Southern California: Ron Arons to speak, June 5

Author Ron Arons will be making his sixth visit to the Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County, on Sunday, June 5.

The program begins at 1.30pm at Temple Adat Elohim 2420 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. There is no admission fee.

Ron will speak on “Wrongful [Jewish] Wrascals of the West.”

And you thought Jewish criminals were just on the East Coast (mainly New York), the Midwest (Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit) and Las Vegas!

Well, Jewish criminals have made their mark in the state of California for nearly 150 years. Above and beyond Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky, Ron has found them – in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and elsewhere in the Golden State.

Along the way, he shows the large variety of genealogical sources available to research these characters. Ron will show you how to track down your black sheep ancestors! Sale of books and  'Black Sheep' products after the presentation.

Ron has researched his roots for more than a dozen years. In the process, he learned that one of his ancestors served time “up the river” at Sing Sing Prison. Along the way, he's become an expert on how to research historical criminals.

Ron has given numerous presentations across the country and internationally on conducting genealogical research, especially research on criminals.

In January 2008, he appeared on the PBS TV series, "The Jewish Americans," discussing criminals who operated on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. His book, "The Jews of Sing Sing," was published in June, 2008. In 2009, Ron published "WANTED! U.S. Criminal Records," a reference book listing where criminal records are located across the US.

For more information, click here or send an email.