Israel: Loss of an old friend

It is with deep sadness that I announce the sudden death of an old friend, Archie Taina, whose funeral was held January 15.

Archie was a devoted member of the Jewish Family Research Association (JFRA Israel), and was one of the first genealogy people I met in Israel.

A former South African, he attended most JFRA meetings and many IAJGS conferences. He was among the first to help anyone with a question or a problem. He often took photos of events so we had a visual record for the group.

Archie was always concerned with how JFRA was doing and its future, and he always had a genuine smile on his face when talking about genealogy and finding family.

He used Facebook to find descendants of a cousin and found eight of the grandchildren, who confirmed information, connected him to their parents and shared information on their grandmother (his cousin).

Tracing the Tribe extends heartfelt condolences to his wife Gila, his daughters, Yael and Iris and their families.

Those readers who knew Archie are invited to send messages to Tracing the Tribe for transmittal to his family. Send to ask AT tracingthetribe DOT com, with "Archie Taina" in the subject line.

Baruch Dayan Emet.