New York: Arthur Kurzweil, Dec. 13

Tracing the Tribe cut its Jewish genealogical teeth on Arthur Kurzweil's ground-breaking book way back when.

It's safe to say that many genealogists traveled the same road and first realized the possibilities as we read his book, "From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Family History."
My first-edition copy is tattered and torn from multiple readings, and I now have a new copy!

Whether you've read the book or not, here's an opportunity to hear Kurzweil speak on Jewish genealogy as a spiritual pilgrimage, when he's the guest speaker for the Jewish Genealogy Society of Long Island on Sunday, December 13, at its annual meeting and elections. A genealogy book sale is also on the agenda.

Jewish genealogical research often begins as a curiosity about names and dates and places. But for many, the pursuit of one’s family history takes on cosmic proportions and leads to the heart of a person’s search for answers to ultimate questions.

Jewish genealogy is not just an historical but often becomes a genuine spiritual pursuit. This theme will be explored in an effort to get to the core of what genealogy really means in Jewish tradition.

Kurzweil has also authored "The Torah for Dummies," "Kabbalah for Dummies," and "On the Road with Rabbi Steinsaltz." A magician, he performs in his one-man show, “Searching for God in a Magic Shop.” He grew up in East Meadow and lives in Great Neck.

The day begins at 1.30pm - with a book sale - followed by the JGSLI's annual meeting and elections, and Kurzweil will speak at 3pm. The venue is the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library in Plainview. Note the different location for this event.

The JGSLI's genealogical reference collection is housed at the library, enabling many more individuals to learn more about their families. Kurzweil has donated a number of his own books to this collection. The book sale will include books from his own collection with JGSLI benefiting from the proceeds.

Admission is free. For more information, go to the JGSLI website.