucasian accountant. Family Tree DNA proved that Oxford Ancestors was wrong. Tom Robinson, the person in question, recounts the entire story in his blog. The Associated Press later distributed the news: "Robinson, an associate accounting professor at the University of Miami, canceled a planned trip to Mongolia after learning of the new results. He said he never sought publicity on his ancestry. "The results that Family Tree DNA gave me are pretty conclusive," he said. "I’m certainly not going to look for any more tests on Genghis Khan."
Family Tree DNA is proud to have the largest database of its kind in the world (more than all other companies combined), to adhere to the best science in the field, and to be the expert source for journalists from the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, among others. National Geographic would not tarnish their century-old reputation by partnering with us.
That article, in the end, demonstrates the following:
- While Family Tree DNA prices are in line with other companies, price is not the only thing that matters when choosing a DNA testing company
- Science and database size are important factors when choosing a testing company
You are welcome to share this e-mail with whomever you feel necessary, and we make ourselves available to anyone with questions about our work.
Max Blankfeld
Vice-President, Operations and Marketing
http://www.FamilyTreeDNA.com
"History Unearthed Daily"
max@familytreedna.com
713-868-1438
May 14, 2008
Chicago 2008: Ancestral flavors
Gastronomy is part of family history - we all have our favorites handed down through the generations and we still feel a connection to foods evocative of our ancestral origins.
The 28th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy has decided to provide, for the first time, ethnic menus for the Special Interest Group (SIG) luncheons.
The main reason for attending SIG luncheons and the banquet is not the food, of course, but networking with research colleagues and the focused programs. However, it doesn't hurt to have an interesting menu.
Please note that the luncheons and the banquet are fee-added events. Luncheons fill to capacity rather quickly, so register soon and don't be diappointed. All conference information is here, including registration, hotel, program and more.
Here are some gastronomic highlights and announced SIG programs:
GERSIG Luncheon (Monday, August 18): Heidelberg meatloaf seasoned with caraway and rye bread, warm Munich potato salad, braised red sauerkraut and Black Forest Cake.
Gesher Galicia SIG (Monday, August 18): Mushroom and barley soup, chicken paprikash, spaetzel and broccolini.
Hungarian SIG Luncheon (Tuesday, August 19): Hungarian marinated cucumber salad, Budapest goulash (beef stew with tomatoes, peppers and potatoes), egg noodles, and Dobos Torte.
ROM SIG Luncheon and Latvia SIG (both Tuesday, August 19): Salmon Kulebyaka (salmon filet, sautéed spinach and wild rice in puff pastry) and Romanian apple cake.
Ukraine SIG and Litvak SIG (both Wednesday, August 20): Sour cherry soup, chicken Kiev, rustic potato casserole, and a honey-soaked cake with apricot sauce.
The only menu I found somewhat strange was for both the Belarus SIG and Jewish Resources in Argentina and Venezuela (both Thursday, August 21). Somehow I don't think my Mogilev, Belarus relatives ever ate Israeli-style three-cheese baked eggplant or asparagus, or that their salads included hearts of palm, artichokes, olives or shaved parmesan - not even for a long time after they settled in Boston, New York and Philadelphia. On the bright side, if they had experienced that opportunity, they might have liked those dishes much better than their regular fare of borscht, stuffed cabbage, kasha and kugel.
The banquet choices also have an international flair, with main dishes of marinated Salonika chicken (olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and herbs), Eastern European braised beef short ribs or Iberian seared halibut with papaya mango relish. If attendees indicate a kosher choice, it will be as close to the original menu as possible, and a vegetarian selection will also be offered.
Breakfast menus, Friday Shabbat Dinner and Saturday Welcome Dinner have yet to be posted.
The 28th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy has decided to provide, for the first time, ethnic menus for the Special Interest Group (SIG) luncheons.
The main reason for attending SIG luncheons and the banquet is not the food, of course, but networking with research colleagues and the focused programs. However, it doesn't hurt to have an interesting menu.
Please note that the luncheons and the banquet are fee-added events. Luncheons fill to capacity rather quickly, so register soon and don't be diappointed. All conference information is here, including registration, hotel, program and more.
Here are some gastronomic highlights and announced SIG programs:
GERSIG Luncheon (Monday, August 18): Heidelberg meatloaf seasoned with caraway and rye bread, warm Munich potato salad, braised red sauerkraut and Black Forest Cake.
The luncheon will be preceded by two presentations by Friedrich Wollmershaeuser of Germany. There will be short presentations concerning personal research to illustrate successes, failures or brickwalls.
Gesher Galicia SIG (Monday, August 18): Mushroom and barley soup, chicken paprikash, spaetzel and broccolini.
Michael Stanislawski, PhD, will talk about his book "A Murder in Lemberg: Politics, Religion, and Violence in Modern Jewish History." On September 6, 1848, in Lemberg, Galicia, Abraham Ber Pilpel entered the kitchen of Rabbi Abraham Kohn and poured arsenic in soup being prepared for the family dinner. Within hours, Kohn and his infant daughter were dead. Stanislawski vividly recreates this dramatic murder story, the following trial, the political and religious fallout and the surprising diversity of Jewish life in mid-19th-century Eastern Europe. Book sale and signing follows.
Hungarian SIG Luncheon (Tuesday, August 19): Hungarian marinated cucumber salad, Budapest goulash (beef stew with tomatoes, peppers and potatoes), egg noodles, and Dobos Torte.
ROM SIG Luncheon and Latvia SIG (both Tuesday, August 19): Salmon Kulebyaka (salmon filet, sautéed spinach and wild rice in puff pastry) and Romanian apple cake.
The ROM-SIG luncheon is an informal get-together and an opportunity to meet invited speaker Natalia Alhazov (Chisinau, Moldova), who will be giving three programs that day and attending the ROM-SIG meeting. The luncheon will be relaxed and low-key.
The Latvia SIG event includes: Presentation of Latvia SIG Life time achievement awards to Arlene Beare and Mike Getz; Bruce Dumes, "A Family Website: Connecting the Past and the Present," explaining how his successful family website resulted in bringing his family together; dialogue with SIG speakers, Dr. Max Michelson, author of "City of Life, City of Death, Memories of Riga" and Prof Ruven Ferber, project head, "Jews in Latvia: Names and Fate, 1941-1945."
Ukraine SIG and Litvak SIG (both Wednesday, August 20): Sour cherry soup, chicken Kiev, rustic potato casserole, and a honey-soaked cake with apricot sauce.
Litvak SIG - Dr. Ruth Leiserowitz, "The Memel (Klaipeda) Archive Records – Where and What Are They?" In 1944, while retreating from the Russian Army, the German Army was ordered to remove all records from the Memel Archive and bring them to Berlin. All records, some back to 1790, were removed and then disappeared. Until their partial discovery by Leiserowitz, the record location remained a mystery for more than 50 years. She will explain how she tracked down the records in three countries, and valuable information contained in the records.
The only menu I found somewhat strange was for both the Belarus SIG and Jewish Resources in Argentina and Venezuela (both Thursday, August 21). Somehow I don't think my Mogilev, Belarus relatives ever ate Israeli-style three-cheese baked eggplant or asparagus, or that their salads included hearts of palm, artichokes, olives or shaved parmesan - not even for a long time after they settled in Boston, New York and Philadelphia. On the bright side, if they had experienced that opportunity, they might have liked those dishes much better than their regular fare of borscht, stuffed cabbage, kasha and kugel.
The South American event features Rabbi Victor Mirelman Ph.D. and Daniel Horowitz. Rabbi Mirelman will answer questions about Argentina: Jewish history, migrations, different communities, Jewish farmers (gauchos), community tensions, and available genealogical resources (most compiled by the Asociacion de Genealogia Judia de Argentina); while Horowitz will answer questions on the Venezuela (Ashkenazi and Sephardic) community, history, countries of origin, structure, community institutions, genealogical resources available, computer databases and more.
The banquet choices also have an international flair, with main dishes of marinated Salonika chicken (olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and herbs), Eastern European braised beef short ribs or Iberian seared halibut with papaya mango relish. If attendees indicate a kosher choice, it will be as close to the original menu as possible, and a vegetarian selection will also be offered.
Breakfast menus, Friday Shabbat Dinner and Saturday Welcome Dinner have yet to be posted.
Chicago 2008: Schoenberg keynote speaker
Attorney and genealogist E. Randol Schoenberg will be the keynote speaker at the Sunday, August 15 opening of the 28th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy (August 15-22, Chicago).
Presenting "Recovering Nazi-Looted Art - A Genealogist's Tale," Schoenberg will describe how his genealogy skills facilitated his highly successful pursuit of Nazi-looted art cases.
He will share how his family research, a passion since childhood, was of critical importance in his legal work since he was aware of available genealogical resources that could be used as supporting documentation and how his family research gave him insight into the lives of individuals who lost art.
Cases highlighted will include the Republic of Austria v. Altmann (involving the return of Gustav Klimt paintings) and others involving Nazi-looted Picasso and Canaletto paintings.
An attorney with the Los Angeles firm of Burris, Schoenberg & Walden, he has litigated - over the past decade - several prominent Nazi-looted art cases, including Republic of Austria v. Altmann.
In that case, he sought the return of six famous Gustav Klimt paintings to his client. After persuading the U.S. Supreme Court that Maria Altmann could sue Austria for return of the paintings, he agreed to arbitrate the dispute in Austria. In January 2006, the arbitration panel decided that the paintings, valued at more than $325 million, should be returned to Mrs. Altmann.
Other successful cases: Winning a unanimous Austrian arbitration ruling ordering return of an $8 million Viennese building confiscated during the Nazi era; a $6.5 million settlement for a Nazi-looted Picasso painting; and a $3 million settlement for a Nazi-looted Canaletto painting.
Schoenberg's passion for genealogy began with a third-grade assignment when he was only 8; by 11, he had a 12-foot tree, with more than 300 people. When he was bored in school, he would practice writing out the family tree from memory.
He serves as coordinator, moderator and co-founder of the Austria-Czech SIG, author of the "Beginner's Guide to Austrian-Jewish Genealogy" and "Getting Started with Czech-Jewish Genealogy" (co-authored with Julius Muller). For two and a half years, he has served as board president of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust.
For more information on the annual week-long IAJGS conference, which brings together Jewish genealogy experts, archivists and researchers of all levels from around the world for an intensive period of learning, sharing and networking, click here for details on registration, hotel and to view the program schedule.
Presenting "Recovering Nazi-Looted Art - A Genealogist's Tale," Schoenberg will describe how his genealogy skills facilitated his highly successful pursuit of Nazi-looted art cases.
He will share how his family research, a passion since childhood, was of critical importance in his legal work since he was aware of available genealogical resources that could be used as supporting documentation and how his family research gave him insight into the lives of individuals who lost art.
Cases highlighted will include the Republic of Austria v. Altmann (involving the return of Gustav Klimt paintings) and others involving Nazi-looted Picasso and Canaletto paintings.
An attorney with the Los Angeles firm of Burris, Schoenberg & Walden, he has litigated - over the past decade - several prominent Nazi-looted art cases, including Republic of Austria v. Altmann.
In that case, he sought the return of six famous Gustav Klimt paintings to his client. After persuading the U.S. Supreme Court that Maria Altmann could sue Austria for return of the paintings, he agreed to arbitrate the dispute in Austria. In January 2006, the arbitration panel decided that the paintings, valued at more than $325 million, should be returned to Mrs. Altmann.
Other successful cases: Winning a unanimous Austrian arbitration ruling ordering return of an $8 million Viennese building confiscated during the Nazi era; a $6.5 million settlement for a Nazi-looted Picasso painting; and a $3 million settlement for a Nazi-looted Canaletto painting.
Schoenberg's passion for genealogy began with a third-grade assignment when he was only 8; by 11, he had a 12-foot tree, with more than 300 people. When he was bored in school, he would practice writing out the family tree from memory.
He serves as coordinator, moderator and co-founder of the Austria-Czech SIG, author of the "Beginner's Guide to Austrian-Jewish Genealogy" and "Getting Started with Czech-Jewish Genealogy" (co-authored with Julius Muller). For two and a half years, he has served as board president of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust.
For more information on the annual week-long IAJGS conference, which brings together Jewish genealogy experts, archivists and researchers of all levels from around the world for an intensive period of learning, sharing and networking, click here for details on registration, hotel and to view the program schedule.
A real genealogy pub - in Germany
My husband always says I'll talk to anyone. No matter where we are, I'll talk to complete strangers about family history and genealogy. These singular opportunities provide insights and, more importantly, may make some interesting connections.
Further to our previous genealogy pub discussion here, the Seattle Times recently published a travel essay - "In a German pub, genealogy takes living, breathing form" - by Jan Burak Schwert.
A funny thing happened to Schwert and her husband as they were rooting for ancestors around Konstanz, Germany.
As the couple were leaving, they passed a gasthaus (pub) and decided to celebrate. As they walked in, everyone became silent. The waitress took their beer order and asked if there was anything else.
Read more to find out more about Ron's doppelgänger (twin) who arrived with his family chart at the ready, proving they shared a great-great grandfather.
Imagine if the couple had simple ordered their beers, drunk up and left without a bit of conversation?
Schwert ends with "When a name on a document came to life, I finally understood the magic of genealogy."
Further to our previous genealogy pub discussion here, the Seattle Times recently published a travel essay - "In a German pub, genealogy takes living, breathing form" - by Jan Burak Schwert.
A funny thing happened to Schwert and her husband as they were rooting for ancestors around Konstanz, Germany.
A man walked into the German restaurant, and my jaw hit the floor. I'd never seen the man before. It was my husband.
But let's begin at the beginning ...
My husband, Ron, and I had traveled to Konstanz, Germany. Ron was on the trail of his German ancestors. He disappeared into the archives office as soon as we arrived, while I set off to explore Konstanz, a city of ancient buildings and tangled passageways. Every once in a while I pictured my husband stuck in a dark, dusty cellar, surrounded by cobwebs and ancestral records.
I was sunbathing when Ron caught up with me.
"There you are," he said, barely able to contain himself. "You won't believe this. I found out where the Schwerts are buried in Binningen, only 20 miles from here."
The next morning we took off in the rain, looking for the tiny ancestral village among rolling hills and farmland. When we located Binningen and its Catholic church, Ron leapt out and headed for the cemetery. He returned a half-hour later, having spotted five Schwert graves.
As the couple were leaving, they passed a gasthaus (pub) and decided to celebrate. As they walked in, everyone became silent. The waitress took their beer order and asked if there was anything else.
"Well," said Ron, "I'm looking for information about the Schwert family. Do you know ... "
Sylvia questioned the men in German. They came alive, talking and nodding emphatically. "They're saying you look like a Schwert," reported Sylvia.
"I do?" he asked, astonished.
Pub owner Jesse made a phone call, then said, "Don't worry, he's coming over."
"Who?" said Ron.
"Franz Schwert."
We looked at each other, speechless. I thought my husband was going to burst.
Read more to find out more about Ron's doppelgänger (twin) who arrived with his family chart at the ready, proving they shared a great-great grandfather.
Imagine if the couple had simple ordered their beers, drunk up and left without a bit of conversation?
Schwert ends with "When a name on a document came to life, I finally understood the magic of genealogy."
May 13, 2008
Los Angeles: Kugl Kukh-off, June 1
What do you call this dish? Kugl, kigl, kugeleh. Is the main ingredient lokshn (noodles) or bulbes (potatoes)?
This ubiquitous dish may be called the ultimate in American Jewish culinary creativity with Ashkenazi (Eastern European) origins. Sweet or savory, it's found on every table and on every plate at all holiday and family gatherings.
Yiddishkayt Los Angeles invites readers (with their favorite kugels) to its Second non-annual Kugl Kukh-Off event from 1-4pm, Sunday, June 1, co-sponsored by and hosted at the Valley Cities Jewish Community Center in Sherman Oaks.
Chefs will need the official kugl entry form - not yet posted, so keep checking the site. Prizes will be awarded for Most Creative, People's Choice, the top three Sweet Kugls, the top three Savory Kugls and Best in Show.
Is your family favorite a rich sweet noodle confection or a thin peppery Jerusalem variety? Kugels range from traditional to New Age. Need a recipe? A Google search for "kugel recipe" returned 148,000 hits.
If you're still not sure what this is, here's Wikipedia's definition:
Bring your best kugel (or a favorite tasting fork) and prepare for a day that will make you question everything you thought you knew about this ubiquitous Jewish dish. They've even produced a video that entices visitors to enter a new dimension, to taste the future and the past.
Celebrity judges include Pulitzer Prize winner Jonathan Gold (Gourmet & LA Weekly), Evan Kleiman (host of KCRW's Good Food), Amy Albert (Bon Appetit), Marvin Saul (Junior's Deli) and others judges.
In addition to tasting the yummy dishes, there will also be live entertainment, oral history recording and a family workshop.
Admission is $10 ($8 for Yiddishkayt and VCJCC members/seniors), including three kugl tastings. Additional tastings are two for $1. Bring the kids: Under 12s get free admission and one tasting. Chefs bringing a kugel get free admission.
For more details, click here.
This ubiquitous dish may be called the ultimate in American Jewish culinary creativity with Ashkenazi (Eastern European) origins. Sweet or savory, it's found on every table and on every plate at all holiday and family gatherings.
Yiddishkayt Los Angeles invites readers (with their favorite kugels) to its Second non-annual Kugl Kukh-Off event from 1-4pm, Sunday, June 1, co-sponsored by and hosted at the Valley Cities Jewish Community Center in Sherman Oaks.
Chefs will need the official kugl entry form - not yet posted, so keep checking the site. Prizes will be awarded for Most Creative, People's Choice, the top three Sweet Kugls, the top three Savory Kugls and Best in Show.
Is your family favorite a rich sweet noodle confection or a thin peppery Jerusalem variety? Kugels range from traditional to New Age. Need a recipe? A Google search for "kugel recipe" returned 148,000 hits.
If you're still not sure what this is, here's Wikipedia's definition:
Kugel (Yiddish: קוגל kugl or קוגעל, pronounced either koogel with the "oo" like the "oo" in "book or "look", or kigel, as was pronounced in Galicia) is any one of a wide variety of traditional baked Jewish side dishes or desserts. It is sometimes translated as "pudding" or "casserole".
Kugels may be sweet or savory. The most common types are made from egg noodles (called lochshen kugels) or potatoes and often contain eggs, but there are recipes in everyday use in modern Jewish kitchens for a great diversity of kugels made with different vegetables, fruit, batters, cheese, and other flavorings and toppings.
Sweet Kugels
In the 17th century, sugar was introduced, giving home cooks the option of serving kugel as a sweet side dish or dessert. In Poland, Jewish homemakers sprinkled raisins, cinnamon and sweet farmer's cheese into noodle kugel recipes. Hungarians took the dessert concept further with a hefty helping of sugar and some sour cream. Most sweet Kugels are served cold or at room temperature. In the late 19th century, Jerusalemites combined caramelized sugar and black pepper in a noodle kugel known as "Jerusalem kugel," which is a commonly served at Shabbat Kiddushes and is a popular side dish served with cholent during Shabbat lunch.
Savory Kugels
While less renowned than their sweeter cousins, savory kugels have always existed. Early noodle recipes called for onions and salt and were tasty at room temperature. Over the centuries, inspired cooks have skipped the noodles, substituting potatoes, matzah, carrots, zucchini, spinach or cheese for the base.
Today many cooks top kugels with corn flakes, graham cracker crumbs, ground gingersnaps or caramelized sugar. Inspired cooks may layer the dish with sliced pineapples or apricot jam.
Bring your best kugel (or a favorite tasting fork) and prepare for a day that will make you question everything you thought you knew about this ubiquitous Jewish dish. They've even produced a video that entices visitors to enter a new dimension, to taste the future and the past.
Celebrity judges include Pulitzer Prize winner Jonathan Gold (Gourmet & LA Weekly), Evan Kleiman (host of KCRW's Good Food), Amy Albert (Bon Appetit), Marvin Saul (Junior's Deli) and others judges.
In addition to tasting the yummy dishes, there will also be live entertainment, oral history recording and a family workshop.
Admission is $10 ($8 for Yiddishkayt and VCJCC members/seniors), including three kugl tastings. Additional tastings are two for $1. Bring the kids: Under 12s get free admission and one tasting. Chefs bringing a kugel get free admission.
For more details, click here.
Chicago 2008: Zvi Gitelman, two lectures
The Lucille Gudis Fund of the Jewish Genealogical Society, Inc. of New York (JGSNY) will sponsor two lectures at the Chicago 2008 conference, according to executive committee member Gloria Berkenstat Freund.
Zvi Y. Gitelman, University of Michigan Professor of Political Science and Tisch Professor of Judaic Studies will speak at the 28th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy (August 15-22).
“The Litvak-Galitzianer Wars: The Cultural Geography of East European Jewry”, at 7pm, Wednesday, August 20, will focus on the diversity of religious practices, Yiddish pronunciation, foods, customs, dress and political ideologies among the East European Jews that continues to influence Jewish life in Europe, the Americas and Israel.
“An Uneasy Relationship: Jews, Soviets and Russians,” at 8.15am, Thursday, August 21, will cover the paradoxes and contradictions informing the lives of Russian and Soviet Jews during the course of the 20th Century.
Zvi Y. Gitelman, University of Michigan Professor of Political Science and Tisch Professor of Judaic Studies will speak at the 28th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy (August 15-22).
“The Litvak-Galitzianer Wars: The Cultural Geography of East European Jewry”, at 7pm, Wednesday, August 20, will focus on the diversity of religious practices, Yiddish pronunciation, foods, customs, dress and political ideologies among the East European Jews that continues to influence Jewish life in Europe, the Americas and Israel.
“An Uneasy Relationship: Jews, Soviets and Russians,” at 8.15am, Thursday, August 21, will cover the paradoxes and contradictions informing the lives of Russian and Soviet Jews during the course of the 20th Century.
The Lucille Gudis Memorial Fund was created by JGSNY to honor its late Vice President, two-time IAJGS Conference co-chair and Executive Committee Member. Among other activities, the Fund has provided funding for JGSNY all-day seminars and IAJGS Conference speakers.
May 12, 2008
Irena Sendler dies; saved 2,500 Jewish children
AP broke the news of the death of Polish Holocaust hero, Irena Sendler, 98, who died Monday morning, May 12. The Fox News link to the story by AP writer Monika Scislowska is here.
WARSAW, Poland — Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker who organized the rescue of some 2,500 Jewish children from the Nazis and was later honored by Israel's Yad Vashem memorial, has died.
Sendler's daughter, Janina Zgrzembska, told The Associated Press her mother died at a Warsaw hospital Monday morning. She was 98.
Sendler had lived at a Warsaw nursing home run by the Catholic Brothers of St. John of God since 2003, but had been in the hospital since last month with pneumonia.
Sendler was born Irena Krzyzanowska in Warsaw on Feb. 15, 1910. As a social worker with Warsaw's welfare department, Sendler masterminded risky rescue operations of Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during Nazi Germany's brutal World War II occupation.
Records show Sendler's team of some 20 people saved almost 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto between October 1940 and April 1943, when the Nazis burned the ghetto, shooting the residents or sending them to death camps.
Under the pretext of inspecting the ghetto's sanitary conditions during a typhoid outbreak, Sendler and her assistants entered in search of children who could be smuggled out and be given a chance to survive by living as Catholics.
Babies and small children were smuggled out in ambulances and in trams, sometimes wrapped up as packages. Teenagers escaped by joining teams of workers forced to labor outside the ghetto. They were placed in families, orphanages, hospitals or convents.
In hopes of one day uniting the children with their families — most of whom perished in the Nazis' death camps — Sendler wrote the children's real names on slips of paper that she kept at home.
When German police came to arrest her in 1943, an assistant managed to hide the slips — which Sendler later buried in a jar under an apple tree in an associate's yard. Some 2,500 names were recorded.
"It took a true miracle to save a Jewish child," Elzbieta Ficowska, who was saved by Sendler's team as a baby in 1942, recalled in an interview with The Associated Press in 2007. "Mrs. Sendler saved not only us, but also our children and grandchildren and the generations to come."
After World War II, Sendler worked as a social welfare official and director of vocational schools, continuing to assist some of the children she rescued.
In 1965, Sendler became one of the first so-called Righteous Gentiles that the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem honored for wartime heroics. Poland's communist leaders at that time would not allow her to travel to Israel, and she collected the award only in 1983.
Despite the Yad Vashem honor, Sendler largely remained forgotten in her homeland. Only in her final years, confined to a nursing home, did she finally become one of Poland's most respected figures, with President Lech Kaczynski and other politicians backing a campaign that put her name forward for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Sendler is survived by her daughter and a granddaughter.
May 10, 2008
Amsterdam's Jewish history by bike
Amsterdamn's Jewish Historical Museum, the Amsterdam City Archive and the bike rental company MacBike have collaborated on mapping out a special bike route leading visitors through the "Hidden Treasures of Jewish Amsterdam."
Read "A bike trip through Mokum" by Michael Blass and Klaas den Tek here.
The story covers Amsterdam's significant population since the 16th century, with the arrival of the first Jews from Spain and Portugal. The first Jew was registered as a citizen of the city in 1595. The city was a haven for persecuted Sephardim, who often returned to public Judaism on their arrival from countries where they had been forced to convert. They were welcomed for the business links, culture and science.
Ashkenazi Jews arrived in the 17th century. According to the story, if a Portuguese Jew married a German Jew, people called it a mixed marriage.
City buildings in a former Jewish area carry coats of arms of wealthy Sephardic families.
The bicycle tour was organized to inform visitors and tourists that there is much more to see in Amsterdam than the red light district, shopping streets and Dam Square.
Before the war, Amsterdam was home to 80,000 Jews; today the number is 20,000. The Holocaust figures in such monuments as the Dockworker on Jonas Daniël Meijerplein and the Auschwitz memorial in Wertheimpark.
Read the complete article here.
Read "A bike trip through Mokum" by Michael Blass and Klaas den Tek here.
Amsterdam's deeply-rooted Jewish history is revealed in the city's popular nickname, Mokum. The word is a corruption of the Hebrew word makom, which means simply 'place.' Jews began settling in the city from the end of the 16th century, and despite the ravages of the Holocaust there is still much to be seen of the Jewish presence in Amsterdam.
Waterlooplein in Amsterdam is now dominated by the Stopera, a building that houses both the town hall and the Muziektheater. Only a line of stones set into the ground marks the place where the Jewish orphanage stood. It was once the district of Vlooienburg, home to 80 percent of Amsterdam's Jews.
"This used to be the heart of the Jewish neighbourhood," explains Daniël Bouw.
"The conditions were extremely bad, so many people chose to move to the Transvaal neighbourhood. But this still a very important district, because of its strong connections with the Jewish past."
The story covers Amsterdam's significant population since the 16th century, with the arrival of the first Jews from Spain and Portugal. The first Jew was registered as a citizen of the city in 1595. The city was a haven for persecuted Sephardim, who often returned to public Judaism on their arrival from countries where they had been forced to convert. They were welcomed for the business links, culture and science.
Ashkenazi Jews arrived in the 17th century. According to the story, if a Portuguese Jew married a German Jew, people called it a mixed marriage.
The Jewish presence in Amsterdam still has a clear voice in the city's everyday slang. Words with Jewish origins include mazzel (meaning good luck, but also used as a farewell), gabber (mate or pal - but in recent years also the name of a house music subculture), bajes (jail), and the nickname for Amsterdam itself, Mokum.
City buildings in a former Jewish area carry coats of arms of wealthy Sephardic families.
The bicycle tour was organized to inform visitors and tourists that there is much more to see in Amsterdam than the red light district, shopping streets and Dam Square.
Before the war, Amsterdam was home to 80,000 Jews; today the number is 20,000. The Holocaust figures in such monuments as the Dockworker on Jonas Daniël Meijerplein and the Auschwitz memorial in Wertheimpark.
Read the complete article here.
Montreal: A Baghdad Jewish family's history on film
Montreal filmmaker Joe Balass's unusual Mother's Day gift for his mother - a memoir of his Jewish family's history in Iraq - was featured in the Montreal Gazette.
In the 1960s, the family tried to maintain "a sense of normalcy," depicted in wedding reception footage where guests are doing the twist. Following the 1967 Six Day War, Iraq's Jews were targeted with arrests, spying charges and public hangings.
The filmmaker was only 4 when they left Baghdad and has few recollections of Iraq.
Read more here.
Montreal readers can see "Baghdad Twist" from Sunday through Tuesday May 11-May 13 at 7pm (English version) and at 8.30pm (French subtitles), at the NFB Cinema, 1564 St. Denis St. The English version will also be shown Wednesday and Thursday (May 14-15) at 7pm at CinemaSpace, Segal Centre, 5170 Côte Ste. Catherine Rd.
These are times Valentine Balass would sooner forget, but it does provide her son with some fascinating, if not harrowing, insights into a previously dark chapter in his family's history.
Balass's documentary Baghdad Twist, opening Mother's Day at the NFB Cinema, will also be quite an eye-opener for others in the dark about life in one of the world's most troubled regions. Using vintage Super 8 footage and faded stills from the mid-1960s, Balass has his mother, off-camera, recount a hair-raising odyssey that brought their family to Montreal from Baghdad.
Making life much more dicey for the Balass clan in Baghdad was the fact they were Jewish. She recalls that the Jewish community of Iraq had been thriving up until the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. But what was once a community of 180,000 had dwindled down to 10,000 to 12,000 by the early 1950s, due in large part to a climate of accusations implying Iraq's Jews were traitors and, as a result, fear of arrest and worse among the Jews.
In the 1960s, the family tried to maintain "a sense of normalcy," depicted in wedding reception footage where guests are doing the twist. Following the 1967 Six Day War, Iraq's Jews were targeted with arrests, spying charges and public hangings.
Balass's dad was detained three times for no specific reason, but after he was let out on bail following the last arrest, Valentine was taking no chances. She took charge and made plans to bolt Baghdad quickly with her husband, three kids and other family members.
Leaving everything in their Baghdad home intact, so as not to arouse any suspicion, this group of 12 fled, at enormous risk, to the Kurdish north of Iraq. From there, they slipped into Iran, then made their way to Israel before ending up in Montreal in 1970 - with pretty much only the clothes on their backs.
The filmmaker was only 4 when they left Baghdad and has few recollections of Iraq.
"I was unaware of what my mother went through and all the pressure she was under," Balass says. "The whole transition she had undergone from a housewife and mother who was being taken care of to someone who had to take control of a situation and take care of a huge extended family in trying to escape Iraq.
"Those were particularly frightening times in Iraq. Saddam Hussein was just starting to make a name for himself then. It was an atmosphere of absolute terror for Jewish families. Our journey was dangerous enough, but if we had been caught ... ."
Read more here.
Montreal readers can see "Baghdad Twist" from Sunday through Tuesday May 11-May 13 at 7pm (English version) and at 8.30pm (French subtitles), at the NFB Cinema, 1564 St. Denis St. The English version will also be shown Wednesday and Thursday (May 14-15) at 7pm at CinemaSpace, Segal Centre, 5170 Côte Ste. Catherine Rd.
Montreal: Juicy tidbits of deli history
According to the Montreal Gazette, a search for a deli founder's history turns up some juicy tidbits from 100 years ago, including stories in the New York Times (1907) and Washington Post (1908)
The story is a fascinating read for anyone connected to Montreal's Jewish community, or for anyone who likes deli food!
Roth, 86, has photos of the three-storey building where the deli was located on the main floor at 501 Main St, now St. Laurent Boulevard. The story recounts her "Father File" the results of research conducted with help of an internet-savvy neighbor named Rosalee Kovalsky. "Using cyberspace to shake the family tree has yielded a bountiful harvest - and surprises."
Her father arrived in New York from Lithuania at 14, obtained his US citizenship on Sept. 28, 1904 and opened a deli in New York a year later. Roth found a New York Times story in January 1907 of his arrest for not paying $6 a week alimony to his first wife. and quoted letters he wrote from jail:
In 1908, the Washington Post interviewed the former wife, although Rees was already in Montreal arranging to bring in New York-style deli.
Read more here.
The story is a fascinating read for anyone connected to Montreal's Jewish community, or for anyone who likes deli food!
Here's the history of Montreal delicatessens in numbers: 100 years, millions of sandwiches, at least a billion antacid tablets.
The latter two statistics are educated guesses. But because Annie Rees Roth went looking for the father she never knew, we know that the British American Delicatessen, Montreal's first, opened 100 years ago today.
The event was heralded by an advertisement in the Jewish Times. Under the assertion "I Am the Man" and beside a photo of the man himself - Lithuanian expatriate, by way of New York, Hyman Rees - the British American Deli opened its doors on May 9, 1908, promising "strictly fresh Smoked and Corned Beef of every description, which I receive daily from the N.Y. markets."
Sandwiches cost a nickel. And for the first time in Montreal, you could sit down and eat smoked meat on the premises.
Schwartz's would not open till 1927, but there were two earlier purveyors of the eastern European specialty: Aaron Sanft's butcher shop on Craig St. (now St. Antoine St.) and Chicago Hygienic Kosher Meats and Fancy Grocery, which, in 1904, advertised "lunches put up and delivered on short notice."
Roth, 86, has photos of the three-storey building where the deli was located on the main floor at 501 Main St, now St. Laurent Boulevard. The story recounts her "Father File" the results of research conducted with help of an internet-savvy neighbor named Rosalee Kovalsky. "Using cyberspace to shake the family tree has yielded a bountiful harvest - and surprises."
Her father arrived in New York from Lithuania at 14, obtained his US citizenship on Sept. 28, 1904 and opened a deli in New York a year later. Roth found a New York Times story in January 1907 of his arrest for not paying $6 a week alimony to his first wife. and quoted letters he wrote from jail:
"I thank you very much for the arrest from last week," he wrote. "You done me a good favour. I was very tired from fixing up the store and I needed the rest."
In 1908, the Washington Post interviewed the former wife, although Rees was already in Montreal arranging to bring in New York-style deli.
Read more here.
One family's journey: Riga, Dublin and Ohio
The Forward has a story about an Irish Jewish family - "A Diary Found, And a World Recovered" - by Sean Martin, associate curator of Jewish history at Western Reserve historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio.
Gilman's grandfather wrote about tradition and modernity, sufferings of the Jews, and relatives’ weddings.
A replica of the journal - the original is too fragile to exhibit - will be on display at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood, Ohio.
Read the complete article and see photographs here.
The lilt of a Yiddish-Irish brogue is not heard often in northeastern Ohio. But thanks to the efforts of Eudice Landy Gilman, we can now connect Jewish Cleveland to the Emerald Isle.
Gilman, 91 — who remembers sitting on the porch of her family’s cottage in Chippewa Lake, Ohio, and listening to her grandmother’s stories about life in Ireland — recently resurrected an artifact from her family’s past, bringing those stories to a much wider audience. Gilman’s grandfather, Hyam (Hyman) Singer, a cantor who left Riga in 1888 and immigrated to Dublin, and then to Chicago in 1901, left behind a journal of writings in Yiddish and Hebrew. The poetry records his memories from Eastern Europe and his transition to life in Ireland. Gilman, a published writer herself, received the journal in the 1960s from her sister after their mother’s death, and she promised to find a translator.
The search was a long one. Local rabbis and scholars declined the challenge of translating the densely written Yiddish text. In a remarkable feat of genealogical tenacity, Gilman turned to family members for assistance and was referred to Pollack-Mniewski Research & Translation, co-run by Forward Association archivist Chana Pollack. Now self-published as “I Will Sing You a Verse,” the journal bears witness to Singer’s experiences as an immigrant Jew and serves as an educational tool for future generations encountering the challenges of immigration.
Gilman's grandfather wrote about tradition and modernity, sufferings of the Jews, and relatives’ weddings.
The Singer family was a part of the immigration that developed the Jewish community in Ireland from the 1880s to the early 1900s. Family lore describes life for the Singer family in Dublin as “one grand spree.” In Dublin, the family located itself in the heart of the Irish-Jewish community, across the street from the Walworth Road Synagogue, today the Irish Jewish Museum. Singer may have served as cantor for the Walworth Road Synagogue. A family photo of Singer in top hat and tails suggests the high style to which the family aspired.
A replica of the journal - the original is too fragile to exhibit - will be on display at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood, Ohio.
Read the complete article and see photographs here.
Roots trip: Germany
Haaretz carried the second part of a roots trip to Germany by Avner Bernheimer, who wrote about his visit to Mainbernheim with his father.
Bernheimer had written an email to the mayor in advance, asking if they could find archival material about their family, and that they would arrive the next month.
The minister's wife took them to see an old woman who had known his grandfather's family.
The story covers a city hall visit with the chief archivist, a file documenting the family history since 1868 starting with Emilia who arrived with a baby - his great-grandfather Eliezer, but no other information on her, and they also visited Bernheimer's grandfather's house.
Read the complete article here.
The silver Mercedes that my father and I rented in Frankfurt passed through the city gate of Mainbernheim, a town surrounded by a wall and turrets, and stopped at the small, neat parking lot. Since we were hungry, we went to have lunch in a typical German restaurant on the main street of the Old City, whose roads are paved with cobblestones and are wide enough to accommodate a single truck filled with Jews, and maybe also a small boy running alongside and hurling stones at them.
A stout 79-year-old woman pianist played German country music to accompany the chewing sounds made by customers munching on white sausages, sauerkraut and kroketten. She only interrupted this divine pleasure when my father stood with a liter-glass of beer in his hand and asked her how old she was and if she knew the Bernheimer family that used to live in the city and left before they got old.
Olga first needed a sausage to calm down from the excitement that gripped her. Then she implored us not to move, rushed out of the restaurant in a flurry and disappeared somewhere among the chilly alleyways. A few minutes later, she returned with two women of about 50 - one was the wife of the mayor and the other was the wife of Mainbernheim's top Lutheran minister. They shook our hands warmly and informed us that we were coming with them for a tour of the city and the city hall, and joining them for dinner afterward. I tried to explain that we had come to Mainbernheim for two hours, that we were going to see my grandfather's house and then continue on our way to Baden-Baden for a sauna and massage, but they weren't about to brook any insubordination.
Bernheimer had written an email to the mayor in advance, asking if they could find archival material about their family, and that they would arrive the next month.
Perhaps I need to explain a little about the excitement that seized the town because of our arrival. It's important to note that this is a small place, with about 2,400 inhabitants, and the e-mail I sent to the mayor via the town's Web site was most likely one of a total of two e-mails they received that whole month. In my very polite communication, I wrote that my father and I would be pleased if they could find archival material for us about the family and that we would arrive for a visit sometime in the next month. I didn't even provide an exact date. I didn't expect that we'd have the Mainbernheim municipality hopping to attention in our honor, and put the Lutheran women from the Association for the Preservation of the Region's Jewish Heritage on high alert. But that's exactly what happened. They apologized that there were no Jews left in the region to preserve, but promised that the heritage was in good hands.
The minister's wife took them to see an old woman who had known his grandfather's family.
She told us that my great-grandfather Eliezer was the owner of a shop for designer (of course!) fabrics, very high-quality fabrics, and she described how he and his wife Elsa were terribly isolated when the non-Jewish residents of Mainbernheim were prohibited from greeting them on the street under orders from the Nazis, and how she and her twin sister, who were little girls, said hello to him one day on the street and he was so overcome with emotion that he wept. She told a few more stories and then she pulled out a picture of my great-grandfather as a young boy in a suit and cap, standing next to a horse-drawn cart. It was at that moment that I realized the trip had become serious.
The story covers a city hall visit with the chief archivist, a file documenting the family history since 1868 starting with Emilia who arrived with a baby - his great-grandfather Eliezer, but no other information on her, and they also visited Bernheimer's grandfather's house.
Read the complete article here.
DNA: Family Tree DNA newsletter
To keep up with the news at Family Tree DNA, subscribe to its Facts & Genes Newsletter. To read current and past issues, click here. The current issue - just received - includes the following:
Statistics
Family Tree DNA now has more than 125,000 records in the Y-DNA results database, more than 4,700 surname projects (some 75,000 surnames), and the mtDNA database has more than 66,000 results.
5th International Conference on Genetic Genealogy
The 5th International Conference on Genetic Genealogy for Family Tree DNA Group Administrators will take place in Houston, November 8-9, 2008.
It is open to genealogists from all over the world who currently manage group projects at Family Tree DNA and want to learn more about testing for genealogy and anthropology, and features leading experts and presentations on a variety of topics related to DNA testing for family history and deep ancestry.
I attended the conference in 2006 and was extremely impressed with the content, presenters and a growing number of genealogists who head various group projects focused on Jewish genealogy. Each year, the conference grows in size. While I couldn't make 2007, I am planning to attend 2008.
It is a superb way to learn more and network with others. If you've been planning to start a project, do it now so you'll be eligible to attend the November event.
New Y-DNA Haplogroup Tree
Family Tree DNA announced a change in haplogroup nomenclature, based on the latest research directed by Dr. Michael Hammer of the University of Arizona; recently published in a scientific paper in Genome Research. On May 5, Family Tree DNA implemented the updated Y chromosome haplogroup tree.
For more information, click here, and to see the new chart, click here. A full-color poster of the new tree can be ordered.
Starting a Surname Group Project
Are you thinking of starting a surname or other group project? Family Tree DNA offers resources and consultation, and offers tools and guidance to help make your project successful.
Find out if a project exists for your name by clicking here. If a project has not been established, contact the company to find out more.
Statistics
Family Tree DNA now has more than 125,000 records in the Y-DNA results database, more than 4,700 surname projects (some 75,000 surnames), and the mtDNA database has more than 66,000 results.
5th International Conference on Genetic Genealogy
The 5th International Conference on Genetic Genealogy for Family Tree DNA Group Administrators will take place in Houston, November 8-9, 2008.
It is open to genealogists from all over the world who currently manage group projects at Family Tree DNA and want to learn more about testing for genealogy and anthropology, and features leading experts and presentations on a variety of topics related to DNA testing for family history and deep ancestry.
I attended the conference in 2006 and was extremely impressed with the content, presenters and a growing number of genealogists who head various group projects focused on Jewish genealogy. Each year, the conference grows in size. While I couldn't make 2007, I am planning to attend 2008.
It is a superb way to learn more and network with others. If you've been planning to start a project, do it now so you'll be eligible to attend the November event.
New Y-DNA Haplogroup Tree
Family Tree DNA announced a change in haplogroup nomenclature, based on the latest research directed by Dr. Michael Hammer of the University of Arizona; recently published in a scientific paper in Genome Research. On May 5, Family Tree DNA implemented the updated Y chromosome haplogroup tree.
For more information, click here, and to see the new chart, click here. A full-color poster of the new tree can be ordered.
Starting a Surname Group Project
Are you thinking of starting a surname or other group project? Family Tree DNA offers resources and consultation, and offers tools and guidance to help make your project successful.
Find out if a project exists for your name by clicking here. If a project has not been established, contact the company to find out more.
Children of a vanished world
Roman Vishniac took thousands of photographs of shtetls and cities in Eastern Europe and their Jewish residents from 1935-1938.
Fifty of them will be on view in the "Children of a Vanished World" traveling exhibit at the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, through August 31. The exhibit is curated by the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York.
Vishniac was on assignment for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to photograph poor Jews for a fund-raising effort.
He captured images of traditional Jewish life, children were a favorite topic, and all of this photographed before their world would change so dramatically.
As conditions deteriorated in Germany, Vishniac made plans to safeguard the photos. Some 2,000 negatives reached the US with the help of friends.
In May 1939, his daughter, Mara, was sent to Sweden where her mother and brother later joined her. During that time, Vishniac was in France and was detained in an internment camp for several months. Reunited in Lisbon, the family arrived in the US in 1940.
The pictures were published in the book "Children of a Vanished World" (University of California Press, 1999), which included Yiddish nursery rhyme translations, songs, poems and children’s games. It was co-edited by Vishniac's daughter, Mara Vishniac Kohn, and Miriam Hartman Flacks nine years after his death at 92 in New York City.
For more information, see the link above.
Fifty of them will be on view in the "Children of a Vanished World" traveling exhibit at the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, through August 31. The exhibit is curated by the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York.
Vishniac was on assignment for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to photograph poor Jews for a fund-raising effort.
He captured images of traditional Jewish life, children were a favorite topic, and all of this photographed before their world would change so dramatically.
As conditions deteriorated in Germany, Vishniac made plans to safeguard the photos. Some 2,000 negatives reached the US with the help of friends.
In May 1939, his daughter, Mara, was sent to Sweden where her mother and brother later joined her. During that time, Vishniac was in France and was detained in an internment camp for several months. Reunited in Lisbon, the family arrived in the US in 1940.
The pictures were published in the book "Children of a Vanished World" (University of California Press, 1999), which included Yiddish nursery rhyme translations, songs, poems and children’s games. It was co-edited by Vishniac's daughter, Mara Vishniac Kohn, and Miriam Hartman Flacks nine years after his death at 92 in New York City.
For more information, see the link above.
May 09, 2008
Remembering the forgotten despite roadblocks
As we go through boxes of old family photographs and records, we may find something unsettling. Trying to find information may be problematic.
In this New York Times story - "Trying to Flesh Out the History of a Family That Was Minus One" - one woman tries to trace an older brother.
When she retired some years ago, Moore began thinking about this. She saw a story about Letchworth Village in Rockland County, NY whose residents were buried in unmarked graves.
Moore learned that without a court order or proof she was a parent or legal guardian there was no way to get information.
Moore's research took her to Vanessa Leigh DeBello whose mother was at Willowbrook. DeBello's blog has attracted some 25 people all trying to get the most basic information about a family member.
The story indicates that for the first time the New York State Legislature is considering a bill that would make information available to cemeteries so those forgotten in life could be remembered in graves under their own names.
In this New York Times story - "Trying to Flesh Out the History of a Family That Was Minus One" - one woman tries to trace an older brother.
More than 40 years ago, when she was a teenager, Jean Moore learned something quite by accident that haunts her still.
She was 16, her sister was three years older, and they were sifting through old photos and family memorabilia that their mother had left in an old trunk in an aunt’s attic, when they came across something startling. Mrs. Moore, 62, remembers it as an X-ray of an infant. Her sister remembers it as a birth certificate. Either way it seemed to be evidence of something hard to explain — an older brother neither knew they had.
They asked their aunt about it. Nervous and discomfited, she told them to ask their parents. They did, and the scene was even more awkward. Yes, their father told them, there had been an older brother. His name was Charles. He had not developed properly — mongoloid was the term the family doctor had used. The boy had been sent away to a home that cared for children like that. Her father said such children did not live long, and he was almost certainly dead already. Either way, he made it clear that there was nothing more to be said, and that this subject was not to be discussed again. What was done was done.
When she retired some years ago, Moore began thinking about this. She saw a story about Letchworth Village in Rockland County, NY whose residents were buried in unmarked graves.
Moore learned that without a court order or proof she was a parent or legal guardian there was no way to get information.
Through sheer persistence, she managed unofficially to learn a little. Her brother was born on Feb. 25, 1937, in Brooklyn. He was taken away to Letchworth Village and stayed there until 1950. He was then transferred to Willowbrook on Staten Island, and died seven months later. That’s all she knows about her brother. But she did learn something else.
Moore's research took her to Vanessa Leigh DeBello whose mother was at Willowbrook. DeBello's blog has attracted some 25 people all trying to get the most basic information about a family member.
“In trying to protect the rights of patients, we’ve created a situation that’s kind of ridiculous, where people desperately looking for their own relatives keep running into this wall,” said Mrs. DeBello, who is writing a book about her mother’s experience at Willowbrook. “I see it all the time, and it breaks my heart.”
The story indicates that for the first time the New York State Legislature is considering a bill that would make information available to cemeteries so those forgotten in life could be remembered in graves under their own names.
Where's the nearest genealogy pub?
The Association of Professional Genealogists discussion list has provided a humorous twist over the past few days.
I was all set to document this interesting idea, but Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings beat me to it.
Tom Kemp of GenealogyBank started it all with a post about the first genealogy publication published some 284 years ago, which he shortened to genealogy "pub" - provoking comments about the location of this Colonial-era establishment.
There's more, so read Tom's complete post.
It went giggling downhill from there on the APG list and covered possible pick-up lines, genealogy-compatible liquid refreshments, amenities that might be offered and even included song lyrics by Drew Smith.
A suggestion was made about organizing a genealogical retirement community which might surround the Gen Pub.
Read all about the suggestions here.
I was all set to document this interesting idea, but Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings beat me to it.
Tom Kemp of GenealogyBank started it all with a post about the first genealogy publication published some 284 years ago, which he shortened to genealogy "pub" - provoking comments about the location of this Colonial-era establishment.
The first genealogy published in America appeared in a newspaper 284 years ago - today – May 7, 1724.
It appeared in the American Weekly Mercury. It was a genealogy of King Philip V of Spain. Genealogy articles routinely appeared in colonial newspapers.
The first genealogy published in book form was in 1771 – the Stebbins Genealogy and by 1876 and the nation’s first centennial there were less than 1,000 genealogies published.
There's more, so read Tom's complete post.
It went giggling downhill from there on the APG list and covered possible pick-up lines, genealogy-compatible liquid refreshments, amenities that might be offered and even included song lyrics by Drew Smith.
A suggestion was made about organizing a genealogical retirement community which might surround the Gen Pub.
Read all about the suggestions here.
Eyewitness: Who Do You Think You Are LIVE!
Although I had to cancel my planned trip to London's Who Do You Think You Are LIVE! fair, several gen bloggers did attend, including WorldVitalRecords communications director Whitney Ransom, blogger Dick Eastman and others.
Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE Report by Whitney Ransom:
WorldVitalRecords will soon be posting video clips and other fair-related information.
Dick Eastman posted three WDYTYA LIVE! entries:
In his first day's post, Dick indicated there may have been even more genealogy-related exhibits than last year and that it was better organized all around. He also posted photos. He collaborated with Roots Television to tape interviews and other highlights and those will be posted here.
The second day - Saturday - showed a much bigger crowd as Friday was a regular work day for most people. In his second post, he covered the venue - Olympia Exhibition Hall, built in 1886 and covering four acres. There were stage shows all day. Dick mentioned his favorite booth was the Italian gelato stand (Italian ice cream). It was nice to know that he enjoyed pistachio - my favorite flavor.
Sunday was the third and final day and Dick feels that the crowds were bigger than last year's report of some 13,000 people - he's estimating 15,000+ paid admissions.
So far no total of paid admissions has been posted, but that's a great turn-out for a three-day event covering so many aspects of genealogy and family history.
Read Dick's postings here, here and here.
Family Tree Magazine's eyewitness report was by Richard Heaton, a 30-year British family history veteran.
Heaton covered a lot of the fair, and mentioned a Jewish family history research program, as well as military history and archeology exhibits.
He was volunteering at the event to help visitors with research queries in two booths: Guild of One-Name Studies (UK) and Society of Genealogists (UK). Most visitors were from the UK, but others came from the US, Canada, Ireland and Australia.
Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE Report by Whitney Ransom:
This week several members of WorldVitalRecords.com attended Who Do You Think You Are? Live, which perhaps is the largest family history and genealogy conference in the world. With more than 15,000 conference attendees, the conference hall was packed with individuals ready to learn, listen to speakers, visit the vendors to see some of the latest genealogical products, and even non-genealogical products (such as Nintendo, Cadbury), and simply have a wonderful time brushing shoulders with genealogy enthusiasts, experts, and historians from all over the world including Alistair McGowan, Nicky Campbell, father and son duo, Peter and Dan Snow as well as Time Team presenter Tony Robinson.
Another exciting part of the show was the "Ask the Experts" area. This was a place where conference attendees could go to set up a free, 30-minute consultation with more than 25 specialists and genealogists to receive assistance and guidance on their research and genealogical interests. The speakers at the show provided sessions for beginning to advanced genealogists and ranged in topics from Irish records in London to Scottish Records Before 1800.
WorldVitalRecords will soon be posting video clips and other fair-related information.
Dick Eastman posted three WDYTYA LIVE! entries:
In his first day's post, Dick indicated there may have been even more genealogy-related exhibits than last year and that it was better organized all around. He also posted photos. He collaborated with Roots Television to tape interviews and other highlights and those will be posted here.
The second day - Saturday - showed a much bigger crowd as Friday was a regular work day for most people. In his second post, he covered the venue - Olympia Exhibition Hall, built in 1886 and covering four acres. There were stage shows all day. Dick mentioned his favorite booth was the Italian gelato stand (Italian ice cream). It was nice to know that he enjoyed pistachio - my favorite flavor.
Sunday was the third and final day and Dick feels that the crowds were bigger than last year's report of some 13,000 people - he's estimating 15,000+ paid admissions.
So far no total of paid admissions has been posted, but that's a great turn-out for a three-day event covering so many aspects of genealogy and family history.
Read Dick's postings here, here and here.
Family Tree Magazine's eyewitness report was by Richard Heaton, a 30-year British family history veteran.
But it’s not just the numbers that make this show stand head and shoulders above the rest — it’s the scope of what’s available for visitors. It has representation from many UK local family local history societies, the online research database companies such as FindMyPast, software suppliers and expert lectures.
But it’s also attended by major archives in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland; experts on local history, military history, archeology, conservation, the History Channel; even the London Times digital newspaper archive (below). All under one roof for three days.
Making available a great variety of resources and knowledge —some not immediately connected to family history as we’ve known it — gives the show appeal to a wide audience. The common theme? All exhibitors and visitors share a passion for history.
Heaton covered a lot of the fair, and mentioned a Jewish family history research program, as well as military history and archeology exhibits.
He was volunteering at the event to help visitors with research queries in two booths: Guild of One-Name Studies (UK) and Society of Genealogists (UK). Most visitors were from the UK, but others came from the US, Canada, Ireland and Australia.
Eyewitness: Bad Arolsen, Jewish genealogists
The best-made plans of mice and men - the mice won this round!
I had big plans this month. I had planned to blog from the just-concluded Who Do You Think You Are? Live genealogy fair (May 2-4) in London, and also to participate in a a first-ever Jewish genealogists' trip (May 4-9) to Bad Arolsen, Germany, to work directly with records at the recently-opened ITC Holocaust archives.
Unfortunately, because of family illness, I had to cancel both trips with sincere regrets.
The AP story on the first-ever professional genealogists' trip to Bad Arolsen is here
The story quotes Gary Mokotoff and Sallyann Sack, who arranged the trip, as well as some of the other researchers from the US, the UK Israel, Australia.
The archive's deputy director Erich Oetiker says the staff of 400 processes some 1,000 tracing requests each day, and there are now almost daily visits from historians or individuals who want to trace someone's fate or view an original document.
The USHMM in Washington, DC has compiled a list of more than 150 German terms with English translation to help researchers understand the documents. There is a link below to that list.
Esther Mandelayl, an American who immigrated to Israel two years ago, wanted to see what she could find. Her parents survived but her late father never talked about his experiences or the scar on his neck.
Read the complete story here.
The AP story was written by Melissa Eddy and Associated Press investigative researcher Randy Herschaft contributed to the report.
There are also links to additional internet resources:
International Tracing Service
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Yad Vashem
Institute of National Remembrance
Glossary of terms to interpret documents
Click here for more information on the trip on the ITS website.
And for three pictures of participants (Gary Mokotoff, Sallyann Sack and Valery Bazarov), click here, here and here.
I had big plans this month. I had planned to blog from the just-concluded Who Do You Think You Are? Live genealogy fair (May 2-4) in London, and also to participate in a a first-ever Jewish genealogists' trip (May 4-9) to Bad Arolsen, Germany, to work directly with records at the recently-opened ITC Holocaust archives.
Unfortunately, because of family illness, I had to cancel both trips with sincere regrets.
The AP story on the first-ever professional genealogists' trip to Bad Arolsen is here
The story quotes Gary Mokotoff and Sallyann Sack, who arranged the trip, as well as some of the other researchers from the US, the UK Israel, Australia.
BAD AROLSEN, Germany - A mother and child separated. A father's war wound. An uncle's name on a list.
The unrelated and disparate items are among the discoveries made by 40 Jewish genealogists who spent the past week plumbing a trove of Nazi documents made public after 60 years.
For genealogists of Jewish families, the Holocaust is both a tragedy and a black hole, because so many of the 6 million Jewish victims disappeared without a trace. For years, researchers hoping to fill the gaps have longed to dive into the more than 50 million documents held in this German spa town and entrusted to the International Tracing Service, or ITS.
"The Nazis took away our names and gave us numbers. Our role is to take away the numbers and give back the names," Gary Mokotoff, a genealogist who helped organize the group from Israel, the U.S., Britain and Australia, said Thursday. "There is a wealth of information here."
For decades after World War II, the files were used only to help find missing persons or document atrocities to support compensation claims. But in November, the last of the 11 countries that govern the archive under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross cleared the way for public access.
The archive's deputy director Erich Oetiker says the staff of 400 processes some 1,000 tracing requests each day, and there are now almost daily visits from historians or individuals who want to trace someone's fate or view an original document.
American genealogist Sallyann Sack suspected for years that the collection held answers to questions about her family.
In the 1980s, she put in a request trying to trace the birth parents of her adopted cousin, who had survived Buchenwald as a 9-year-old boy, then been brought by her aunt and uncle to the United States. A form letter came back saying the search had turned up nothing.
But digging deeper during her time here, Sack was able to cross-reference the birth mother's second given name and access records of search requests made to the ITS since it opened in 1955 — often detailed letters by individuals who reveal nuggets of family history while seeking a missing loved one.
"I found here that his mother, who was separated from him when he was less than five years old, also had survived," she said. "She came to the U.S. in the same year that he did, in 1949." The mother, if alive, would be 93 and Sack presumes she is dead. The cousin is in his 70s and still alive, but Sack asked not to identify him.
"They never found each other," Sack said of her cousin and his mother, her voice breaking. "If these records had been opened earlier, they might have found each other. I could have found those documents 20 years ago, when she was still alive."
The USHMM in Washington, DC has compiled a list of more than 150 German terms with English translation to help researchers understand the documents. There is a link below to that list.
Tom Weiss of Newton, Mass., found his uncle's name on a yellowing Gestapo list of Jews arrested in France.
"When you see his name on these original lists it has an emotional impact," he said. "It sent chills down my back."
Esther Mandelayl, an American who immigrated to Israel two years ago, wanted to see what she could find. Her parents survived but her late father never talked about his experiences or the scar on his neck.
But her unusual family name came up on an index card from a displaced persons camp in Italy. It contained detailed information about her father. "It listed every place he had been," she said — from Russia, to Tashkent, to surviving a shot to his neck by the Nazis by falling into a cellar and being left for dead.
She said she could barely believe it: "I have every answer to all my questions about my father's story — the scar, everything."
Read the complete story here.
The AP story was written by Melissa Eddy and Associated Press investigative researcher Randy Herschaft contributed to the report.
There are also links to additional internet resources:
International Tracing Service
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Yad Vashem
Institute of National Remembrance
Glossary of terms to interpret documents
Click here for more information on the trip on the ITS website.
And for three pictures of participants (Gary Mokotoff, Sallyann Sack and Valery Bazarov), click here, here and here.
May 08, 2008
Netherlands: Jewish libraries
I have previously posted about Salon Jewish Studies - Gateway to Sources for Research in Jewish History and Culture, which provides information on a variety of sources.
A new section is on Netherlands resources:
The Bibliotheek van de Universiteit van Amsterdam - Library of the University of Amsterdam hosts the famous collection of Hebraica and Judaica. Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana (more than 6000 titles). search the catalogue here .
It includes Hebraica and Judaica from the Northern Netherlands from the 17th century to the present, an almost complete collection of Menasseh Ben Israel and Jacob Juda Leon Templo; Inquisition material and Sephardic Judaica in the Cassuto Collection; history of the Jews in the Netherlands and Germany, and Jewish book history.
The Bibliotheek Ets Haim - Livraria Montenzinos Amsterdam hosts more than 30,000 titles. The catalog is not yet available online.
Resources include some 500 manuscripts (1280-20th century), about 30,000 printed works (1484-today). Of 20,000 volumes, about 65% are in Hebrew. Printed materials also include 6 Hebrew incunabula, 400 Hebrew unica, 400 unique Spanish and Portuguese printings and some 750 special event printings. There are also some 250 prints and scores of choral music.
The collections include all standard Jewish works in many editions; languages include Aramaic, Hebrew, Latin, Greek, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, English and Yiddish.
The Bibliotheek van de Universiteit van Leiden - Library of the University of Leiden hosts a huge collection of Hebrew books and manuscripts. search the catalogue here.
There are also two substantial photograph collections.
A new section is on Netherlands resources:
The Bibliotheek van de Universiteit van Amsterdam - Library of the University of Amsterdam hosts the famous collection of Hebraica and Judaica. Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana (more than 6000 titles). search the catalogue here .
The core of the important and extensive collection of Hebraica and Judaica of the University of Amsterdam is the library of Leeser Rosenthal (1794-1868) from Hanover. In 1880 this library, which consisted of approximately 6,000 volumes, was donated by Leeser's children (Georg, Nanny and Mathilde) to the City of Amsterdam and housed in the Municipal Library - afterwards University Library of Amsterdam. Since then the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana has been enhanced considerably through donations and by pursuing a specific policy of acquisition; the collection ranks among the largest in Europe.
The Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana does not only comprise a large collection of printed books, the earliest of which date from the 15th century, but also periodicals, manuscripts (from the 13th century onwards) engravings, photographs and archival material.
It includes Hebraica and Judaica from the Northern Netherlands from the 17th century to the present, an almost complete collection of Menasseh Ben Israel and Jacob Juda Leon Templo; Inquisition material and Sephardic Judaica in the Cassuto Collection; history of the Jews in the Netherlands and Germany, and Jewish book history.
The Bibliotheek Ets Haim - Livraria Montenzinos Amsterdam hosts more than 30,000 titles. The catalog is not yet available online.
The 'Ets Haim Library - Livraria Montezinos' has been part of the 'Ets Haim' seminary since 1616, and has been housed in the 'Esnoga' complex of the Portuguese-Jewish community of Amsterdam since 1675. Its 30,000 printed works and 500 manuscripts encompass all aspects of Jewish scholarship, and many aspects of literature, history and the natural sciences. The library's collections provide a detailed picture of Sephardic culture as it emerged from its roots in the Iberian peninsula.
Resources include some 500 manuscripts (1280-20th century), about 30,000 printed works (1484-today). Of 20,000 volumes, about 65% are in Hebrew. Printed materials also include 6 Hebrew incunabula, 400 Hebrew unica, 400 unique Spanish and Portuguese printings and some 750 special event printings. There are also some 250 prints and scores of choral music.
The collections include all standard Jewish works in many editions; languages include Aramaic, Hebrew, Latin, Greek, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, English and Yiddish.
The Bibliotheek van de Universiteit van Leiden - Library of the University of Leiden hosts a huge collection of Hebrew books and manuscripts. search the catalogue here.
The Oriental Department in the Library of Leiden University houses a considerable and varied collection of Oriental material, consisting of both handwritten and printed pieces, which originate mainly from the Middle East and Indonesia. Smaller collections from Japan, China and India and books and texts in Hebrew and Syriac also form part of the library. The library has been the depository of Oriental books and manuscripts from its very inception in 1586. The first voyage by the Dutch to the Indonesian archipelago, just before the end of the 16th century, resulted for the Leiden Library in the acquisition of a Javanese manuscript on palm leaves, which is now one of the very oldest in existence.
There are also two substantial photograph collections.
San Diego: Lithuania, Latvia roots, May 10
Thanks to my gen blogging colleague Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings, I learned that the San Diego Genealogical Society will have a program focusing on Jewish roots in Lithuania and Latvia, with speaker Dr. Franklin Gaylis.
He developed an interest in genealogy in his early 40s when the Soviet Union started unraveling and the countries from which his grandparents had fled at the turn of the 20th century, the Baltics, became more accessible.
According to the announcement, Gaylis has read extensively on the history of the Jews in Lithuania and Latvia as well as the past 3,000-4,000 years.
Born in England, raised and educated in South Africa, Gaylis, a urologist, and his wife Jean immigrated to the US; his practice is in San Diego.
The meeting starts at noon Saturday, May 10, at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church (8350 Lake Murray Blvd (at Jackson Drive), San Diego. Meetings are free and open to the public; beginners are welcome.
The San Diego Genealogical Society was founded in 1946 to promote interest in genealogy and family history; offers a research library, educational and research opportunities. It also collects, preserves and publishes San Diego County, California genealogical and historical records.
Dr. Gaylis will share his amazing research experiences from his 2001 travels to retrace his roots to the Baltics. Many records had only recently become accessible with the downfall of the Soviet Union in the areas where his grandparents fled at the turn of the 20th century.
He developed an interest in genealogy in his early 40s when the Soviet Union started unraveling and the countries from which his grandparents had fled at the turn of the 20th century, the Baltics, became more accessible.
According to the announcement, Gaylis has read extensively on the history of the Jews in Lithuania and Latvia as well as the past 3,000-4,000 years.
Born in England, raised and educated in South Africa, Gaylis, a urologist, and his wife Jean immigrated to the US; his practice is in San Diego.
The meeting starts at noon Saturday, May 10, at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church (8350 Lake Murray Blvd (at Jackson Drive), San Diego. Meetings are free and open to the public; beginners are welcome.
The San Diego Genealogical Society was founded in 1946 to promote interest in genealogy and family history; offers a research library, educational and research opportunities. It also collects, preserves and publishes San Diego County, California genealogical and historical records.
May 07, 2008
Food: Culinary heirlooms
We connect family memories and family history with comfort food, no matter our ancestral origins in Italy, Iraq, Iran, Eastern Europe or Ireland. Mother's Day (Sunday, May 11, in the US) is the perfect time to remember our mothers and grandmothers and our culinary heritage.
The New Jersey Star-Ledger published a story on cooks searching for a link to the past.
The story details some New Jersey cooks and some books they've written or are currently preparing.
Here are some of the other books and cooks' comments:
Schenone also co-created the "Antique Recipe Road Show," an illustrated culinary blog, with artist and writer Nancy Gail Ring.
Schenone details her search for her paternal great-grandmother's Genoese ravioli recipe, consulting relatives and strangers on both sides of the Atlantic, and threw out mounds of dough as she tried to recreate the dish. Along the way, she inspired others to recreate lost treats.
Some individuals in the story are still pining for a perfect dish they had decades ago, such as Isabelle DeAngelis's search for a German dark chocolate ice box cake made by an elementary school classmate's mother. She's never found anything like it.
Suzann Brucato with Calabrian roots says: "The stronger the roots, the stronger the tree. It's significant for me to pass on as much as possible to them, and hopefully to their kids. How long that goes on, who knows?"
Read the complete story at the link above.
The New Jersey Star-Ledger published a story on cooks searching for a link to the past.
Families today are looking back to favorite dishes made by Mom or Grandma as they move forward, re-connecting to their culinary heritage by preserving beloved recipes and the unique family traditions associated with them.
The story details some New Jersey cooks and some books they've written or are currently preparing.
Another trove of recipes is never far from the mind of Aviva Djiji Levy, 55, a graphic designer in Leonia. Born into an Iraqi family in Israel and raised in Iran, she plans on self-publishing the unique Iraqi-Jewish recipes collected by her mother, Sally Djiji of Fort Lee. The task is daunting, however.
"My family doesn't have much recorded history," said Levy. Her efforts to set down her family's culinary background have been complicated by the need to locate sources for exotic ingredients, such as dried limes; analyze the Indian, Kurdish, Turkish, Persian and Russian influences on her family's cuisine; transliterate Arabic names into English; and test the timeless recipes to make sure they work in a modern kitchen.
Her friends in Iraqi-Jewish communities in Montreal, London and Israel keep asking her when she'll complete her book. "I'm hoping this year," she said. In the meantime, family gatherings offer Levy the opportunity to pass on her family's food traditions, such as the baking of the cheese-filled crescents known as sim-boo-sak b'je-bin, to her 19-year-old son, Darryl.
Here are some of the other books and cooks' comments:
"Cooking is a bright spot in our shared history. Nourishing one another and making sustenance -- these are good things to pass on if you can," noted Laura Schenone, 46, of Montclair, author of the newly released "The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken: A Search for Food and Family" (Norton, 2008).
Schenone also co-created the "Antique Recipe Road Show," an illustrated culinary blog, with artist and writer Nancy Gail Ring.
Ring learned to make the mandelbrot, rugelach, matzo ball soup, brisket and kugel of her Eastern European ancestors from her mother and grandmothers. "I still feel like my grandmothers are in the room with me when I'm baking," she said.
Schenone details her search for her paternal great-grandmother's Genoese ravioli recipe, consulting relatives and strangers on both sides of the Atlantic, and threw out mounds of dough as she tried to recreate the dish. Along the way, she inspired others to recreate lost treats.
Some individuals in the story are still pining for a perfect dish they had decades ago, such as Isabelle DeAngelis's search for a German dark chocolate ice box cake made by an elementary school classmate's mother. She's never found anything like it.
Suzann Brucato with Calabrian roots says: "The stronger the roots, the stronger the tree. It's significant for me to pass on as much as possible to them, and hopefully to their kids. How long that goes on, who knows?"
Read the complete story at the link above.
Tel Aviv: Dutch Ashkenazi cemeteries project
The next meeting of the Israel Genealogical Society's Tel Aviv branch will focus on the digitization project of Ashkenazi cemeteries in the Netherlands.
The meeting - in Hebrew - begins at 7pm, Monday, May 12, at Bet HaTanakh, 16 Rothschild Blvd., Tel Aviv. Non-members, NIS 20. The library will be open from 6-7pm.
Ben Noach of Akevoth (specialized in Dutch-Jewish genealogy) and the Nederlands-Israelitisch Kerkgenootschap (Organization of Jewish Communities in the Netherlands) will present a new website, Stenenarchief.org.
Launched in January 2008, it focuses on photographs of all Jewish gravestones in the Netherlands. Currently, the photographs and accompanying data for the first group of 18 Jewish cemeteries are available online. Each gravestone's Hebrew text is transcribed to Dutch and also contains the Dutch texts on the photographs.
For more information, click here.
The meeting - in Hebrew - begins at 7pm, Monday, May 12, at Bet HaTanakh, 16 Rothschild Blvd., Tel Aviv. Non-members, NIS 20. The library will be open from 6-7pm.
Ben Noach of Akevoth (specialized in Dutch-Jewish genealogy) and the Nederlands-Israelitisch Kerkgenootschap (Organization of Jewish Communities in the Netherlands) will present a new website, Stenenarchief.org.
Launched in January 2008, it focuses on photographs of all Jewish gravestones in the Netherlands. Currently, the photographs and accompanying data for the first group of 18 Jewish cemeteries are available online. Each gravestone's Hebrew text is transcribed to Dutch and also contains the Dutch texts on the photographs.
For more information, click here.
May 06, 2008
Deep South: Jewish resources
if you have roots in southern US states, if you're trying to find information about ancestors who lived in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Northwest Florida; about synagogues and institutions in this geographical region, then consider contacting the Deep South Jewish Voice, the paper that covers this area.
The DSJV carries, in addition to its regular international and US Jewish news, local Jewish history stories, such as this one on French Jewish history in the South.
Last year, sociologist Anny Bloch-Raymond gave two talks on Jewish life in New Orleans in a series co-sponsored by the French Consulate in New Orleans, the Alliance Francaise of New Orleans, and the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans.
Bloch-Raymond, with a master's in American civilization from the University of Paris, and a PhD in social sciences from the University Marc Bloch, Strasbourg, is a member of the National Center of Scientific Research at the Center of Social Anthropology. She teaches Jewish culture in the anthropological department of the University of Toulouse LeMirail and in the Institute of Jewish Studies.
She's working on a new book - "Jewish Migrants from the Banks of The Rhine to the Banks of the Mississippi" - and her current field of research is migration from France and Germany to the American south during the 19th-20th centuries.
The two programs were "Languages, ways of cooking and religions: French inspiration, Jewish rites, and Creole practices" and "From the banks of the Rhine River to the banks of the Mississippi: a long story of the presence of the French Jews in Louisiana."
The first explored how French Jewish immigrants in New Orleans adapted their cuisine to include Creole traditions.
Her second talk focused on the Jews of Alsace-Lorraine who, in the mid-1880s, left their homes, landed in New Orleans and mainly settled in small towns along the Mississippi River.
Other resources for the area include the private, non-profit Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL), dedicated to providing educational and rabbinic services to isolated Jewish communities, documenting and preserving the rich history of the Southern Jewish experience, and promoting a Jewish cultural presence throughout a 13 state region.
The Institute began as the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in 1986. Now a subsidiary of the ISJL, the museum helps to define southern Jewish culture through traveling and permanent exhibits. In recent years, the Institute has dramatically expanded cultural offerings in both small towns and big cities throughout the South.
The DSJV carries, in addition to its regular international and US Jewish news, local Jewish history stories, such as this one on French Jewish history in the South.
Last year, sociologist Anny Bloch-Raymond gave two talks on Jewish life in New Orleans in a series co-sponsored by the French Consulate in New Orleans, the Alliance Francaise of New Orleans, and the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans.
Bloch-Raymond, with a master's in American civilization from the University of Paris, and a PhD in social sciences from the University Marc Bloch, Strasbourg, is a member of the National Center of Scientific Research at the Center of Social Anthropology. She teaches Jewish culture in the anthropological department of the University of Toulouse LeMirail and in the Institute of Jewish Studies.
She's working on a new book - "Jewish Migrants from the Banks of The Rhine to the Banks of the Mississippi" - and her current field of research is migration from France and Germany to the American south during the 19th-20th centuries.
The two programs were "Languages, ways of cooking and religions: French inspiration, Jewish rites, and Creole practices" and "From the banks of the Rhine River to the banks of the Mississippi: a long story of the presence of the French Jews in Louisiana."
The first explored how French Jewish immigrants in New Orleans adapted their cuisine to include Creole traditions.
The immigrants who settled in New Orleans maintained their French Jewish heritage even if they had adjusted it. Cooking combined French and Southern mode, gumbos and matzo balls, gefilte fish, kugels, and pecan pies. Many families compiled their own recipe books. Some became professional cooks, such as Beulah Ledner, who created a French doberge adapted from Austrian cake, and opened a bakery in New Orleans in 1933, becoming very successful.
Her second talk focused on the Jews of Alsace-Lorraine who, in the mid-1880s, left their homes, landed in New Orleans and mainly settled in small towns along the Mississippi River.
They gave their names to the towns of Geismar, Klotzville, and Marksville in Louisiana. They owned plantations in Bunkie, White Castle, and Reserve. There are still dry goods stores and general stores bearing their names: Abraham Levy, Wolff, Lemann, Lorman, Fraenkel. They were founding members of synagogues in New Orleans, Donaldsonville, Alexandria, and Opelousas, along with the German migrants that they married ...
Other resources for the area include the private, non-profit Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL), dedicated to providing educational and rabbinic services to isolated Jewish communities, documenting and preserving the rich history of the Southern Jewish experience, and promoting a Jewish cultural presence throughout a 13 state region.
The Institute began as the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in 1986. Now a subsidiary of the ISJL, the museum helps to define southern Jewish culture through traveling and permanent exhibits. In recent years, the Institute has dramatically expanded cultural offerings in both small towns and big cities throughout the South.
Innovative regional programming includes annual Jewish film festivals, concerts highlighting cross-cultural music, literary programs, dance and theatre performances, and other activities that promote artistic interpretation of the Southern Jewish Experience.
New York: Genetic counseling forum
New York University Law Professor Arthur S. Leonard reports and comments on law, music, film, current events with a special emphasis on sexuality and the law.
He covered a panel at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, co-sponsored by The Jewish Week - "A World Without Genetic Disabilities: A Mixed Blessing?"
The event was inspired by New York Times journalist Amy Harmon's two articles published in May 2007 and focusing on ethical issues raised by genetic counseling. She won a Pulitzer Prize for her reporting on the impact of DNA knowledge on our lives. Harmon also participated in a genetics panel at the 26th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy (August 2006, New York City).
Harmon introduced and moderated panelists Dr. Harry Ostrer (NYU School of Medicine, Director of Human Genetics Program), Adrienne Asch (Yeshiva University, Director of Center for Ethics), Rabbi Mordechai Liebling (Reconstructionist Rabbi, Father of Lior in the film Praying with Lior, the story of a Down syndrome child preparing for his bar mitzvah), and Nancy Neveloff Dubler (Einstein Medical College, Director of Center for Ethics and Law in Medicine).
Leonard describes the panelists' range of opinions as well as those of attendees.
Read the complete posting here.
He covered a panel at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, co-sponsored by The Jewish Week - "A World Without Genetic Disabilities: A Mixed Blessing?"
The event was inspired by New York Times journalist Amy Harmon's two articles published in May 2007 and focusing on ethical issues raised by genetic counseling. She won a Pulitzer Prize for her reporting on the impact of DNA knowledge on our lives. Harmon also participated in a genetics panel at the 26th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy (August 2006, New York City).
Harmon introduced and moderated panelists Dr. Harry Ostrer (NYU School of Medicine, Director of Human Genetics Program), Adrienne Asch (Yeshiva University, Director of Center for Ethics), Rabbi Mordechai Liebling (Reconstructionist Rabbi, Father of Lior in the film Praying with Lior, the story of a Down syndrome child preparing for his bar mitzvah), and Nancy Neveloff Dubler (Einstein Medical College, Director of Center for Ethics and Law in Medicine).
A short description of the problem might go this way: as our scientific knowledge expands making it increasingly possible to foretell or predict physical and mental "abnormalities" by genetic testing of prospective parents, embryos conceived in vitro, or fetuses in situ (amnio testing), the question becomes what tests should be offered, what tests should be performed, how the results should be communicated to prospective parents, and who ultimately should be making decisions about which children should be conceived and carried to term.
Leonard describes the panelists' range of opinions as well as those of attendees.
As the panel moved from presentations to Q&A, it became clear that there were bigger differences than had first appeared, most notably between Rabbi Liebling, who had gone with his family to D.C. to lobby Congress in support of a proposal to adopt federal statutory standards for genetic counseling that would require "balanced counseling," presumably to avoid the assertedly common situation of counseling that channels parents into deciding to abort Down syndrome fetuses based on a wholly negative recital of the facts, and Prof. Dubler, who argues that these issues should be handled by rethinking of ethical standards and professional practices within the self-governing professions and not by legislation. Another opening was between Dubler's insistence that certain kinds of tests should not be offered or given (for example, tests for genetic markers for personality dispositions, as opposed to tests for markers for severe medical or mental disabilities), as against Asch's contention that all tests that are possible should be made available.
Read the complete posting here.
May 05, 2008
Seattle: Family tree display
A forest of family trees traced the roots of Washington's Jewish community at an event sponsored by the Washington State Jewish Historical Society, which hopes to eventually build a Jewish heritage museum.
According to a WSJHS member who helped compile lists of names, dates and offspring, "You just mention family, and there couldn't be an easier topic to get people excited about."
Mercer Island's Robert Rogers extended tribe covered three canvases in the exhibit held at the Sephardic Congregation Ezra Bessaroth. His grandmother, Eva Abrams Rogers, arrived in the late 1880s.
Although many of the state's early members of the tribe arrived between 1880-1920 from Eastern Europe, Seattle's early Sephardi immigrants from Rhodes, Turkey and other locations created a major close-knit community that continues today.
Shelby Halela, 15, and her cousin are descendants of immigrants from Rhodes; their ancestors settled there after the 1492 Expulsion from Spain. "Today, she jokes, it seems like everyone she meets in Seattle is a relative."
The teenager said she's committed to keeping track of her own family, past and present: "In the younger generation, somebody has to keep it alive."
Rogers summed up the feelings of many Jewish genealogists' essential problem rather well: "A person doesn't get interested in genealogy until the people who have all the answers have died."
Read more here.
More than 400 people wandered through the genealogical woods — an exhibit, actually, of hand-painted pedigrees commemorating clans whose local branches span six generations.
"We are building public awareness of the importance of keeping our history," said Lisa Kranseler, executive director of the Washington State Jewish Historical Society (WSJHS), sponsor of the event. "These are families who have been here since the beginning of statehood."
Organizers expected about 20 families to participate in the project. They got 74.
According to a WSJHS member who helped compile lists of names, dates and offspring, "You just mention family, and there couldn't be an easier topic to get people excited about."
Mercer Island's Robert Rogers extended tribe covered three canvases in the exhibit held at the Sephardic Congregation Ezra Bessaroth. His grandmother, Eva Abrams Rogers, arrived in the late 1880s.
Although many of the state's early members of the tribe arrived between 1880-1920 from Eastern Europe, Seattle's early Sephardi immigrants from Rhodes, Turkey and other locations created a major close-knit community that continues today.
Shelby Halela, 15, and her cousin are descendants of immigrants from Rhodes; their ancestors settled there after the 1492 Expulsion from Spain. "Today, she jokes, it seems like everyone she meets in Seattle is a relative."
The teenager said she's committed to keeping track of her own family, past and present: "In the younger generation, somebody has to keep it alive."
Rogers summed up the feelings of many Jewish genealogists' essential problem rather well: "A person doesn't get interested in genealogy until the people who have all the answers have died."
Read more here.
First American Jewish families now online
The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (Cincinnati, Ohio) has made available online (and searchable) the 3rd edition (1991) of Rabbi Malcolm Stern's work, "Americans of Jewish Descent."
The book first appeared in 1960 and was a milestone in the study of American Jewish genealogy.
The Preface to the 3rd edition by Stern (January 29, 1915-January 5, 1994) indicates:
Stern invited readers to make additions and corrections and many responded to his invitation before the 3rd edition was published. New data had been printed and his own continuing research provided data from archives, court houses, historical societies, congregational records and cemetery epitaphs.
Stern also indicated that
The author also mentions the growing network of Jewish genealogical societies, seminars and increasing resources, as well as assimilationist tendencies towards intermarriage.
Jacob Rader Marcus's Forward to the 3rd edition states clearly, "In the historian's tool chest there are few utensils more helpful than genealogical tables." Since 1960 every work dealing with early American Jewish history has utilized Stern's book. See the site for the complete Introduction, Forward, Stern's bio and more information.
The book first appeared in 1960 and was a milestone in the study of American Jewish genealogy.
Researchers now have access to the complete text of Rabbi Stern's monumental volume that was published in 1991 as the updated and revised 3rd edition entitled: First American Jewish Families: 600 Genealogies, 1654-1988. This publication is an historical document in its own right, and it is not our intention to alter it in any way. Students of American Jewish genealogy are encouraged to use this text as a basis for their research.
The Preface to the 3rd edition by Stern (January 29, 1915-January 5, 1994) indicates:
A high school enthusiasm for royal genealogy inoculated me with a virus which became an all-absorbing hobby. After tracing thirteen generations of descendants of Charlemagne, I was well launched on a career of wholesale genealogy.
A maturer outgrowth of the hobby arose from a search for a doctoral dissertation in the field of American Jewish History. In June of 1950, I approached the dean of American Jewish historians, my beloved teacher, Professor Jacob Rader Marcus, with a request for a thesis topic. By then Dr. Marcus had created the American Jewish Archives on the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College, and had begun collecting the data on America's Jews. Among his early acquisitions was the large collection of typescript genealogies of Americans of Jewish descent compiled by the late Dr. Walter Max Kraus, and presented to the Archives by his spouse, Marian Nathan Kraus Sandor. Dr. Marcus made this material available to me, and I spent the succeeding eight years revising, correcting, and quadrupling the data in the Kraus-Sandor material. The result was my Americans of Jewish Descent published by Dr. Marcus at the Hebrew Union College Press in 1960.
Stern invited readers to make additions and corrections and many responded to his invitation before the 3rd edition was published. New data had been printed and his own continuing research provided data from archives, court houses, historical societies, congregational records and cemetery epitaphs.
Stern also indicated that
The genealogist's task is never complete, for new generations are born daily. The growth of interest in family history, made accessible to individuals by the newer technologies of photocopying, microforms, and computers, has brought about this updated edition.
My goal over more than forty years has been to try to compile the genealogies of Jewish families established in the United States and Canada prior to 1840, tracing their descendants wherever possible to the present. The year 1840 was chosen because an estimated 10,000 Jews had settled in America by then. Within the succeeding twenty years, more than 200,000 additional Jews were to immigrate, creating an insurmountable task for one genealogist working alone.
The author also mentions the growing network of Jewish genealogical societies, seminars and increasing resources, as well as assimilationist tendencies towards intermarriage.
Jacob Rader Marcus's Forward to the 3rd edition states clearly, "In the historian's tool chest there are few utensils more helpful than genealogical tables." Since 1960 every work dealing with early American Jewish history has utilized Stern's book. See the site for the complete Introduction, Forward, Stern's bio and more information.
DNA: Sephardic mtDNA mapping
Readers interested in DNA studies of non-Ashkenazi populations should know about a major study just published on mtDNA (maternal DNA).
The entire paper can be found here: "Counting the Founders: The Matrilineal Genetic Ancestry of the Jewish Diaspora." It was published April 30, 2008, headed by population geneticist Dr. Doron Behar of the Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
The study addresses the "mothers" of such communities as Iran, Iraq, Yemen, India, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan/Mountain Jews, Georgia and others.
On the same subject, I discovered a blog posting on the study at InteractMD.com, which offers "medical news written by doctors. Right now, medical news is written by journalists, ghostwriters, PR people. Patients, families, nurses, and even physicians are depending on newspapers and TV for the latest news on medical breakthroughs, and inevitably, errors creep in to the stories, stories are reported out of context, or important facts omitted. There has to be a better way."
One recent post concerned the mtDNA study of non-Ashkenazi populations described above. It is food for thought:
The entire paper can be found here: "Counting the Founders: The Matrilineal Genetic Ancestry of the Jewish Diaspora." It was published April 30, 2008, headed by population geneticist Dr. Doron Behar of the Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
The study addresses the "mothers" of such communities as Iran, Iraq, Yemen, India, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan/Mountain Jews, Georgia and others.
On the same subject, I discovered a blog posting on the study at InteractMD.com, which offers "medical news written by doctors. Right now, medical news is written by journalists, ghostwriters, PR people. Patients, families, nurses, and even physicians are depending on newspapers and TV for the latest news on medical breakthroughs, and inevitably, errors creep in to the stories, stories are reported out of context, or important facts omitted. There has to be a better way."
One recent post concerned the mtDNA study of non-Ashkenazi populations described above. It is food for thought:
For those curious about the genetics of the Sephardic Jewish diaspora comes a new, broad-ranging study (see link above for the complete paper) about genetic similarities and differences among Jewish communities in different parts of the world.
The investigators sequenced mitochondrial DNA in 1,400 people from 14 different communities. They found that certain communities had more genetic admixture (i.e., "miscegenation") than other communities. The surprise is that certain communities had a stronger "founder effect" than others, which again suggests that there is a range of genetic integration between migrant Jewish populations and their hosts in different countries.
The investigators claim that their study, together with another one on Ashkenazic Jews, represents the whole of the Jewish population. I think the question I would most like answered is the degree to which the Torah ("Old Testament") represents the actual historical record of the Jews - are the twelve tribes of Israel real, or is that just a made up story? Can we trace our heritage back far enough to twelve original mothers? Sounds to me like there has been enough genetic mixture over the years to make that prospect almost impossible. How much modern faith would be restored in the Torah if the heritage reported there turned out to be validated by scientific techniques?
Civil War: Confederate Jewish soldiers
The Jewish Magazine is a monthly online collection of articles. There's always something of interest to family historians. The May issue carries an article by Lewis Regenstein of Atlanta who describes his great-grandfather and his four brothers - all of whom fought for the Confederacy in 1865.
Regenstein writes about Joshua Lazarus Moses, brothers Horace, Perry and Isaac; his great-grandfather Andrew Jackson Moses, and cousin Albert Moses Luria. More than 24 members of the extended Moses family fought in the War; at least nine died.
Family members served and worked closely with legendary generals, such as Robert E. Lee. They fired some of the first and last shots of the War; fought on horseback and ships, in trenches and the infantry; built fortifications, led men in charges; one was responsible for provisioning an entire army corps of about 50,000 men.
Read more about this family history here.
Regenstein writes about Joshua Lazarus Moses, brothers Horace, Perry and Isaac; his great-grandfather Andrew Jackson Moses, and cousin Albert Moses Luria. More than 24 members of the extended Moses family fought in the War; at least nine died.
Family members served and worked closely with legendary generals, such as Robert E. Lee. They fired some of the first and last shots of the War; fought on horseback and ships, in trenches and the infantry; built fortifications, led men in charges; one was responsible for provisioning an entire army corps of about 50,000 men.
Read more about this family history here.
May 03, 2008
Barcelona: Zakhor Center established
I was happy to receive this news of the creation of the Zakhor Center of Jewish Studies in Barcelona, Spain.
Created by David Stoleru (president) and Dominique Tomasov Blinder (secretary general), both involved in the case of the unearthed Tarrega Jewish cemetery during construction and the subsequent reburial of Jewish remains in the Barcelona Jewish cemetery.
Currently, they are working on defining the Montjuic Jewish cemetery boundaries through archival research.
According to the announcement, the center will address the following important issues, among others: What is the value of heritage? Who are we preserving for? What use should be given to heritage? What are the ethical limits of scientific research? How do we interpret historical data?
The center's plans are to:
-Sensitize society in general, the Jewish communities and the public administration, about the value of a common heritage and the benefits of transmitting it at national and European levels.
-Encourage preservation and appreciation of sites with historic, cultural or religious Jewish interest.
-Protect ancient cemeteries from abandonment, damage, exhumation, destruction or improper actions.
-Propose actions to raise such important issues based - among others - on local directives and national regulations on citizen’s rights and agreements between nations and Jewish communities, according to which cemeteries are inviolable.
-Offer expert Jewish participation to incorporate heritage content to help better understanding.
-Facilitate communication among national and local administrations, museums, Jewish communities, universities and private entities, to interpret and transmit development and contributions of Judaism and Jewish culture in these lands and in the Diaspora.
-Collaborate with public administration to study and preserve this national historic heritage, seeking solutions for complex situations in a way compatible with Jewish tradition.
-Collaborate with local and international experts, in their projects to study and preserve national historic heritage, and seek solutions for complex situations in a way compatible with Jewish tradition.
-Study and analyze the revitalization, development and contribution of Jewish culture in Catalan and Spanish societies, since its return at the end of the 19th century after 400 years of absence.
The non-profit center will be funded by private/public grants, donations and income for professional services. In the near future, a rented storefront for the center, in the heart of the Barcelona Call, will be opened and the website will be launched.
Created by David Stoleru (president) and Dominique Tomasov Blinder (secretary general), both involved in the case of the unearthed Tarrega Jewish cemetery during construction and the subsequent reburial of Jewish remains in the Barcelona Jewish cemetery.
Currently, they are working on defining the Montjuic Jewish cemetery boundaries through archival research.
According to the announcement, the center will address the following important issues, among others: What is the value of heritage? Who are we preserving for? What use should be given to heritage? What are the ethical limits of scientific research? How do we interpret historical data?
The center's plans are to:
-Sensitize society in general, the Jewish communities and the public administration, about the value of a common heritage and the benefits of transmitting it at national and European levels.
-Encourage preservation and appreciation of sites with historic, cultural or religious Jewish interest.
-Protect ancient cemeteries from abandonment, damage, exhumation, destruction or improper actions.
-Propose actions to raise such important issues based - among others - on local directives and national regulations on citizen’s rights and agreements between nations and Jewish communities, according to which cemeteries are inviolable.
-Offer expert Jewish participation to incorporate heritage content to help better understanding.
-Facilitate communication among national and local administrations, museums, Jewish communities, universities and private entities, to interpret and transmit development and contributions of Judaism and Jewish culture in these lands and in the Diaspora.
-Collaborate with public administration to study and preserve this national historic heritage, seeking solutions for complex situations in a way compatible with Jewish tradition.
-Collaborate with local and international experts, in their projects to study and preserve national historic heritage, and seek solutions for complex situations in a way compatible with Jewish tradition.
-Study and analyze the revitalization, development and contribution of Jewish culture in Catalan and Spanish societies, since its return at the end of the 19th century after 400 years of absence.
The non-profit center will be funded by private/public grants, donations and income for professional services. In the near future, a rented storefront for the center, in the heart of the Barcelona Call, will be opened and the website will be launched.
May Jewish events: Spain, worldwide
The May edition of Sephardic and Jewish events in Spain and elsewhere is available here. Here are some highlights:
ARCHENA (Murcia): During the last week of May, an international conference will take place on the Sephardic World, in the presence of Isaac Navon, former president of Israel (1978-83). It will recognize the preservation of the language and traditions of Jews who lived in Spain before the 1492 Expulsion. Other participants will include professors of international universities, such as Harvard and Caracas.
BARCELONA: May 11 and 25: Tours of the Call with Urban Cultours' Dominique Tomasov Blinder, a Jewish community activist who focuses on protection of Jewish heritage. For information, click here.
11am May 18: A guided conference - "Archeology in the Call" - will take place with Ferran Puig, director of the Archeology Service of the City Historical Museum of Barcelona.
May 31: The 10th Barcelona Jewish Film Festival begins, running through June 8. For information, click here.
CÓRDOBA: May 1-24. La Casa de Sefarad presents "musical memories with a series of concerts of Jewish, Andalucian and Mediterranean music. May 10 will be Sephardic Music with the group Axabeba. The concert is titled Sueno Hebreo and will demonstrate cantigas and romances in Judeoespanola. On May 17, Klezmer en Cordoba with the Baet Group, young musicians of the city who perform Jewish musical traditions from Central Europe. May 24 will be Mediterranean music. All concerts begin at 7pm. For more information on tickets and other details, click here.
May exhibit: Wine in Jewish culture: “Lehayim! Wine in the the Jewish culture and religion." It opens on May 5 and will be permanent in the Palacio del Bilio, Biblioteca Viva de Al-Andalus, Monday to Saturday, from 10am-4pm and from 6-9pm; Sundays, 10.30am-1.30pm. It is organized by the Department of Tourism of the Cordoba government.
GIRONA: May 29-31. A symposium of the Spanish Association of Hebrew and Jewish Studies in Girona and Besalu, will include presentation of books and projects.
IBIZA: 10pm, May 9. Rosa Zaragoza in concert. The songs of Sephardic Jews in different European countries after the 1492 Expulsion.
LEÓN: Through July 1, the Leon government presents journeys in Sephardic gastronomy in association with various city restaurants, such as the Hostal Parador San Marcos, Hotel Tryp León, Hotel Husa Santiago, Hotel Silken, Hotel Cortes de León, Hotel Quindós, Hotel Infantas de León, lez de Lama, Bodega Regia, Restaurante Amancio, Restaurante el Faisán Dorado y Restaurante La Jouja Plaza. For more information, write to leon@redjuderias.org.
For more events in Spain and throughout the world (Germany, Argentina, US, Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Czech Republic, Switzerland) click on the website above.
ARCHENA (Murcia): During the last week of May, an international conference will take place on the Sephardic World, in the presence of Isaac Navon, former president of Israel (1978-83). It will recognize the preservation of the language and traditions of Jews who lived in Spain before the 1492 Expulsion. Other participants will include professors of international universities, such as Harvard and Caracas.
BARCELONA: May 11 and 25: Tours of the Call with Urban Cultours' Dominique Tomasov Blinder, a Jewish community activist who focuses on protection of Jewish heritage. For information, click here.
11am May 18: A guided conference - "Archeology in the Call" - will take place with Ferran Puig, director of the Archeology Service of the City Historical Museum of Barcelona.
May 31: The 10th Barcelona Jewish Film Festival begins, running through June 8. For information, click here.
CÓRDOBA: May 1-24. La Casa de Sefarad presents "musical memories with a series of concerts of Jewish, Andalucian and Mediterranean music. May 10 will be Sephardic Music with the group Axabeba. The concert is titled Sueno Hebreo and will demonstrate cantigas and romances in Judeoespanola. On May 17, Klezmer en Cordoba with the Baet Group, young musicians of the city who perform Jewish musical traditions from Central Europe. May 24 will be Mediterranean music. All concerts begin at 7pm. For more information on tickets and other details, click here.
May exhibit: Wine in Jewish culture: “Lehayim! Wine in the the Jewish culture and religion." It opens on May 5 and will be permanent in the Palacio del Bilio, Biblioteca Viva de Al-Andalus, Monday to Saturday, from 10am-4pm and from 6-9pm; Sundays, 10.30am-1.30pm. It is organized by the Department of Tourism of the Cordoba government.
GIRONA: May 29-31. A symposium of the Spanish Association of Hebrew and Jewish Studies in Girona and Besalu, will include presentation of books and projects.
IBIZA: 10pm, May 9. Rosa Zaragoza in concert. The songs of Sephardic Jews in different European countries after the 1492 Expulsion.
LEÓN: Through July 1, the Leon government presents journeys in Sephardic gastronomy in association with various city restaurants, such as the Hostal Parador San Marcos, Hotel Tryp León, Hotel Husa Santiago, Hotel Silken, Hotel Cortes de León, Hotel Quindós, Hotel Infantas de León, lez de Lama, Bodega Regia, Restaurante Amancio, Restaurante el Faisán Dorado y Restaurante La Jouja Plaza. For more information, write to leon@redjuderias.org.
For more events in Spain and throughout the world (Germany, Argentina, US, Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Czech Republic, Switzerland) click on the website above.
May 02, 2008
DNA: GINA anti-discrimination bill passes
American readers interested in DNA and genetic testing who feared repercussions if employers or insurers discovered the results of such testing can now rest easier as the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) has been passed by both the US House and Senate.
For those with Jewish ancestry, it makes the 25-condition test panel for Ashkenazi genetic conditions even more advisable. Information is available at DNATraits. Every Jewish family can help eradicate these tragic diseases in the same way that Tay Sachs has been nearly eliminated since widespread community testing has become common.
Amy Harmon's New York Times story is here.
The story mentions Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) who had blocked the bill until wording was added to protect employers from lawsuits resulting from insurance company violations. The US Chamber of Commerce argued that fines were excessive (as much as $300,000 for each violation) and that the limits on collecting medical information would be complicated.
The Scientific American website carries an article, "Congress Passes Bill Barring Genetic Discrimination - Action culminates more than a dozen years of legislative haggling."
The first anti-discrimination genetic legislation was introduced by Slaughter, who is is a microbiologist with a public health master's degree. Today, more than 1,000 genetic tests are available to diagnose or assess the risk of potentially life-threatening diseases.
Consumer groups said the GINA passage will close state law gaps and encourage Americans to take advantage of potentially lifesaving genetic testing without fear of being denied coverage.
American Society of Human Genetics executive vice president Joann Boughman said that "researchers and clinicians can now actively encourage Americans to participate in clinical trials without the fear of genetic discrimination," and protected by GINA, health care practitioners will be able to recommend appropriate genetic testing and screening without fear of discrimination based on results.
For those with Jewish ancestry, it makes the 25-condition test panel for Ashkenazi genetic conditions even more advisable. Information is available at DNATraits. Every Jewish family can help eradicate these tragic diseases in the same way that Tay Sachs has been nearly eliminated since widespread community testing has become common.
Amy Harmon's New York Times story is here.
The legislation, which President Bush has indicated he will sign, speaks both to the mounting hope that genetic research may greatly improve health care and the fear of a dystopia in which people’s own DNA could be turned against them.
On the House floor on Thursday, Democrats and Republicans alike cited anecdotes and polls illustrating that people feel they should not be penalized because they happened to be born at higher risk for a given disease.
“People know we all have bad genes, and we are all potential victims of genetic discrimination,” said Representative Louise M. Slaughter, Democrat of New York, who first proposed the legislation. The measure passed the House on Thursday by a 414-to-1 vote, and the Senate by 95-to-0 a week earlier.
If the bill is signed into law, more people are expected to take advantage of genetic testing and to participate in genetic research. Still, some experts said people should think twice before revealing their genetic information.
The story mentions Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) who had blocked the bill until wording was added to protect employers from lawsuits resulting from insurance company violations. The US Chamber of Commerce argued that fines were excessive (as much as $300,000 for each violation) and that the limits on collecting medical information would be complicated.
“This clears away what in many people’s mind had been a real cloud on the horizon,” said Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health. “Families with a strong history of genetic disease will have one less worry about the circumstances they find themselves in, and hooray for that.”
The Scientific American website carries an article, "Congress Passes Bill Barring Genetic Discrimination - Action culminates more than a dozen years of legislative haggling."
Since no one is born with perfect genes, we are all potential victims of genetic discrimination. This legislation marks the beginning of a new era in health care where a person's genetic information can no longer be used against them,'' bill sponsor Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) said after the legislation sailed through the House. "By prohibiting the improper use of genetic information, Americans will be encouraged to take advantage of the tremendous life-altering potential of genetic research."
The first anti-discrimination genetic legislation was introduced by Slaughter, who is is a microbiologist with a public health master's degree. Today, more than 1,000 genetic tests are available to diagnose or assess the risk of potentially life-threatening diseases.
Consumer groups said the GINA passage will close state law gaps and encourage Americans to take advantage of potentially lifesaving genetic testing without fear of being denied coverage.
American Society of Human Genetics executive vice president Joann Boughman said that "researchers and clinicians can now actively encourage Americans to participate in clinical trials without the fear of genetic discrimination," and protected by GINA, health care practitioners will be able to recommend appropriate genetic testing and screening without fear of discrimination based on results.
May 01, 2008
DNA: Czar's children's remains confirmed
Another of history's mysteries has been solved - this time using DNA technology to determine family relationships and identity.
AP broke the story on DNA results confirming the identity of Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria, two children of Czar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra.
In 1917, Nicholas abdicated and his family were taken and shot by firing squad on July 17, 1918 in Yekaterinburg. Persistent rumors said some of the family had escaped and survived. Readers will remember claims by women that they were Anastasia.
The bones were discovered last summer in a forest near Yekaterinburg; Russian and U.S. laboratories conducted DNA tests. Researchers believe the entire family has now been found. While the region's governor did not specify the lab, a research team at the University of Massachusetts Medical School had been involved.
Test results were based on mitochondrial DNA (materanl DNA transmitted from mothers to their children), which is more stable than Y-DNA (male) particularly when remains are damaged, as in the case of these bones which were shattered and burned.
Researchers compared the bone DNA with those of Empress Alexandra, a granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria and a distant relative of Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband.
According to the story, the team is now working on analyzing the Y-DNA and comparing samples to the czar's paternal relatives.
Read more here.
AP broke the story on DNA results confirming the identity of Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria, two children of Czar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra.
For nine decades after Bolshevik executioners gunned down Czar Nicholas II and his family, there were no traces of the remains of Crown Prince Alexei, the hemophiliac heir to Russia's throne.
Some said the delicate 13-year-old had somehow survived and escaped; others believed his bones were lost in Russia's vastness, buried in secret amid fear and chaos as the country lurched into civil war.
Now an official says DNA tests have solved the mystery by identifying bone shards found in a forest as those of Alexei and his sister, Grand Duchess Maria.
The remains of their parents — Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra — and three siblings, including the czar's youngest daughter, Anastasia, were unearthed in 1991 and reburied in the imperial resting place in St. Petersburg. The Russian Orthodox Church made all seven of them saints in 2000.
In 1917, Nicholas abdicated and his family were taken and shot by firing squad on July 17, 1918 in Yekaterinburg. Persistent rumors said some of the family had escaped and survived. Readers will remember claims by women that they were Anastasia.
The bones were discovered last summer in a forest near Yekaterinburg; Russian and U.S. laboratories conducted DNA tests. Researchers believe the entire family has now been found. While the region's governor did not specify the lab, a research team at the University of Massachusetts Medical School had been involved.
Test results were based on mitochondrial DNA (materanl DNA transmitted from mothers to their children), which is more stable than Y-DNA (male) particularly when remains are damaged, as in the case of these bones which were shattered and burned.
Researchers compared the bone DNA with those of Empress Alexandra, a granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria and a distant relative of Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband.
According to the story, the team is now working on analyzing the Y-DNA and comparing samples to the czar's paternal relatives.
Read more here.
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