New Blog: Museum of Family History

Tracing the Tribe is a believer in passing on knowledge and was very happy to help a friend create his new blog.

I sat with Steve Lasky, creator of the virtual Museum of Family History, at the Philly 2009 conference. He asked if I knew how he could inform more people about his excellent site.

As most readers have already guessed, I suggested that he set up a blog.

Right then and there, I showed Steve how to set one up at Blogger, and over several hours on two days, it took shape. He's a very sharp guy and has already joined Geneabloggers.com.

The new blog is the Museum of Family History Blog. Do take a look at it and add it to your blog links.

Steve has also just announced his August update to resources at the cyber Museum:

The Museum of Family History now has a blog. Steve will post news about the Museum's goings-on, mostly new and upcoming exhibitions. Museum updates are once a month, but his blog posts will be more frequent. Visit the new blog.

Readers who appreciate the value of family history and Jewish traditions must always look for new ways to interest our children and grandchildren in these subjects. Visit 'Kiddish Yiddish' a PowerPoint presentation that presents a series of more than two dozen illustrations and rhymes about Jewish traditions and culture. With this book, you can read to or with a child, while at the same time finding opportunities to tell a story or two about your own past, e.g. a family gathering at a Passover seder, etc.

Steve has posted an online exhibit based on a small 1912 (reprinted in 1916) book by the Immigration Publication Society and translated from a Yiddish edition. Many have family who immigrated to the U.S. around that time. The book might have been given away to immigrants when they first arrived.

According to a 1920 NY Times Book Review, the book

'is intended to benefit, dealing with the advantages derived from citizenship and the duties devolving upon those on whom it conferred. In this guide a resume is given of the early history of the United States and the manner in which Independence was obtained. Immigrants are told of the freedom they enjoy in America, where all that is asked of them is obedience to humane laws. There are also many hints on naturalization and the means of obtaining it and a condensed compendium of laws affecting conduct in public, marriage, divorce, desertion, lotteries, etc.'

The Museum of Family History will be making a special appearance in Bialystok, Poland from September 4, when a new exhibit will open. It will be the first in a series - "Prominent Artists: Our Neighbors. Max Weber."

Weber was a well-known Jewish artist born in Bialystok who studied under Henri Matisse and Rousseau. See the English version of the Weber exhibit ("Max Weber: Reflections of Jewish Memory in Modern American Art") here.

Congratulations to Steve on the wonderful work he is doing with the Museum, and also on his new blog.