Family Photos: Playing games

Several years ago, I interviewed several major Jewish genealogy personalities for a Jerusalem Post article on how to get children interested in genealogy.

Judith told me that since her grandchildren were toddlers, she would spread out the family photos and go over their names. They soon recognized their ancestors and relatives.

Marlene Bishow of the JGS of Greater Washington (DC), hosting this year's 31st IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, shared that her grandmother went over index cards with family information with Marlene.

These were grass-roots, personal efforts, and now there's an even easier way to encourage children and involve adults in learning who's who in your family - a true multi-generational effort in the form of a family memory game created by MyHeritage.com for its members.

MyHeritage.com has just created a family memory game - a set of family photo cards personalized for your own family - and that can be played like other matching picture games. Anyone can match the two chickens or two shapes, but can you match the cards for Great-Aunt Rose or Great-Grandfather Aaron?

It can be played for free online or card sets may be ordered to use at home - and they'd make great gifts.

Tracing the Tribe thinks this new game and the card sets will be a great hit with genealogists who are always looking for ways to get their families involved in their quest.

According to the press release,

The game, one of the first ever online family tree games, automatically generates beautiful personalized picture cards of close relatives and ancestors - based on each user’s family tree. Following the same rules as a typical memory card game, users can play online against other family members, or solo against the clock. With a webcam option, players can even include a live picture of themselves in one pair of the cards – providing added entertainment particularly for younger players. 

The game, one of the first ever online family tree games, automatically generates beautiful personalized picture cards of close relatives and ancestors - based on each user’s family tree. Following the same rules as a typical memory card game, users can play online against other family members, or solo against the clock. With a webcam option, players can even include a live picture of themselves in one pair of the cards – providing added entertainment particularly for younger players. 

The game is recommended for all users with a family tree that features photos of relatives. Click here to view an image of the game.

If you are already a member and enjoy the online version, order the printed cards, compiled from information already in your family tree, from MyHeritage.com to play at home, to take along on vacations or to family reunions. The card sets are available through the company's new partnership with AncestryGames.com.

Each deck of  60 handmade personalized cards features up to 30 relatives of the user's choice and includes birth/death dates and locations as listed in the family tree. Each deck (up to three sets) ordered costs $20 each (plus shipping; US $7, international $16). That shipping charge covers up to three decks.

For more information, see the press release link above or go the MyHeritage blog post.

New Jersey: Intro to genealogy for teens, Nov. 23

In an effort to get teens involved in genealogy, the Clifton (New Jersey) Public Library will offer a special introduction session on Tuesday, Nov. 23.

The program runs from 4-5pm at the Main Memorial Library. Coming only a few days before Thanksgiving, a traditional family-gathering holiday, it might spur the participants into asking questions of their senior relatives during the holiday weekend.

Attendees will learn how to start a search, how to create a family tree and how the library's resources can help them.

This is how it was billed:

Teens – did you ever wonder where your family came from or how they ended up where you live now? If you answered, yes, than you’ve been bitten by the genealogy bug. Your past is a twisted and winding road that can be hard to follow but don’t give up your hunt because the library is here to help.

No registration is necessary. For more information, click here.

Tel Aviv: Family Festival - Day 2

Whoever says that children are not interested in family history has never been to a festival like this.

Today is the third day of the "One Family, Many Faces" family festival at Beit Hatfutsot (Museum of the Jewish People) in Tel Aviv.

Each day has seen crowds of families to the MyHeritage.com bank of 50 computers and a team of 15 experts. The plan was to provide each family with a 30-minute consultation on how to set up a family tree on MyHeritage.com. Over the first two days, some 950 new trees were created!

Yesterday, I spoke to several families as to why they were here, why family history was important to them, why they brought their children.

A family with roots in Libya brought their two young sons. The mother's family tree with many photos is already on the site. They were at a computer to show the children the online tree and add information. Why were they here?

The father smiled and just pointed to his boys: "We want them to know their history."

A jovial grandfather came on the first day with one set of grandchildren, and came again yesterday with another set. He came by our desk and said "I'm baaack!" I'm not sure if he's coming again with more of them!

A young woman with family roots in Baghdad brought her young niece, 6: "We don't know much beyond my grandparents," she said, "but I'm trying to learn more." She asked where she might find more information on resources; I provided a few leads.

The more questions I asked her, the more she asked me: "Why are you so interested in family history? Why are others so interested? I mentioned some of the reasons we want to learn about our family, and stressed my belief  that learning - every day - about new resources, databases, books and more to increase our knowledge kept our brains active and absorbing. Long ago, my pediatrician aways said to us "resting is rusting."

While we were talking, one of the MyHeritage team was helping the niece fill in names. I asked her if she was having a good time. "Fantastic!" she said.

A woman with roots in Hamadan, Iran brought her grandchildren. She came over to say how wonderful this event was for the younger generation, to connect with their history. We spoke in Farsi and we learned we knew each other's families in Teheran, Los Angeles and here. Her grandchildren kept coming over to ask her about details to put into their new tree.

The next post will detail some of the people who have visited the family history area!

Kids: Disney Channel, genealogy and a song!

Genealogists are always wondering how to get kids involved in family history.

Looks like the Disney Channel will be helping out with our perennial quest with its new show - "My Family Tree" - set to air in November, which spotlights kids with interesting family histories, visiting relevant locations and speaking about their ancestors.

The Disney Fan Magazine offered a glimpse of the new series:

Genealogy and geography are set to come together in a new Disney Channel series to premiere in November. “My Family Tree” will showcase kids from around the country engagingly reporting on their interesting ancestors and roots.

Camera crews were in Marblehead, Massachusetts, with the Gerry family (Florida residents) who trace back to Elbridge Gerry, signer of the Declaration of Independence, Massachusetts governor (1810-1812) and the fifth US vice president (1813-1814).

He was born in Marblehead in 1744 and worked in the shipping business with his father and brothers. Heard the term "gerrymandering"? It was named after Elbridge and refers to redistricting to favor the party in power during elections.
The episode's star is his descendant, Noah Gerry, 12, who reports on various town locations for the show.

A quote from Disney spokesperson Patti McTeague stated that the children featured in the series all “have self-esteem and a gift of storytelling.”

The Marblehead Patch carried a more detailed story on the places filmed.

Among them were the Gerry School, Gerry Playground and the Gerry 5 VFA. They started the day near the Marblehead Lobster Company, with Gerry Island just offshore.

Noah also visited Elbridge Gerry's historic home on Washington Street, which stopped traffic and attracted many curious onlookers. Noah spoke into the camera, "This is our last stop. Elbridge Gerry was born in this house."

This week was Noah's first visit to Marblehead and it's not exactly what he expected.

"Actually, it's way more modern than I imagined," he said. "I had always pictured it with horses and wagons."

The Gerry family said they were surprised, and thrilled, to realize their family name is such a big part of Marblehead.

Noah's mother, Dr. Charlotte Gerry says the family has always known of their connection to Gerry, but "we'll go home now with a better sense of our heritage ... and with even more pride."

Noah caught the acting bug during a Disney show audition in Florida. He's appeared in several commercials and a sitcom pilot, and his sisters have starred in national commercials.

This isn't the first time Disney has ventured into family history. See four press releases here from back in 2000, when "The Tigger Movie" was released.

There's also a great song - "Round My Family Tree" - but I couldn't find the English lyrics on YouTube, so here's the animation with Finnish soundtrack. Still good for the linguistically-challenged. Should we be singing it at genealogy conferences?

Tracing the Tribe says to watch out for merchandise tie-ins, and suggests the following:

-- dolls that "speak" their ancestors' names

-- kid's sized toolboxes: mini microfilm readers, rolls of film, sets of "old" photos.

-- Fanny (or Freddy) the Family Tree - a stuffed warm and fuzzy tree toy

-- Sets of family tree equipment: "Let's Play Genealogy!"

-- Family group charts and pedigree sheets, with bright stickers and more.

There's a world of opportunities out there!

Netherlands: Photos of child Holocaust victims

Gaby Laws of CemeteryScribes.com has informed Tracing the Tribe about a project to create a memorial book for young Dutch Holocaust victims.

Athough CemeteryScribes.com focuses on photographing headstones and recording inscriptions, this request touched on those who have no headstones. Their only memorials are names on lists.

Aline Pennewaard, a freelance writer and Jewish history student, and author Guus Luijters are compiling a "Memor-book" for Dutch children who were transported and killed. The project is similar to Serge Klarsfeld’s "French Children of the Holocaust."

Pennewaard and Luijters have already collected some 2,200 photographs of Dutch Jewish children who perished in the Holocaust. The hope is to find more photographs before the book is published in February 2012.

According to Pennewaard's link above:

Together with Guus Luijters I'm working on a memor-book about Dutch-Jewish children till 18 years, who were deported and never returned. The book is scheduled to be published in February 2012. At the same time there will be an exhibition in the Amsterdam Historical Museum.

I'm looking for as many photos as I can find from children who were deported and never returned. At this moment we have around 2200 photos. If you can help us, or if you're looking for more information about your own family, please contact us.

Tracing the Tribe readers are asked to help in this project. Do you have photos of Dutch Jewish children who did not survive?

If you have such photos and wish to share them for this project, let me knew via a comment to this post or to ask@tracingthetribe.com (include your real email address so I can provide contact information).

Click on Pennwaard's link above for an excellent site with links to the Jewish Historical Museum (Joods Historisch Museum) (English/Dutch), Jewish Historical Childrens' Museum, Hollandsche Schouwburg Monument, The Spanish Portuguese Synagogue, The Bibliotheek Ets Haim - Livraria Montezinos, Joods Digital Monument (Engllish/Dutch), and the Menasseh ben Israel Institute (English/Dutch).

Gaby also noted the Dutch Community Joods Monument, which has thousands of member-uploaded photos of gravestones.

New York: Children's history museum planned

An interactive children's history museum will open at the New York Historical Society in November 2011.

Genealogists will be happy that the museum's planned interactive features will include a place where children can videotape their own histories. There will be a place to use maps and documents to solve historical mysteries.

Perhaps genealogical societies - Jewish and general - could suggest that family history classes be offered for youngsters?

Children 12 and under will receive free admission to the society and free admission to the new museum.

Read the New York Times story here, which details the 4,000-square-foot "museum within a museum," focusing on young New Yorkers, as part of the major renovation ($60 million) of the historical society building. It will be called the DiMenna Children’s History Museum.

According to the story, the new museum will focus on children, such as Alexander Hamilton who came to New York to attend college and the young newspaper sellers of a century ago.

Museum president/CEO Louise Mirrer said:

“In schools, history tends to be about figures once they have matured and become important,” Ms. Mirrer said. “But if we want history to become alive for children, what better way to teach them than showing them children from other periods? We want to be on the permanent agenda of children and families in New York.”

A past president of the society, Columbia University history professor Kenneth T. Jackson said:

“It’s an unusual effort to make a serious attempt to engage young people with the past. Generally, children’s museums are not about history, and history museums are not about children.”

Exhibits will come from the society's collections and will be aimed at about a fourth-grade level.

Information about the “orphan trains” that took thousands of destitute children from New York to families in rural and farm communities across the country will be accompanied by a huge archive from the Children’s Aid Society: journal entries from social workers, children’s artwork, photographs and letters. Children will also be able to sit next to a cutout of a composite orphan on a three-dimensional train, listen to train noises and see a map of places along the routes.

In 2007, there were 243 children's museums in the US, with 78 being planned. The new project will be one of the few history museums specifically for children.

Read the complete story at the link above.

Books: Other sides to Jewish culture

Author Mara W. Cohen Ioannides guestblogs for the Jewish Publication Society about lesser-known Jewish cultures.

In her latest guest post for the JPS Blog, she discusses the fact that American Jews tend to view American Jewishness as yiddishkeit, or Ashkenazi Jewish culture, although there are so many other Jewish ethnic groups to consider.

Before you pooh-pooh this idea, list Jewish ethnic food. Did you list: matzah balls, bagels, pastrami, rye bread, mandelbrot, challah, or honey cake? Then you are an Eastern European ethnic Jew. What ever happened to humus, lahana, or halvah?

Mara writes that she grew up at a time when Sephardim were only mentioned in history books, even as she grew up an hour from the historic Sephardic synagogue in Philadelphia, Mikve Israel. There were few children's books about American Jewish children.


When she became the mother of a daughter with a Greek father, she wanted her daughter to know all about her history, but there was nothing for children about Greek Jewry. This was the impetus for Mara's series of children's novels.

We know that Jews lived throughout history in almost every part of the world, but we don’t really understand what their lives were like.

She authored "A Shout in the Sunshine," a young adult novel set in 15th-century Greece, about a friendship between two boys from different cultural backgrounds: Miguel, a post-Inquisition Spanish refugee, and David, the son of a wealthy Greek Jewish fabric merchant. As they work together in David's family shop, they find they share a special connection. The book explores what happens when two distinct Jewish communities must learn to live together after the 1492 Exile and Spanish Sephardim arrived in Salonika, which already had a resident indigenous Romaniote Jewish community. See the book link for PDFs of the forward, first chapter and study guide.

Her blog post lists five books for children and adults to help readers get started on seeing other parts of Jewish culture.

Here are just the titles and authors, so read the original post to see Mara's notes. Tracing the Tribe personally recommends all of them.

-- I Remember Rhodes by Rebecca Amato Levy.

-- Zayda Was a Cowboy by June Levitt Nislick.

-- The Book of Jewish Food: An odyssey from Samarkand to New York by Claudia Roden.

-- The Life of Glückel of Hameln

-- Rashi’s Daughters: Rachel, by Maggie Anton.

Mara further suggests acquiring Sephardic music CDs and notes that the language still spoken that is most similar to medieval Spanish is Ladino.

Mara W. Cohen Ioannides is also the editor of the only published manuscript on the Jews of the Ozarks, and co-director of “Home, Community, Tradition: The Women of Temple Israel” (a documentary about the Jewish women of Springfield, MO).

Read Mara's complete post at the first link above.

Nebraska: Kids and genealogy

Most readers know that I am an advocate for family history programming for young people.

The Buffalo County Historical Society in Nebraska is doing something about "Getting Kids Involved in Genealogy."

The link provides some interesting ideas for projects - do read the complete article for more details.

- Many children come from non-traditional homes - drawing a family tree is more difficult. A family garden is an easier way to show the relationships kids' have with their siblings, parents, and grandparents.

- Making shadow boxes containing pictures of grandparents with stories and objects in the background. Each box was a different story, can be passed down and may become heirlooms. 

- Ancestry.com: Have young people view photocopies of ancestors' signatures, discuss the different in handwriting. Have them look through old family photos and redraw them to learn the stories.

- Digupyourroots.com: Have young people create a family newsletter and interview relatives for stories, make a calendar of family events, include family photos. Look for the Just for Kids link, bottom left of that page.

Read the complete article  for more details.

Kids and connections

Read "Constructing the family tree" in Boston's Jewish Advocate.

Judy Bolton-Fasman describes her son Adam's homework assignment to make a family tree and along the way discusses her origins and those of her husband, recalls family stories and delineates the connection of the generations through this project.

I connected with this story because my own genealogical journey came about through our daughter's Hebrew School assignment in 1989. More schools, and specifically more Jewish education programs, should emphasize family trees as an important method of preserving continuity and identity.

Last year, Adam came to me with glue stick in hand to help him with a homework assignment. He had to plant a family tree – a tree of life – in the middle of an 11 by 14 inch poster board. I suggested that we get a handle on things by decorating the tree with flags from the places where we came from and where we have now settled.

Her maternal family was expelled from Spain and they lived in Greece, Turkey and Cuba, while her paternal family had vague origins in Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania.

“It’s not as easy as it looks to fill in this tree,” Adam said, standing beside me as I typed the names. His hand was on my shoulder, already the hand of a big kid – a nine-year-old – who rock climbs and fields baseballs.

“What makes it so hard?” I asked my boy.

He thought for a moment, eyes narrowing behind his round wire frame glasses. “There’s so much to remember about these people.”

Bolton-Fasman's son was not only after the names, but wanted stories and history. And we know how hard it is to flesh out our ancestors' personalities, the little things that made them human and help them come to life once more.

I think everyone will relate to the author's feelings about past, present and future.

My parents are joined together in one deceptively simple line on the family tree, and from there another line drops down to me, their first-born child – Judith Frances. My name sat next to Kenneth Howard’s on Adam’s tree and I saw, literally saw, how miraculous it was that we were side-by-side there. How blessed we were that in between our names is a line that dropped down to a new line with the names of our children: Anna Paulina and Adam Gabriel.

Looking at the intricate and idiosyncratic network of connections that bloomed on Adam’s family tree made me dizzy in a pleasant way, like when I spun around a room as a child. I handed Adam the freshly printed family tree and he noticed that my mom’s Hebrew name is Mazal Tov. Adam thought that was very funny. “How does she know if someone is congratulating her or calling her name?” he asked.

Read the complete story here.

It's a family thing

From Nova Scotia, an article on getting future genealogists involved.

Some tips:

Simple three-generation pedigree chart using photos, color, stickers, whatever - instead of only hard facts. If they can write, have them add names and birthdates. Hang it where everyone can see it, take to "show and tell" at school.

Make a scrapbook page for each family member. Let the children decorate it (just keep a watch on spelling, dates and places).

A neat extension of this, says the author, is a series My Mother (or Father, Grandmother, Grandfather) and Me - A Memory Scrapbook for Kids (Kids Can Press), where kids enter data on a particular relative, compare lives, complete a three-generation chart and add photos. I haven't see this so can't judge, but I will look out for it.

Take the younger generations on vacations to the places important to you and your ancestors. Take pictures to use in scrapbooks. This brings family history alive.

The most important advice in the article: Keep "lessons" short and simple, so they'll come back for more!