Boston: Jewish genealogy nights at NEHGS

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston will be holding free Jewish genealogy nights at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in September.

No registration is required for the free sessions. The first is set for 6-8pm on September 21, at the NEHGS, 99-101 Newbury Street, Boston. It appears that the sessions will be held at the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS), New England Archives, located on the fifth floor of the NEHGS. The AJHS archival materials are available to researchers - no fee for access.

Interested in researching your Jewish genealogy? Have questions or don’t know where to start?

The NEHGS is open on Wednesday evenings, when JGSGB members are available to help new and experienced researchers look into their family histories, answer questions, assist with brick walls and provide resource information. Twice each month, experienced genealogists will be at the AJHS reference desk. No appointment is necessary.

For more information, contact Judi Garner at the AJHS.

See the JGSGB website for additional news and upcoming meetings.

For those who really like to plan ahead, note that the JGSGB will co-host, with IAJGS, the 2013 conference - the 33rd IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy - from 4-9 August 2013 at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston.

Northern California: Hungarian research, June 20

Hungry to learn about researching your Hungarian roots?

If so, the next meeting of the Los Altos branch of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society on Monday, June 20, should answer many questions.

Doors open at 7pm and the program starts at 7.30pm at Congregation Beth Am, 26790 Arastradero Road (room 5/6) in Los Altos Hills. There is no admission fee.

"Family Research in Greater Hungary" will be presented by Vivian Kahn.

Kahn will provide an overview of the history of Hungary's Jewish community and discuss resources available to those researching roots from the current and former territory of Hungary,including archival records in Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine, and Hungary and sources such as burial and military records.

She will describe and provide tips for searching JewishGen's All Hungary Database - with close to a million records about individuals living in areas today in present-day Hungary as well as Slovakia, Croatia, northern Serbia, northwestern Romania, and subcarpathian Ukraine.

In addition to describing the resources incorporated in that database, she will discuss some of the Hungarian SIG's current projects and identify other online resources.

Coordinator of JewishGen's Hungarian Special Interest Group (H-SIG), Kahn also moderates its discussion group. Her 18-year investigation of ancestral roots in pre-Trianon Hungary has taken her to Hungary, Slovakia, Israel and Salt Lake City.

Along the way, she has helped others investigate their roots, and become familiar with the wide range of resources available for learning about Jewish families from present-day Hungary as well as Slovakia, Romania and Trans-Carpathian Ukraine.

She also serves as JewishGen's Vice President for SIG Affairs.

Enjoy brainstorming about genealogical questions before and after the program. Light kosher refreshments will be served.

For more information on SFBAJGS and directions, click here.

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.

Three conferences in 10 days!

Tracing the Tribe has just arrived home after speaking at three conferences in two countries in 10 days!

Each was very different in format and topics addressed, and Internet access - on a personal level - varied, significantly curtailing communications. Jet lag, surprisingly, wasn't an issue on this trip. Along with the events themselves, Tracing the Tribe also connected with family, old and new friends.

The Society of Genealogists' Centenary Conference (London, UK; Saturday, May 7), was followed by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain's Northern Regional Conference (Manchester, UK; Sunday, May 8). Just two days later, I flew to the exciting National Genealogical Society's event in Charleston, South Carolina.

At the SOG and NGS, my topic was the IberianAshkenaz DNA Study as a case study - administered by Judy Simon of New York and myself - at FamilyTreeDNA.com. Each time this topic is presented, there is more to update on results and participants. It aways changes.

In Manchester, I spoke on social media for 21st-century genealogists, also an evolving topic.

At SOG and NGS, DNA was an interesting topic as the number of Jewish attendees is traditionally rather small, although there were more who had Jewish ancestry, some recently discovered. It was a different audience, with different questions, and we believe that these two opportunities helped to raise awareness of genetic genealogy - and FamilyTreeDNA.com.

From questions asked in session Q&As to those fielded during the rest of the events (and later emails), it was obvious that people are fascinated by this rather amazing tool available to us. The presentation includes the nuts and bolts of creating a DNA project applicable to any ethnicity, religion or geographic region.

At the JGSGB event - with some really excellent topics presented - it was a privilege to help explain how genealogists (as well as genealogy societies and other institutions) can benefit from today's social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs and more.

Watch for separate posts on each conference.

Now back home in New Mexico, I still have a few weeks before the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree 2011 (speaking on creating online ancestral communities) and the Association of Jewish Libraries' event in Montreal (speaking on Sephardic research) soon after.

What do I do when at home, other than reading accumulated email, getting some needed sleep and generally not travel farther than the supermarket? Well, there are articles to write, a stack of books to review, and local genealogy goings-on, including genealogy presentations at local senior centers.

The schedule includes even more as I am genealogy co-chair of the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society, and involved in the creation and organization of the new general Sandoval County Genealogical Society.

Tracing the Tribe firmly believes that all Jewish historical societies should join the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS), as the NMJHS has recently done. It always seems that genealogists understand the connection between what we do and history, but that historical societies don't always see that essential connection. More cooperation between local genealogical and historical societies provides more learning opportunities for members of both.

What's on the menu for these two societies? We'll soon begin working on the new program year for both groups and contacting prospective speakers.

The Sandoval County society will be meeting the first Saturday of each month, from 10am-12.30pm, and we are working on the timing for the NMJHS events, which will be on Sundays (to be scheduled) at the Albuquerque JCC.

Back to email!

San Francisco: Jewish life in Tsarist Kiev, May 3

Learn about Jewish life in Tsarist-era Kiev with Natan M. Meir of Portland State University on Tuesday, May 3, at a meeting co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Library and the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society.

Meir's talk - "A 'Russian Zion' or a Jewish Nightmare? Jewish Life in Tsarist Kiev" - will be presented in Russian at 4pm and in English at 7pm, at the Jewish Community Library. There is no admission fee for the two talks.

The JCL is at 1835 Ellis Street, in San Francisco; there is free parking.

From a small group of merchants in the early 1860s, the Jewish population of Kiev grew rapidly until it became one of the largest urban Jewish communities in the Russian Empire.

Meir - author of "Kiev, Jewish Metropolis: A History, 1859–1914"- will chart the growth of this vital community from its founding until the outbreak of World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution. He will discuss the external and internal challenges that it faced, including pogroms, intracommunal divisions, and the 1913 Beilis affair, in which a Ukrainian Jew was accused of ritual murder.

Meir received a Ph.D. in Jewish history from Columbia University in 2003 and is now the Lorry I. Lokey Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies at Portland State University (Oregon). He is co-editor of the recently published "Anti-Jewish Violence: Rethinking the Pogrom in East European History" and is currently working on a study of vulnerable and marginalized groups among East European Jews in the 19th century. He is a consultant for the Russian Jewish Museum of Moscow, now in its development stages.

For directions and more information, click here.

Seattle: 'Jews, Genetics & the DNA Shoah Project,' April 11

"Jews, Genetics, and the DNA Shoah Project" with Matthew Kaplan is the next program of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State, on Monday, April 11.

Doors open at 7pm for the 7.30pm program at the Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 East Mercer Way, Mercer Island. Admission: Free for JGSWS members and one guest per year; others, $5.

Kaplan will present research findings from studies of Jewish genetics and Jewish population history. He’ll start with a short review of some basic principles of human genetics and the biology behind DNA testing.

He'll also talk about the DNA Shoah Project, a unique humanitarian effort to reunite survivors of the Holocaust.

Following the lecture there will be time for questions. Volunteers will be on hand to assist those interested in contributing their DNA (free) to the DNA Shoah Project.

Kaplan is a staff scientist at the University of Arizona Genetics Core laboratory (UAGC), which provides genetic testing services for academic researchers and the private sector. He personally developed the genetic testing pipeline for FamilyTreeDNA, the leader in the genetic genealogy field.

The laboratory currently provides genetic testing services for FamilyTreeDNA and for public participants of National Geographic’s and IBM’s Genographic Project.

Kaplan has worked with Dr. Michael Hammer on research projects using the Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA to investigate the population genetics and population history of Jewish populations for more than 10 years. Kaplan and Hammer are working together on the DNA Shoah Project.

For more information and directions, see the JGSWS website.

Southern California: Orange County genealogy programs to begin

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles is expanding programming south into the South Bay area to reach genealogists who don't want to drive long distances into the city.

JGSLA' programming chair Pamela Weisberger told Tracing the Tribe that the the first two meetings scheduled will be:

-- Thursday, April 14
Warren Blatt (of JewishGen) will speak on "Abram to Zlata: An Introduction to Jewish Given Names" at the Toyota Car Museum of Torrance, 19600 Van Ness Avenue, Torrence, CA 90501.

-- Tuesday, June 14
Daniel Horowitz (MyHeritage.com's chief genealogist) will speak on Tuesday, June 14 about "Planting a Family Tree Online with MyHeritage.com," at Congregation Shir Chadash, 6440 Del Amo Blvd., Ladewood 90713.

Pamela says that more programming will be offered in Orange County and South Bay to reach more Jewish genealogists during the coming year.

For more information and directions, click on the JGSLA website.

Michigan: Polish-language treasures, April 3

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Michigan will host genealogist and author Judith Frazin on Sunday, April 3.

Frazin  will speak on "Discovering the Treasures 
in 19th-Century Polish-Language Records."

The meeting begins at 11am, at the Holocaust Memorial Center, 28123 Orchard Lake Road in Farmington Hills. Admission: JGSMI members, free; others, $5.

A genealogist for more than 39 years, she is the author of three editions of "A Translation Guide to 19th-Century Polish-Language Civil-Registration Documents."

Frazin received the  "2010 Outstanding Contribution to Jewish Genealogy via the Internet, Print or Electronic Product," from the IAJGS.

This practical and interactive presentation will first briefly discuss unique factors which impact 19th-century Polish research. Then, with audience participation, it will walk attendees step by step through the process of translating one 19th-century Polish document, and possibly two, if time permits. Documents will be passed out at the workshop.

The program is co-sponsored by the Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan.

FGS: Strategies for societies now available online

The Federation of Geneaogical Societies (FGS) has placed a series of expert papers on society strategies on its website.

February 28, 2011 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announces that a vast collection of its Society Strategy Series papers is now available—free to the public—at the FGS website (http://www.fgs.org/societystrategy/).

The Society Strategy Series is a collection of papers filled with suggestions and instructions for the management of genealogical societies, historical societies, and family associations.

These papers have been expertly written by respected authors in the genealogy community to help you and your society grow and prosper.

Timely Topics by Well-Known Authors
Topics covered in the Society Strategy Series papers include:
·        Series I: Strategies for Societies
·        Series II: Strategies for Presidents
·        Series III: Strategies for Vice-Presidents
·        Series IV: Strategies for Treasurers
·        Series V: Strategies for Secretaries
·        Series VI: Strategies for Program Chairpersons
·        Series VII: Strategies for Librarians
·        Series VIII: Strategies for Editors

Most genealogists and genealogy society members will recognize the authors of the Society Strategy Series papers which include Jana Sloan Broglin, Karen Clifford, Betty Robertson Kaufman, Roberta “Bobbi” King, Gary Mokotoff, David Rencher, Curt Witcher, and the late Sandra H. Luebking and Marsha Hoffman Rising.

Newer Society Strategy Series topics are placed in the Members Only area of the FGS website for a period of one (1) year as a member benefit for FGS member societies. Additional new papers are being written and are planned for the coming year.

Helping Genealogy Societies Grow and Prosper
FGS is proud to make the Society Strategy Series available to the entire genealogical community as a means of helping societies become better at managing and growing their organizations.

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)
The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and represents the members of hundreds of genealogical societies. FGS links the genealogical community by helping genealogical societies strengthen and grow through resources available online, FGS Forum magazine (filled with articles pertaining to society management and genealogical news), and Society Strategy Series papers, covering topics about effectively operating a genealogical society. FGS also links the genealogical community through its annual conference -- four days of excellent lectures, including one full day devoted to society management topics. To learn more visit http://www.fgs.org/.

Editor’s Note:  Whether you have a robust society or are experiencing waning membership, whether you are a long-established society or just starting out as a society, this series is very useful to genealogy societies and similar organizations.

Society members should take a look and see if the articles can  help their organization solve problems and issues.

Mocavo.com: New, free genealogy search engine launches

Claiming to be the world's largest free genealogy search engine, Mocavo.com launched today.

The tag line reads, "Searching billions of names in tens of thousands of free sources."

The world’s largest free genealogy search engine, says Mocavo.com, provides genealogists access to the best free genealogy content on the web including billions of names, dates and places worldwide.

The site seeks to index and make searchable all of the world’s free genealogy information.

According to the website, Mocavo.com discovers new sites every day. Sites currently searchable include genealogy message boards, family trees, state and local historical societies. Some of the well-known sites that Mocavo accesses include the Library of Congress, National Archives, Ellis Island, Find A Grave, the Internet Archive, various U.S. state archives, and large numbers of genealogy sites built by individuals for their own family history.

Mocavo links directly to the original content sites.

Dick Eastman and Randy Seaver have already posted about their experiences. Tracing the Tribe is contributing to the Jewish experience on the new site.

I usually start with my names of interest, TALALAY and DARDASHTI, moving onto the geographical locations important to this research, as well as other topics of interest. The website claims to enable the search of more than 50 billion words, so there must be something for Tracing the Tribe, right?

• There were 168 results for TALALAY and 1,757 entries for DARDASHTI.

The TALALAY entries included Ancestry board posts, conference entries and more. This search did offer a few new ones that I need to follow up on, and it saved me from what usually happens on a Google search, which produces thousands of references to cousins producer Rachel Talalay and her films, Dr. Paul Talalay (Rachel's father), the latex rubber Talalay process and broccoli sprouts.

The DARDASHTI entries included many for Tracing the Tribe, of course, but the others included many conference entries.

• My first geographical location -Mogilev, Belarus - displayed more than 1,550 hits, mostly from JewishGen's various pages, but aso including other sites. Some results need to be investigated more thoroughly.
• A search for "sephardic" - important for many Tracing the Tribe readers - produced more than 7,000 results, mostly from JewishGen. "Jewish Sephardic" brought out some 1,100. There were differences in the results.
• A search for "Tracing the Tribe," brought in some 71 hits, while "Jewish genealogy" resulted in nearly 20,000 results, covering a wide gamut of resources (JewishGen, Jewish genealogical societies, various archives, libraries, book lists, individual family history pages and much more).
• Searching merely for "Jewish," produced nearly 680,000 results. Among these were state history sites, message boards, state sites for Jewish archives, museums, JGSs, local history sites, cemeteries and many more.

Tracing the Tribe suggests you try it for your own "dot on the map" and surnames. Many more sites will likely be added and searches will produce many more results.

Mocavo.com also has a Facebook page, which Tracing the Tribe has "liked." I think you'll also like it.

Try it out and let your fellow readers know what you've found in your own search.

San Francisco: 'Towers of Gold' author speaks, March 27

Have you read Frances Dinkespiel's book - Towers of Gold - about her great-great-grandfather Isaias Hellman ? Tracing the Tribe highly recommends it.

San Francisco-area residents can hear the author talk about the book at the next meeting of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society on Sunday, March 27.

Doors open at 12.30pm, and the program begins at 1pm at Congregation Beth Israel-Judea, 625 Brotherhood Way,  next to Brandeis Hillel Day School.

Dinkelspiel's lecture is entitled "Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California."

Isaias Wolf Hellman left Bavaria at age 16 and within 10 years of arriving in Gold Rush-era California founded Los Angeles' first bank. A brilliant entrepreneur and financier, he was integral to the founding of Wells Fargo Bank, the establishment of the University of Southern California, and the financing of the burgeoning oil industry. Frances Dinkelspiel (Hellman's great-great-granddaughter) will talk about Hellman's impact on early Los Angeles and his role in the development of San Francisco as a major financial center.

An award-winning journalist, Dinkelspiel's work has appeared in the New York Times, People, the San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco Magazine, and other publications. She is the co-founder of Berkeleyside.com, a new local website about Berkeley, and lives in Berkeley. Read more about her and the book here.

For more information or directions, click here.

Montreal: 'Reliving lives, past and present,' March 16

Architect-author David Reich will speak on "Reliving Our Lives - Past & Present," at the Jewish Genealogical Society of Montreal in association with the Jewish Public Library, on Wednesday, March 16.

The meeting begins at 7.30pm at the Gelber Conference Centre, 5151 Cote Ste-Catherine/1 Carré Cummings.

David Reich was born and seasoned in Montreal. He abandoned a 60 year career as an architect in many countries to enjoy the pleasures and disappointments of writing. Reich has done family research, with an unusual and creative family tree to prove it. During his reclining years he self-published 10 books and convinced an unsuspecting editor to issue his latest opus.

He'll also be signing copies of his book,“You Could Lose an Eye – my first 80 years in Montreal,” an account of his family history.

For more information and future programs, visit the JGS of Montreal.

Florida: Photo Genealogist 'Sherlock Cohn' to speak March 9

Ava Cohn - AKA Sherlock Cohen - Photo Genealogist - will speak at the Jewish Genealogical Society of Palm Beach County on Wednesday, March 9.

The meeting begins at 12.30pm at the South County Civic Center, 16700 Jog Road, Delray Beach, Florida. The main program follows a brick wall session and brief business meeting. The Poland/Belarus SIG will meet from 11.30am-1215pm. Admission: JGSPBCI members, free; others, $5.

"Clued-In: Case Studies" is the name of the program, which will detail the mysteries of heirloom photos unlocked by Cohn, who brings a lifelong fascination with heirloom photographs and a multidisciplinary background to photo dating and interpretation.

Cohn holds a Theatre Arts BA (Brandeis University), and has done coursework in decorative arts, art history and costume history at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. A former marketing executive, she has been studying her family history as a hobby for more than three decades, and full time since 2005.

For directions and more information, click the JGSPBC website.

As Sherlock Cohn, the Jewish genealogy sleuth, she will demonstrate how and why it is important to mine the clues our ancestors left in their photos. Whether families came from Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Galicia, Romania, Germany or other parts of Eastern Europe or the world, whether they were Ashkenazic or Sephardic, they left very personal records of their lives in the photographs and portraits for which they sat. Analyzing Jewish family photographs presents unique challenges unlike those of any other ethnic groups.

“Sherlock” will show how accurate photo dating, photo identification, knowledge of fashion and artifact history, and matching of vital records can illuminate relatives’ lives, and help solve some of the vexing family genealogy mysteries.

Cohn has made it her mission to help as many Jewish genealogists as possible to recover the personal information that their ancestors knew when they had their portraits originally taken and as such, specializes in the period of most Jewish photographs, 1880-1960.

Ohio: Learn about Family Tree Maker, February 6

Cleveland-area residents will learn about Family Tree Maker software at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland, on Sunday, February 6.

"Family Tree Maker - What it can and can't do for you" begins at 1.30pm, at the Park Synagogue East, 27500 Shaker Boulevard, Pepper Pike, Ohio.

Speaker John Stoika of the Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical Society is also the past president and member of the Computer Assisted Genealogy Group (CAGG)

For more information on this program and the March 28 program for beginners, click the JGS of Cleveland website.

San Francisco: "'What's new at FamilySearch.or," February 13

Learn what's new at FamilySearch.org at the next meeting of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, on Sunday, February 13.

Doors open at 12.30pm, the program starts at 1pm. The venue is the Oakland Regional Family History Center, 4766 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland.
Margery H. Bell will detail some major changes at FamilySearch.org which will take place over the next few months. Some are now available, others are coming soon.

Get the inside scoop on what has happened, what is going to happen, what the future holds, and how it will help with your research. Learn some techniques to more effectively use the Bay Area Family History Centers online catalog. Following the program, attendees may use the library until 4pm.

A genealogist for some 35 years, Bell has worked in the Oakland Regional Family History Center for about 27 years and is now an assistant director. She teaches throughout the Bay Area and authored "Line upon Line: A Beginner’s Guide to Genealogy," published with Ancestral Quest software.

For more information and directions, click the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society website.

Miami: Steve Morse presents, February 6

Legendary genealogy guru Steve Morse will present two lectures at the 22nd anniversary celebration of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Miami on Sunday, February 6.

The day starts at 10am, at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, 4200 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami. There is ample, free and secure parking.

Steve will first present "Navigating the New York Census with Less Frustration."

Several state censuses were conducted in New York from 1790. However, the most valuable  for genealogical  purposes are 1905, 1915 and 1925 because of the large immigrant influx. Although there have been assorted aids to work with those censuses, they were often hard to use and applied to only specific years or locations.

Steve's now well-known One-Step rectifies that situation via an online universal finding aid covering all New York City boroughs in each of the three census years. His talk will describe the One-Step approach and compare it to previous methods.

After a short intermission, Steve will offer "The Updated Potpourri of Genealogical Search Tools."

His One-Step website started out as a way to finding passengers in the Ellis Island database, but soon grew to provide help with the 1930 census.

Steve has continued to add new features, and his website now offers some 200 web-based tools in 16 categories.This presentation will describe the current range of availabe tools and provide highlights of each.

Guests and friends are always welcome. There is no admission fee.

For directions and more information, click here.

Washington DC: 31st IAJGS conference updates

Tracing the Tribe hopes to see many of its readers at the 31st IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy - August 14-19 - in Washington DC.

Several updates concerning the event:

UPDATE #1 - Drawing for free stay

To be eligible to participate in the drawing for a free five-night stay at the conference venue - The Grand Hyatt Washington - readers must complete their conference registrations by 11.59pm EST January 31.

To register, click here on the Conference website.

UPDATE #2 - Discussion Group

Keep up on the latest announcements and information about the 2011 event via the DC2011 Discussion group on JewishGen. Learn the latest details and announcements, ask questions and comment, connect with other attendees.

Subscribe now and be the first on your block to learn the name of the five-night hotel stay winner. This first drawing is for those who submitted proposals to speak at the conference. The second drawing, in mid-February, is for another free five-night hotel stay for those who did early registration by midnight January 31.

Subscribe to the DC2011 discussion group by clicking here. When prompted, login to JewishGen and the Subscribe to JewishGen Mailing Lists page will appear. Under Hosted Projects, look for the 2011 DC Conference and click - on the right side - Subscribe.

UPDATE #3 - Shabbat Scholar

On February 1, the conference committee will announce the name of the conference Shabbat Scholar (Friday night-Saturday, August 12-13). Many conference attendees arrive several days before the conference starts to research in area repositories and the Shabbat program is a good way to meet others.

Tracing the Tribe will cover all announcements and updates from the DC 2011 event and will also blog the conference, so stay tuned.

UK: Manchester research session, January 30

The Manchester branch of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain is planning a research afternoon on Sunday, January 30.

The meeting starts at 2pm at the Meade Hill Road (United) Synagogue, 88 Meade Hill Road, Manchester.

The program will provide access to the group's reference library. The plan is to have small groups working on the rich content and information available on  JewishGen, JGSGB, National Archives, Manchester Central Library Jewish Archives, Jewish Chronicle, Historical Directories, various BMDs and other resources.

An advance list of books is available. Write to Lorna Kay to receive the list and to make reservations for the day.

Lorna informs Tracing the Tribe that CD copies of John Cowell's book on the history of the Jews of Preston are available for purchase for £5.25 plus £1.50 if ordered by e-mail. Copies will be available at the meeting.

Admission: JGSGB members, free; others, £5.

PLAN AHEAD:

The Manchester group's Ninth Full Day Conference is set for Sunday, May 8. I will be speaking there - my first time in that city - and looking forward to seeing many UK genealogy friends.

An event highlight will be the release of new databases for Manchester records.

Questions? Write to Lorna at the link above.

San Francisco: Jewish calendar made simple, January 23

Jewish genealogists must learn about the Jewish calendar to understand archival and vital records, cemetery inscriptions and more.

The San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society will present the famed Dr. Steve Morse in "The Jewish Calendar Demystified," on Sunday, January 23.

Doors open at 12.30pm for the 1pm program at Congregation Beth Israel Judea, 625 Brotherhood Way, in San Francisco.

The Jewish calendar is important to genealogists because Jewish vital records use Jewish dates. The calendar is both a solar and lunar calendar, with the months being synchronized to the moon and years to the sun. As such, the rules governing the calendar can be a bit daunting. This talk presents the calendar in an easy-to-understand - and sometimes tongue-in-cheek - fashion.

Now a genealogical household name, Steve Morse is the creator of the One-Step Website. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Outstanding Contribution Award from IAJGS, the Award of Merit from the National Genealogical Society, the first-ever Excellence Award from the Association of Professional Genealogists, and two awards that he cannot pronounce from Polish genealogical societies.

For more information and directions, click the SFBAJGS site here

Israel: IGS holds elections

The Israel Genealogical Society held its annual general meeting, including elections, on December 22, 2010.

The elected officers are President Garri Regev, Secretary Susan Edel and Treasurer Chana Furman.

Michael Goldstein (who is the IAJGS president) and Dr. Lea Haber Gedalia completed their terms.

The Executive Committee includes Regev, Edel and Furman, as well as Shaul Hollander and Daniel Horowitz as representatives.

The 2014 International Conference on Jewish Genealogy will be held in Israel.

For more information on the IGS, click here.