Ask an Archivist Day, June 9

Ever heard of Ask Archivists Day? On June 9, readers around the world can ask questions of worldwide archivists via Twitter.

Readers will need a Twitter account to participate, and then remember #AskArchivists, the hashtag for the event. Already have a Twitter account? Then follow @AskArchivists.

Click here for the list of participating archives in North America (some 36 and growing). This list - at the AskArchivists Blog - also offers all the Twitter addresses for those archives.

Here's how it will work: Tweet a question, including the #AskArchivists hashtag, on June 9. Point your question to any archivist participating or to one archive (by including their Twitter address, such as the US National Archives @USNatArchives. Follow @AskArchivists and look for the answer.

Read more about the event at the AskArchivists Blog (link above). [Note: Be aware that there is another Archivists blog (International Institute on Archives) mostly in French, with some posts in English.]

What questions do you want to ask?

Arizona: Jewish centenary, time capsule contest

The Tucson Jewish community will hold its centennial celebration and time-capsule opening on October 24.

The Centennial Exhibit opened in mid-August and will run through December 23. Below see a 1914 postcard of the first synagogue in Arizona, termed by the card's publisher (Kressge) the "Jewish Church." The synagogue is now the Jewish History Museum, the only one in Arizona.

In conjunction with the celebration is the Jewish History Museum's "Be a Part of History" contest.

On exhibit: The history of the Southwest Jewish Pioneers ~ 1860 to present day • Photos taken by Jewish Pioneer Leo Goldschmidt ~ 1870-1890 • Photos and historic newsletter from early Temple Emanu-El • Red White and Blue Dress worn on July 4, 1876 • Statehood Dress worn February 14, 1912 • The Life Cycle Journal of Rabbi Marcus Breger, Anshei Israel • Holocaust Surviving Torah • Southern Arizona Holocaust Survivors Memorial Quilt.

Readers can enter to win their own personal time capsule and to participate in the removal of the original century-old capsule from the building's cornerstone.

The day starts at noon with a live music street festival from Klezmer and everything else!

At 2pm, the cornerstone placed by Jewish pioneers in the foundation of Arizona's historic first synagogue building will be opened.

Following the opening of the old capsule, the new 2010 capsule will be placed and sealed until the 2110 bicentennial event. Five winners will have a chance to win a personal time capsule and help remove the old one. The new capsule will be returned to the winner's descendants in 2110.

Readers can also become a part of the first synagogue and the only Jewish History Museum in Arizona. by having your name and message engraved on a 12-inch x 12-inch granite stone to be permanently installed in the Centennial Courtyard of the museum.

They'd also like you to tell them what should be placed in the new capsule. All suggested items will be submitted to the Museum Board for consideration.

The Jewish History Museum is housed in the oldest synagogue building in Arizona. Built in 1910 it was the home of Temple Emanu-El from 1910 to 1949. Saved from the wrecking ball in 1999, the historic structure has been completely restored and today is the home of the only Jewish History Museum in the Southwest.

For more information on the event and exhibit, click the museum link above.

The Jews of southern Arizona began gathering in the 1880s. In 1884, the Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society was formed. Twenty years later, they took up the challenge to aise funds for a permanent synagogue. Jewish settlers in other communities, such as Globe, Bisbee and Nogales also contributed.

On June 20, 1910, the grand lodge of Arizona Masons laid the Temple’s cornerstone. The first services were held on Rosh HaShanah, October 3, 1910. Built before Arizona achieved statehood, the synagogue served as an important center of Jewish community for the entire Southwest US. Temple Emanu-El grew significantly and moved from Stone Avenue in September 1949. Over the years, the original building was used for other purposes.

In 1982, the Temple reclaimed its roots at a ceremony sponsored by the Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission, the Arizona Heritage Center, and the southern Arizona chapter of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society.

Tel Aviv: Family history festival, Sept. 26-28

Tracing the Tribe will be covering a special event Sunday-Tuesday, September 26-28, during the week-long holiday of Sukkot.

This is when families go on outings, take to the roads, visit with friends and relatives, vacation in other parts of the country and participate in many events listed in newspapers, magazines and on television.

Tracing the Tribe - wearing our multiple hats - will cover the Beit Hatfutsot (Museum of the Jewish People) first-ever "One Family, Many Faces" Festival. The free event is open Sunday-Tuesday, 9.30am-5pm, September 26-28, at the museum and on the surrounding Tel Aviv University campus.

Family history and genealogy will play a big part at this event, and Tracing the Tribe will bring it to you.

In addition to usual festival fare of music, food, displays, and more, MyHeritage.com is bringing a 15-person team to man 50 computers in the museum lobby.

Visitors will sign up for a free one-on-one personal "getting-started" consultation to set up their family trees and begin their research.

There will also be a giant Jewish Family Tree mural, and families will be able to add a pomegranate to the tree with their surname.

The Israel Genealogical Society will also be there. Tracing the Tribe will be wearing several hats - as blogger and helping out - at both the MyHeritage event and the adjacent IGS table.

Israeli readers of Tracing the Tribe are welcome to drop by and say hello in person.

See you at the festival!

Boston: Ellis Island experience, Sept. 13

The Ellis Island experience of our ancestors will be the focus of the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston on Sunday, September 13.

This meeting will kick off the JGSGB's program year, and will run from 1:30-4pm at Gann Academy, 333 Forest Street in Waltham.

Were immigrants’ names changed at Ellis Island? Professor Vincent J. Cannato will discuss whether this is fact or fiction at the kick-off meeting for this season’s programs of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston (JGSGB). Professor Cannato’s presentation on the Ellis Island immigration experience will pay special attention to the experiences of Jewish immigrants.

He will discuss why an inspection station was created in 1892 on a small island in New York Harbor and how America’s immigration law evolved, and explain the inspection process and why some immigrants were rejected.

The program includes a sale and book signing for Cannato's new book, “American Passage: The History of Ellis Island."

He teaches history at the University of Massachusetts, Boston and is the author of "The Ungovernable City: John Lindsay and His Struggle to Save New York." He has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

The program is free for JGSGB members ($5 for others). For directions, click here. For more information on the society, future programs, resources and more, visit its website.

Pennsylvania: Daniel Horowitz to speak, Aug. 13

Sorry I received this so late, but readers in the Hollidaysburg (Blair County), Pennsylvania area will have an opportunity to hear Daniel Horowitz tonight (Thursday, August 13) at a meeting of the Blair County Genealogical Society.

The meeting is from 7-9pm, at 431 Scotch Valley Road, Hollidaysburg. There is no charge to attend.

The session will be helpful for those interested in new computer and Internet technologies, conducting general or Jewish family research or just helping others. Find out how to access resources for Jewish research in surprising areas and also learn about resources for pre-state Israel research.

Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, he and his family have lived in Israel since 2005. Daniel is translation and database manager at MyHeritage.com, a genealogical social networking site with many exciting features for connecting families around the world.

He's a computer instructor, teacher/creator of the "Searching for My Roots" genealogy project for young people. He was a founder and lecturer for the Jewish Genealogical Society of Venezuela, and is a member and webmaster of the Israel-based Jewish Family Research Association (JFRA Israel) and the Horowitz Family Association.

He's lectured at several international conferences, and is a board member of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS).

Ohio: What's in Bubbe's attic? August 5

The next meeting of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland will host the Western Reserve Historical Society's Jewish history associate curator Sean Martin.

The program, at 7.30pm, Wednesday, August 5, will take place in Menorah Park's Miller Board Room, in Beachwood.

Martin's program - "What was that in Bubbe's Attic?" - is a cross between "Show and Tell" and "The Antiques Roadshow."

Attendees are invited to bring old documents, photographs, books, etc. and learn about them. Martin will also answer questions.

The program is free.

Poland: Lodz commemoration, Aug. 27-29

The 65th anniversary of the liquidation of the Litzmannstadt Ghetto by Germany will be held in Lodz, August 27-29.

There is more information here on the Lodz Website on JewishGen.

Click on the link for more details and registration details. Register online and view the program listing events before August 27.

If your family lived in nearby communities before the Holocaust, they may well have been in the Lodz Ghetto.

Will you attend this event? If so, consider writing about your experience or taking photos to be posted on the Lodz/LARG websites.

For more information, contact Roni Seibel Liebowitz, Lodz Archive coordinator, JRI-Poland.

San Jose: Sephardic Heritage Week, Aug 2-9

The Sephardic Orthodox Ahabat Torah congregation in San Jose, California, will participate in the South Bay's second annual Sephardic Heritage Week in early August.

Sunday, Aug. 2 - Jewish Appreciation Day with the San Jose Giants. Kosher food, Jewish surprises, recognition of our Sephardic Community “Sephardic Man of the Year.” Game begins at 5pm.

Tuesday, Aug. 4 - Yom Iyun at JCC – "scholars' morning" explores the origins of Sephardic and Ashkenazic minhagim (customs, Hebrew) in conjunction with Jewish studies network 9:30am-12:30pm.

Wednesday, Aug. 5 - Tu B'Av - Jewish “Sadie Hawkins Day” at JCC featuring an evening of Sephardic and Ladino music presented by Kat Parra and musicians. 7-9pm.

Sunday, Aug. 9- Sephardic History Day. Presentations: Jim Harlow, "Sephardim of Yugoslavia," and Jonathan Hirshon, "From Solomon to Sheba: The Jews of Yemen, Uganda and Ethiopia."

Jim Harlow of the congregation shared the above information with me and added that Orthodox synagogues in Silicon Valley are polarized over "conversion" issues, especially b'nei anousim and halachic (Jewish law) return.

"Sephardic Heritage Week" represents the active engagement of Reform, Conservative and one Orthodox Sephardic Synagogue in a week of shared history and heritage - His is the only Orthodox congregation in the area to participate.

Ahabat Torah is also home to the Anusim Center, which assists those wishing to return to Judaism.

For some interesting stories and successes, read here for mentions of Iran's Mashadi community, the Chala of Bukhara, and several fascinating cases. Also, see the Center's extensive list of links for more information.

Since I will be in the area in July, I am planning to visit with Jim.

Florida: 'Share success,' May 13

Sharing success is the focus of the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Palm Beach County (JGSPBC) on Wednesday, May 13, in Delray Beach.

The day starts off with at 11.30am with meetings of SIG groups for Galicia and Belarus, followed by a brick wall sesson, and the main topic at 1pm. The South County Civic Center is the venue.

Four JSPBCI members will share successful research stories and explain the methods used to trace their families at the final membership meeting of the year.

The panel wll feature:

- Mark Jacobson, “Breaking Down a Brick Wall”
- Alan Lewis, “Family History…on a DVD”
- Marilyn Newman, “Genealogical Research Before the Computer Age”
- Mitch Strauss, “Cemeteries…A Wonderful Resource.”

Members, free; others, $5.

For more information and directions see the group's website (link above).

British Columbia: Jewish genealogy, resources and techniques, May 13

Here's something for family history researchers in the Greater Vancouver area who are looking for Jewish ancestors. Our geneablogger community works together to let the right people know about programs in interesting locations.


M. Diane Rogers of CanadaGenealogy and the British Columbia Graveyard Rabbit let me know about the May 13 Jewish genealogy persentation at the British Columbia Genealogical Society.

Presenters will be archivist Janine Johnston of the Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia and president Catherine Youngren of the Jewish Genealogical Institute of British Columbia.

Janine will focus on JGSBC projects, collections and resources, while Catherine will talk on Jewish genealogy and techniques to find Jewish ancestors.

For more information, go to the British Columbia Genealogical Society website.

Thanks, Diane, for this opportunity to let Tracing the Tribe readers know about this program. And do check out Diane's two blogs if Canada plays an important role in your own quest.

And more for visitors: If you'll be in the Vancouver area this summer, you might be interested in the historic walking tours (two-hour tours cover about a mile) of Jewish Strathcona and Gastown, the early Jewish neighborhoods, offered on Sundays and Thursdays in June and July.

To see what the Jewish Historical Archives hold, click here for a listing; the reference room also offers free access to Ancestry.com and FindMyPast.com.

UK: Jewish genealogy at the Family History Show, May 3

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain (JGSGB) will participate in the Family History Show at The Barbican (London) on Sunday, May 3, along with more than 80 other genealogical organizations.

JGSGB will sell its publications and provide show-goers with on the spot advice and Jewish genealogy information.

The Family History Event provides an opportunity to explore, ask questions and see what is available for your research. Purchase tickets online.

For more information, send an email. Click here for JGSGB's website.

Northern California: The frozen chosen, April 27

Alaska's frozen chosen - the Jews of Alaska - is the topic for the next meeting of the Peninsula branch of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, on Monday, April 27.

The meeting starts at 7pm at Congregation Beth Am, in Los Altos Hills.

Jerry Delson and Janet Mohr will present "Jewish Outposts: Jews in Alaska and Adventures You Might Enjoy."

Starting in 1995, Jerry took advantage of regular business trips to Alaska to pursue his interest in genealogy wherever he might be. He attended conferences of the Anchorage Genealogical Society and presented genealogy workshops at Congregation Beth Sholom. He has enjoyed contacts with Jews in Sitka and in Fairbanks and will describe Fairbanks’ star attraction, the Summer Arts Festival. This year's edition will offer, for the first time, a Jewish choral music course.

In 1952, Janet was starting high school when her family moved to Anchorage. She learned about growing up Jewish in Alaska, and her parents - from Vienna - took an active role in Anchorage’s cultural life. Graduate studies at Stanford brought Janet to the Bay Area, but she continues to have close ties with friends in Anchorage.

Attendance is free and everyone is invited. This is a change from the previously scheduled program. For more information and future programs, view the SFBAJGS website.

Florida: US State Court Records, April 22

Licensed Michigan attorney Diane Freilich will speak on "US State Court Records - a Valuable Resource," at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Palm Beach County (JGSPBC).

The meeting begins at 11.30am, Wednesday, April 22 at the South County Civic Center, Delray Beach.

An expert in researching legal documents, Freilich says legal records are a valuable source of family history, and she will discuss the legal system, availability of public documents in courthouses and motivate researchers.

The focus will be on the following aspects of the legal system (predominately at the state level): Civil records, including family law and criminal law; Register of Deeds including deeds and plats of land; Probate records with an emphasis on wills and estates.

The lecture will include an understanding of basic legal terms and information generally contained within certain legal documents.

Freilich serves on the board of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Michigan. Awell known lecturer, she has spoken at many international genealogical conferences, and has written articles on the subject.

The meeting will also include a meeting of the Polish SIG, from 11.30-12.30pm, followed by Freilich's talk at 1pm. Admission: members, free; others, $5.

See the JGSPBC website for more details and directions.

Michigan: Program change for March 22

Just received this from the JGS of Michigan:

Due to speaker Pam Smith's illness, her Sunday, March 22 session on "Advanced Googling for Genealogical Purposes" has been cancelled. The session was to have taken place at the Farmington Hills Holocaust Memorial Center.

This session will be rescheduled. For more details, check the JGSMI website.

Massachusetts: Sephardic weekend, March 20-22

A scholar of medieval and early modern Jewish history, who focuses on medieval Spanish Jews, will be the Temple Emunah (Lexington, MA) scholar-in-residence Friday through Sunday, March 20-22.

Dr. Benjamin Gampel teaches at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, where he holds the Dina and Eli Field Family Chair in Jewish History

Following a year of local archive research in Spain, Gampel was able to recreate some of the long-forgotten history of the Jews of the Iberian Peninsula, in "The Last Jews on Iberian Soil." He edited "Crisis and Creativity in the Sephardic World," (Columbia University Press, 1998), and wrote an essay in "Cultures of the Jews" (ed. David Biale).

Of personal interest to me was the fact that Dr. Gampel returned to Spanish archives for his current project, a book-length treatment of the riots and forced conversions of 1391 on the Iberian Peninsula. Our family believes we left Lerida/Llerida in Catalunya following the 1391 riots that destroyed that particular community. In the Lerida archives, we discovered a document from 1353 with our unusual family name, and several additional documents and index mentions from the early 1390s. I'm looking forward to this new book

Most events during the Glatzer Memorial Weekend are free (there are fees for Friday night dinner and Sunday breakfast) and open to the community. All lectures are free.

Friday begins with a 6pm Carlebach Kabbalat Shabbat, a community dinner and Gampel's 8pm lecture on "Jews, Judaism and the Rise of Islam."

On Shabbat, Gampel will deliver "Sephardic Jewry Comes of Age, How Golden Was It?" during Shachrit services; following Kiddish, he will speak on "Sex, Food and the Lush Garden: Religious Piety Confronts Sensual Pleasure." After Maariv and Havdallah, the talk will be "Gazing into the Countenance of the Divine: Confronting the Riddle of Jewish Apostasy."

The Sunday morning talk is "Crises of Identity in 17th Century Amsterdam: The Case of Barukh Spinoza."

See the event flyer here for more details and reservation forms.

Florida: Palm Beach JGS celebrates 18th, March 11

"Arolsen: A Jewish genealogist's blessing and curse," will be presented by Arthur Tolkin at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Palm Beach County, which is celebrating its 18th anniversary.

The group will meet at the South County Civic Center in Delray Beach on Wednesday, March 11. The Lithuania SIG meets from 11.30am-12.30pm with Sylvia Nusinov, followed by a brief business meeting, followed by the main program.

In 2008, Tolkin and his wife spent four days at the Holocaust archives at the International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen, Germany. Bad Arolsen is the most important repository in the world containing information about individual victims of World War II. He will relate his personal experiences and discuss how he used the archives to further his family research.

Tolkin is a past member of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies board and a member of the JGSPBCI speakers' bureau. A world traveler, he has conducted many research trips to Eastern European shtetls.

For more information or directions, click here.

Israel: Jewish pirates on parade, Feb. 24

There will be parrots, [eye] patches and pirates galore at the annual meeting of the branches of the Jewish Family Research Association (JFRA) on Tuesday evening, February 24.

Was your ancestor a Jewish pirate? What were the family names of famous Jewish pirates? Is that a milchig (dairy) or fleischig (meat) knife in the pirate's mouth? For the answers to these and other "biting" questions, come to the meeting.

Dr. Steven Plaut of Haifa University's Graduate School of Business will cover the history of Jewish pirates and the recent plethora of articles and books focusing on this subject.

Recently, in Jamaica, municipal workers uncovered a "pirates' graveyard" where some graves are adorned with - not only a skull and crossbones - but stars of David and Hebrew inscriptions.

Dr. Plaut - a Philadelphia native - will also speak about the Jewish roots of his wife's family - in Gaza City - and we'll end with a comic song about Jewish genealogy.

Along with the festivities, there's also the serious side of an annual business meeting, including elections.

The program is open only to paid-up (2008) JFRA members and to those who pay 2009 dues before the meeting begins. If we wear pirate garb (or bring along a parrot), do we get a discount on dues?

JFRA Ra'anana meets at Beit Fischer, 5 Klausner St. (near Ahuza). Doors open at 6.45pm (come early to pay dues), the business meeting is at 7.15pm, the main program begins at 7.45pm.

For more information, contact JFRA president Ingrid Rockberger.

Los Angeles: Assisted research afternoon, Feb. 16

Meet with experienced Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles mentors at an assisted research afternoon at the Los Angeles Regional Family History Center.

The program runs from 1.30-6.30pm, Monday, February 16 (Presidents' Day), for Internet guidance, networking, translators and classes.

Experts will provide one-on-one computer assistance with popular online genealogical databases including JewishGen, Ancestry and Footnote.com, as participants access the Center's collection of maps, gazetteers, census and vital records, naturalization and passport applications, city directories, and passenger arrival lists.

Bring along your family trees and research to share. And, if you plan to download electronic images, bring a flashdrive.

Program:

2-6pm: Translators in Polish, Russian, Hungarian, Yiddish, Hebrew, German will be available only by appoint with paid reservation ($25 for 25 minutes). See details below.

2-3pm: Intro to the Family History Center, with JGSLA librarian Barbara Algaze. Learn about the resources of the LARFHC and how to use their census and naturalization microfilms, city directories and more. A great start for members new to the library, but, experienced genealogists will discover surprising tips and creative hints to enhance their research.

4:30-5:30pm: Using the Internet for Anglo-Jewish Research, with Ron Arons. When Ron discovered an ancestor was a criminal, he traced the person's footsteps back to England and Poland. Eventually, the research led to Ron's book, The Jews of Sing Sing. He'll discuss myriad family history websites for people who resided in England, along with techniques for finding living people, census records, vital registrations, maps, and newspapers. (There will also be a book sale and signing).

The event is only open to paid members, but others can renew at the door, and also join for the first time. Newcomers are always welcome.

Bring food and drink with you and eat in the lunchroom; snacks are available in vending machines. Directions to the Center are here.

To make a first-come first-served paid appointment for a translator, the cost is $25 for 25 minutes or $50 for 55 minutes. Payments by check or Paypal to JGSLA. See here for more details about paying, reserving and confirming time slots.

London: WDYTYA's DNA workshop, Feb. 27-March 1

FamilyTreeDNA is sponsoring the DNA workshop at the major Who Do You Think You Are? event in London, set for Friday, February 27-Sunday, March 1.

Many DNA speakers are well-known to Jewish genealogists from appearances at the annual IAJGS conferences and other events. Sessions will be repeated Friday, Saturday and Sunday:

Michael Hammer, PhD: Director, Genome Analysis and Technology Core, University of Arizona; Chief Family Tree DNA Scientist. "DNA and our ancestral origins."

Doron Behar, MD, PhD: Chief mtDNA Scientist, Family Tree DNA; National Geographic's Genographic Associate Researcher. "DNA and Female Lines."

Max Blankfeld: VP Operations, Family Tree DNA. "DNA for Genealogy - Basics and Case Studies."

Katherine Hope Borges: Director, International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG). "British DNA 101."

Also speaking:

Brian Swann: "Reverse Genealogy - Tracing People Forwards in England and Wales, and Recruiting Them for DNA Testing."

Chris Pomery: "Traditional Genealogy and DNA One-Name Studies"

"National Geographic's Genographic Project" and a "DNA Testing Panel Q&A" are also on the schedule.

Ancestry.com's Chief Family Historian, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, will speak on "DNA's role in family history research," on the Ancestry.co.uk's Live Stage.

Increasing numbers of family historians and genealogists have experienced success with the exciting advances in DNA research.

If you'll be attending the event and want to learn more, attend the workshop sessions. For more information, click here.

Sacramento: You can find your family! Feb. 15

"Computer guy" Gary Sandler's interest in genealogy came from his curiosity as to whether he's related to actor Adam Sandler. For more than eight years, he’s been researching and documenting his Russian, Lithuanian and Polish roots.

To find out if Gary is related to Adam, you'll have to attend his talk, “How My Family Unexpectedly Materialized in Ellis Island Records and So Can Yours,” at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Sacramento's next meeting, at 10am, Sunday, February 15.

Sandler will demonstrate his longtime search for family members on the Ellis Island Web site. He had heard the stories about when and how his family arrived, and scoured the records for years, with no success. Ultimately, however, he did succeed and he'll share his helpful search strategies.


A computer guy for more than 3 decades, he worked, in 2006, with Steve Morse to create the Gold Form for searching Ellis Island passenger records.

The group meets at the Albert Einstein Residence Center, 1935 Wright St., Sacramento.


For more details, visit the JGSS site.