Geneabloggers: 6 new blogs located

Tracing the Tribe doesn't know when Thomas MacEntee of Geneabloggers.com gets the time to search out these new blogs every week, but we are happy that he does!

He's discovered another six genealogy and family-history related blogs, bringing the total number of genealogy blogs at Geneabloggers.com to 1,935.

This week's topics include: a society blog, Midwest, Ohio, individual family histories, UK and cemetery.

Hamilton County Genealogical Society
Genealogical society, Midwest, Ohio

Share genealogical or other articles with those researching in Hamilton County, Ohio. The society encourages readers to post local family history or start their own blogs. All contributions are welcome. To become a contributing member, email Kathy Reed (put HCGS in the subject line).

Leaves & Branches
Individual family history

Primarily Southwestern Ohio. Families: BALLEIN, DAVIS, DONALDSON, DUDLEY, WARDLOW, OGDEN, LAMB, SHAPER.

Misadventures of a Genealogist
Individual family history (GUNTER, NC -> CA)

Sleeping Gardens
Cemetery blog, UK genealogy

Strawberry Shortcake
Individual family history

The Wiltsey Way
Individual family history (WILTSEY)

Read more about each blog here, in the original post.

Remember that writers of blogs for specific geographical areas may well be able to assist others with the same locations of interest, even if the families of interest are different.

Ohio: 20th-century black sheep in Cleveland, June 1

Learn about Cleveland, Ohio's Jewish black sheep at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland, on Wednesday, June 1.

The meeting begins at 7.30pm at Menorah Park, 27100 Cedar Road, Beachwood. There is no admission fee.

The speaker is Sean Martin, associate curator for Jewish history of the Western Reserve Historical Society. He will speak on "The Jewish Connection: Jews and Crime in 20th-century Cleveland."

For more information, click here.

Ohio: 'Researching Israel Resources,' April 5

Daniel Horowitz will demonstrate researching Israel genealogy resources at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland, on Tuesday, April 5.

The meeting begins at 7.30pm, at Menorah Park, Miller Board Room, 27100 Cedar Road, Beachwood.

Daniel's talk is titled, "“Researching Genealogical Resources in Israel from Your Couch.”

For those who do not know him, Daniel is chief genealogist and translation manager at MyHeritage.com; a board member and webmaster of the Israel Genealogical Society (IGS), and a board member and webmaster of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS).

For more information, see the JGS of Cleveland.

Cleveland: Beginners' workshop, March 28

A beginners workshop featuring computer genealogy tools will be offered by the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland (Ohio) on Monday, March 28.

The session runs from 7.15-9pm at Menorah Park. Admission: JGSC members, free; others $15.

Instructors are JGSC president Ken Bravo and Kol editor Cynthia Spikell.

WiFi Internet and Ancestry.com will be available - for the first 20 registrants - for those who bring their own Wi-Fi-enabled laptops.

To register, send an email or see the JGSC website for more information and to download the registration form.

Archives.com: First two grants announced

Just as Tracing the Tribe was walking out the door to the Family History Library, we received this announcement from Archives.com, naming their first two grant winners.

Are you or a group working on a special project? Would a $1,000 grant enable you or your group to complete the work? Read the announcement and apply online.

Here's the press release:

Archives Announces Two Grant Winners for January 2011 Grant Will Help Recipients to Digitize Historical Records and Explore Black Heritage

(PRWEB) February 8, 2011 -- Archives.com launched its Grant Program in early January and has received a terrific response. In the last 30 days Archives received over 100 applications, and has been extremely impressed with the caliber of project proposals. Archives is pleased to announce not just one, but two Archives.com Grant recipients for January 2011.

These are the first recipients of the Archives.com Grant, an award that will be given monthly. Archives is honored to help the two recipients achieve their goals. Both projects will contribute in unique ways to the preservation of family and community history, which is of central importance to Archives’ mission.

Winners of the January 2011 Archives.com Grant:

Columbia County Historical & Genealogical Society (CCHGS) - CCHGS is an organization dedicated to the preservation of Columbia County, Pennsylvania history. CCHGS would like to transcribe marriage license dockets 1921 to 1939, an estimated nine thousand bride and groom names. Once entered into an electronic database, the records will be made available on the CCHGS website and published in book form. This project will enable researchers worldwide to easily find information about their Pennsylvania ancestors.

CCHGS Vice President Andre Dominguez notes, “This index will be particularly valuable in the case of the bride's index, since the bride's birth name is provided, which could potentially solve a brick wall.”

Archives is honored to assist a project which helps to bring more valuable historical records online. Archives recently integrated a marriage collection from Alachua County, Florida, adding over 45 thousand records and images to its website from a similar time period. We applaud CCHGS’s effort, and are pleased to help them bring these records to the online community.

Myron McGhee - Myron is an amateur historian who would like to explore questions regarding his African-American heritage, and expand on his father’s considerable family history research. Specifically, Myron wants to investigate the hypothesis that his black ancestors were related to a nearby white family of the same name. Myron comments, “In ways yet unknown, I hope that exploration of the relationship between these extended families alters the manner in which typically polarized communities might engage one another.”

Myron seeks to travel to Alabama and interview residents, review deed transcriptions, and scan photographs which will help him to solve this mystery. Ultimately, he will compile and share both his and his father’s findings to honor his family’s proud tradition. Archives.com is delighted to make this second grant award to a project which will make a positive contribution to the research of African-American families in Alabama during this fitting time of Black History Month.

Each recipient will be awarded a $1,000 grant to pursue their projects. Archives believes the work accomplished will be of significance to their families and communities now and in the future.

Thanks to each and every grant applicant for taking the time to share their stories. Applicants from previous months will still be considered for future grant awards. If you have wanted to pursue a family history project but just need a little extra help, we encourage you to visit Archives.com and fill out a grant application.

Congratulations to both of the Archives.com Grant recipients! To read more about the recipients, visit the Archives.com blog where their stories will be posted soon.

About Archives.com

Archives.com is a leading family history Web site that makes discovering family history simple and affordable. The company has assembled more than 1.1 billion historical records – birth, death, marriage, divorce, census, obituary, immigration, military and more – all in a single location, and makes them available at a price that’s up to 80 percent less than the leading competitor. Archives also partners with other leading family history websites to provide integrated record collections, discounted memberships, official certificates and other special promotions – providing a comprehensive resource for researching your family history. Archives.com is free to try for seven days, allowing anyone to explore the benefits of membership without risk or obligation. For more information and to start discovering your family history, please visit www.Archives.com.

For more information or to apply, visit the website. Congratulations to the first two winners.

Tracing the Tribe hopes to see some Jewish genealogy projects on the winners' list in the future.

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.

Cleveland: Fir Street Cemetery renovation, Nov. 3

The renovation of one of Cleveland's oldest Jewish cemeteries will be discussed at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland on Wednesday, November 3.

The program will begin at 7.30pm at Menorah Park in Beachwood.

The speakers will be Cleveland Municipal Housing Court Judge Ray Pianka, and the chair of the "Lorain to Fir Block Club" Jonathon Holody. The topic is "Community Building and the Fir Street Cemetery.

The two men spearheaded the neighborhood project to successfully renovate one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in the city.

There is no charge.

For more information and directions, click here.

Cleveland: LA 2010 recap, Sept. 1

Cleveland-area readers who missed the excellent 30th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy in Los Angeles will learn what they missed on Wednesday, September 1.

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland will meet at 7.30pm at Menorah Park's Miller Board Room, Beachwood.

JGS Cleveland member Jerry Kliot, with whom I spoke several times during the Los Angeles conference, will present an overview of the week-long event, subtitled "You shoulda been there!"

For more information, visit the JGS of Cleveland's website, and do check out the group's resources online.

I'm looking forward to seeing Jerry again next summer at the 31st IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, August 14-19, in Washington DC.

Cleveland: Roma Baran to speak, August 4

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland will host Roma Baran ("Suddenly Jewish") as she speaks about her journey of discovery, on Wednesday, August 4.

The program begins at 7.30pm, in the Miller Board Room at Menorah Park, 27100 Cedar Road, Beachwood, Ohio.

Raised as a Christian, Baran learned at age 61 that her parents were Jewish Holocaust survivors. She'll discuss how she reconstructed her past and the consequences of discovering her family’s identity.

In August 2008, received a stunning e-mail from a Jewish genealogist looking for heirs to a small estate of a Holocaust survivor -- her father's cousin - and learned that her casually Christian parents, and the whole rest of her family were not Polish Catholics, but Jews, including a rabbi and a Warsaw ghetto leader, and that her parents had survived the Holocaust under assumed names. She learned that not only were her family's names and identities false, but that she had actually lived in Israel from 1949 to 1951.

She will describe - with photos, documents and maps - how she systematically reconstructed her past over the last year. She will focus on the Galizianer side of her family, and will include new research on her father's Warsaw family. She will trace her parents' war-time escape from the Przemysl ghetto to Tarnawa, Krakow, and other towns, and their post-war journeys to Israel and Canada. She will also examine the emotional consequences of uncovering family secrets of staggering proportions.

Roma Baran - producer, engineer, musician and attorney - grew up in Montreal, and has lived in New York City since 1976.

For more information on Baran, the JGS of Cleveland and its resources and databases, click here.

Cleveland: Top 20 Jewish genealogy myths, July 7

Take a light-hearted look at the top 20 misconceptions in Jewish genealogy, with Cynthia Spikell, at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland (Ohio) on Wednesday, July 7.

The program begins at 7.30pm at Menorah Park, 27100 Cedar Road, Beachwood.

Cynthia's program is titled “Myths and Mistakes: What to Avoid When Researching Jewish Families.”

Among these assumptions, myths and mistakes, she'll expose the fallacy of some widely believed myths of immigration and tell how to avoid distractions to productive researching, such as searching for only one spelling of a surname.

A native Clevelander who has been researching her family for 14 years, Cynthia (photo right) has produced the JGS of Cleveland newsletter - The Kol - since 2006.

She's attended eight annual IAJGS international conferences on Jewish genealogy, seven Ohio Genealogical Society conferences, and also served on the IAJGS Strategic Planning Committee (2007-2008).

For more information, directions, and to see Cleveland resources, click the JGS of Cleveland.

Ohio: Cleveland's cemetery database, May 5

Do you have roots in Cleveland, Ohio?  There's a new database that may help you document individuals of interest in some 71,000 burials from 16 Cleveland-area cemeteries.

The project was carried out by the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland’s Commission on Cemetery Preservation. The Federation staff person coordinating the project is Susan Hyman and she will be the speaker at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland on Wednesday, May 5.

The program begins at 7.30pm, at Menorah Park, 27100 Cedar Road, Beachwood, Ohio.

The topic is “Using 21st Century Technology To Find Your 19th Century Ancestors - Jewish Cleveland’s New Cemetery Database.”

She has been, since 2007, the Federation's Information and Referral Specialist in the Community Planning, Allocations and Community Services Department. In addition to helping those affected by the economic downturn, sharing information about community programs and services, her portfolio includes cemetery preservation and other areas as well.

On March 13, a story - "A new database helps Jewish families find graves of ancestors" - by Grant Segall appeared on Cleveland.com detailing the project and successes.

According to the story, genealogists in Cleveland and elsewhere are networking via computers to share and collaborate on family history.

A California woman slogged through Cleveland snow this month and found more than 50 family graves.

In a way, the snow helped. Ricki Lee Davis Gafter of San Jose used handfuls to moisten headstones and make the letters stand out in her photos.

Gafter got much more help from a new database compiled by the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland's Commission on Cemetery Preservation. A dozen volunteers, some of them from the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland, spent about six years compiling some 71,000 records of burials in 14 Jewish cemeteries and in Jewish sections at two other cemeteries.

"It's been really helpful," said Gafter, who spent a few days here in her hometown visiting the living and finding the dead. "My family came to Cleveland in the late 1800s, and no one knew where everyone is. There was no record."

Using the database, she discovered not just stones but facts. "I just found my great great-grandma, who I didn't even know had made it to the U.S. Now I know who paid for her plot."

While some area Jewish cemeteries are professionally staffed, others are run by volunteers and there are no burial lists.

The project brought together data from cemeteries, synagogues and other sources. In one example, someone had filled a scrapbook with Jewish obituaries.

There are some estimated 85,000 area plots, so the 71,000 records in the database offer a good sense of history. Volunteers will continue to expand and update it, and it is expected to be online in a few months.

If your family comes from the Cleveland area and you'd like more information, email Hyman.

Cleveland: Preserving photos, April 7

Professional photographer Rich Santich will cover copying and preserving old photographs at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland, on Wednesday, April 7.

The program begins at 7.30pm in the Miller Board Room at Menorah Park, 27100 Cedar Road, Beachwood.

Santich runs MotoPhoto in Shaker Heights and will demonstrate what individuals can do themselves and what can be done professionally.

MotoPhoto is a photo processing firm and provides other professional photographic services.

He will demonstrate how to copy and/or preserve old family photographs that researchers find among our family possessions.

Those individuals who are so inclined, or willing to learn, a few basic computer skills can often do much of the work themselves when it comes to copying old photos.

Others may be more inclined to have the duplicating done professionally.

Santich will cover the various options as well as offering basic tips on the preservation of historic family photo heirlooms.

Click here for more information on the JGS of Cleveland. Check out their online resources, such as grave photographs and obituaries.

Cleveland: The Cleveland Jewish News Archive, Feb. 7

The Cleveland Jewish News archival digitization project is the topic at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday, February 7.

The program begins at 1.30pm at Park Synagogue East, 27500 Shaker Boulevard, Pepper Pike, with Cleveland Jewish News publisher and editor Michael E. Bennett and archives project consultant Susan Rzepka,

They will speak on "The CJN Archives Project; Putting 45 Years of Cleveland Jewish History Online."

The search tool for the Jewish Independent Obituary Index has been modified and several hundred entries have been added.

This database is mainly composed of extracts of vital information from obituaries. Pre-1906 information mostly comes from the Jewish Review & Observer, another weekly, which began publication in 1899.

Post-1964 information was extracted from The Cleveland Jewish News. This database covers about 1898-1982. It evolved as it grew - therefore not every single entry coincides with an obituary. Click here to go to the search tool.

For more information and directions, see the JGSC site.

Cleveland: Three-session gen course starts Feb 22

A three-session basic genealogy course, sponsored by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Cleveland (Ohio) and the Siegel College of Judaic Studies, begins in February.

Sessions run from 7.30-9.30pm on Mondays, February 22, March 1 and March 8, at the Siegal College of Judaic Studies, Beachwood. The fee is $66.

Instructors are experienced genealogists from the JGS Cleveland, including the group's new president Ken Bravo, Richard Spector, Vicki Vigil and Cynthia Spikell.

The three sessions will help participants begin their own voyage of discovery, with special emphasis on Cleveland and Ohio resources, along with the broader rewards of finding new or long-forgotten family.

Call 216.464.4050 to register.

Ohio: Bravo to Bravo!

Attorney Kenneth A. Bravo is the new president of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland.

A partner with Ulmer & Berne, he has extensive experience in both business litigation and white-collar criminal defense, holding a J.D. cum laude (Ohio State University Moritz College of Law) and BA (Rutgers University).

The nonprofit JGSC was formed in 1982 and is dedicated to encouraging local Jewish family history and genealogical research.

The society maintains a research library, encourages the collection of genealogical material and family histories, and its meetings are free and open to the public.

The society's next meeting (Sunday, February 7) will provide information on and a demonstration of the Cleveland Jewish News digitized collection, such as the Jewish Independent Obituary Index.

Click here to go to the Index search tool; read the notes to understand what is included in this index. Tracing the Tribe has previously reported on the CJN's digital archives and has a personal connection (TAYLOR/TALALAY) to the city.

For more information on the group and its future programs, click here.

Ohio: 18th century records online

More county documents are going online.

This time, Hamilton County, Ohio is in the news with its project putting documents - some back to 1791 - online.

The story detailed some 1.1 million Probate Court documents that will make research life easier for genealogists and historians.

To see the documents - including birth, death, marriage, estate, naturalization and other records - click here, then -> Records Search -> Archive Search.

Records and dates:

Estates 1791-1984
Wills 1791-1973
Trusts, 1791-1984
Guardianships, 1791-1984
Marriages, 1808-1983
Minister's Licenses, 1963-1975
Birth Records, 1863-1908
Birth Registrations/Corrections, 1941-1994
Death Records, 1881-1908
Naturalizations, 1856-1906
Probate Court Journal Entries, 1791-1837
Physician Certificates, 1919-1987

Some records are only for the index books (some are standard alphabetical, others only by first letter of last name), others require a search by volume or other methods.

The initiative is that of Probate Court Judge James Cissell. This isn't his first project using technology to preserve and make accessible public records.

In the 1990s, he was Clerk of Courts when that court created a Web site that made available online millions of pages of criminal and civil court cases and won national awards. Today, the site has further evolved, allowing access all the time to court documents, and also allows attorneys to electronically file suits and other documents.

Cissell, who took office in 2003, says the new site contains some of the oldest state records, such as birth, death, marriage, estate, naturalization and other records. Researchers may find anything from late-18th century guardianship records to personal moments of Hollywood stars, such as actor Spencer Tracy's marriage license.

"There are many, many folks who wish to trace their genealogy. By doing this, people will not have to come to our office in Cincinnati," Cissell said.

Prior to Cissell's new project, only records from 1983 were online. Cissell decided to preserve 1,600 books (each weighed 30 pounds) with 1.1 million pages by digitizing them and putting them online.

The Probate Court is partnering with the University of Cincinnati, which had stored some of the old records after fires. The court staff did all the work to place the documents online except for $95,000 for the digitization.

According to Cissell, the documents will also have to be stored on microfilm because that's the official way such records are to be kept.

"It's going both directions. By the time we're done with this, we may be the only court in the country that has all of the records in both formats, which, I think, is a hell of an accomplishment," Cissell said.

More than 10 million pages must be digitized and microfilmed. Cissell further added that it was necessary as "all that microfilm is wasting away," and that "we have 4,000 rolls of microfilm of records which are quickly disintegrating."

Tracing the Tribe did a cursory check for naturalizations and found more than 30 for COHEN and COHN in the very first register. If your immigrant ancestors spent time in Hamilton County, Ohio, you might find interesting information in these newly accessible documents.

For excellent details on how to work with this collection, view Diane Haddad's Genealogy Insider post.

Cleveland: All about Chicago resources, Jan. 3

Chicago genealogy resources are the topic at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland on Sunday, January 3, 2010.

The meeting begins at 1.30pm, at Park Synagogue East. There is no fee.

"Another City by the Lake: Jewish Genealogy Resources in Chicago," will be presented by Chicago historian, genealogist and attorney Charles B. Bernstein, who has been involved in Jewish genealogy since 1965.

Bernstein's great-grandfather founded a congregation in the city in the 1880s. In 1977, he was a founding member of the Chicago Jewish Historical Society, the Jewish Genealogical Society (New York),; he's a member of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois.

For three decades, Bernstein has conducted personal research and private research for clients, in addition to lecturing widely, teaching Jewish genealogy and serving as scholar-in-residence.

He has authored or co-authored six books: "The Descendants of Moritz Loeb, A History of Community Service," "Torah and Technology: The History and Genealogy of the Anixter Family," "The Rothschilds of Nordstetten: Their History and Genealogy," "From King David to Baron David: The Genealogical Connections between Baron Guy de Rothschild and Baroness Alix de Rothschild," "Chaya Ralbe Hovsha and Rabbi Yechiel Michel Hovsha and Their Descendants," and "The Loeb Family of Trier and the Myer Family of Illingen." He has contributed to both the "Encyclopedia of Jewish Genealogy" and the "Avotaynu Guide to Jewish Genealogy."

This should be a fascinating meeting with one of Chicago's true Jewish genealogy experts.

Ohio: Wooster synagogue remembers its history

In Ohio, Wooster's Knesseth Israel Temple members celebrate the High Holy Days while they also remember their history.

The Daily Record article details the city's Jewish community and also mentions the Wayne County Public Library:

Ed Abramson, the congregation's historian, learned a great deal about his heritage and that of the Jewish community in Wooster when he retired in 1992 and began volunteering in the genealogy department of the Wayne County Public Library.

In studying newspapers on microfilm back to the 1820s, Abramson "became quite surprised how far back the Jewish presence was in Wooster," he said.

According to Abramson's research, Abraham Greenbaum, a merchant, was the first Jewish resident, arriving in 1841. The first Jewish birth is recorded in 1848 in Reedsburg.

"By the 1880s, we had a small little community in Wooster," populated by merchants and peddlers, Abramson said, adding, the Freedlanders settled here during that time.

Abramson's ancestors on his mother's side, the Brenners, "got here in 1904," he said, having immigrated to the United States from an area that was at various times in history either Russia, Poland or Lithuania.

Abramson's own father arrived in 1917, fleeing the Russian army during the Russian Revolution and arriving in America during the Great Flu Epidemic.

The story details the first synagogue, the first rabbi and more of the first families, as well as the synagogue's memorabilia, including a Holocaust Torah. on permanent loan from a Czech museum.

Read the complete story at the link above.

Ohio: Cleveland Jewish News digital archive

Genealogists with a connection to Cleveland, Ohio, will find 2010 a very good year.

The Cleveland Jewish News will launch a digital archive of 45 years of publications, expected to be online in 2010, according to publisher and editor Michael E. Bennett.

I'll be looking for my TALALAY and TAYLOR connections!

Family historians and genealogists will be able to learn about their families who lived in Cleveland; access lifecycle birth, wedding, anniversary, bnai mitzvah, and obituaries; and the community's history and reactions to world events; as well as what's happening in contemporary Cleveland.

Past issues are currently available for public access only in oversize bound volumes; only parts of CJN publications for the past eight years are online. The CJN Foundation, headed by Barry R. Chesler, contracted with Olive Software to convert more than 200,000 pages on microfilm or in electronic PDF files into XML files. This method enables data to be used in a number of digital formats, including a searchable database.

"This is an exciting stage in the newspaper’s history,” says Barry R. Chesler, president of the CJN Foundation. “Imagine being able to have at your fingertips, no matter where you are, information about family simchahs, news events and anything else that’s been important to you or the community for half a century.”

Chesler is grateful the community responded so generously to the request for support, and says that they understood the important of preserving the past and making it accessible online.

According to Olive Software, the CJN archive is a great example of how a community paper coupled with state-of-the-art digitization techniques can make historical preservation and worldwide access to formerly offline content possible.

Funding was provided by the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland’s Endowment Fund, the CJN and other sources. This current funding will cover the cost of creating and hosting the archive for two years. Additional long-term funding is sought from advertisers, sponsors and community members.

For more information, click on the link above.

Ohio: The Cincinnati-Kennedy connection

As the country mourns the loss of Sen. Edward Kennedy, one family feels the loss even more personally.

Cincinnati.com carried the story of the family of Boris Katz, now a top researcher at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. His daughter Jessica was called "The Littlest Refusenik," and thanks to Kennedy, the family allowed to move from Moscow to Boston for life-saving treatment.

"Who can say why a congressman [Tom Luken] and people from Cincinnati got so involved?" said Katz, whose daughter married this summer. The family had no local ties but their situation touched the city's Jewish community some 30 years ago.

Jessica was born in 1977 in Moscow with malabsorption syndrome, a disease that prevented her from digesting milk or food. Soviet doctors could not cure the condition, and as their infant daughter grew ever weaker, her parents realized her only hope for survival hinged on treatment in the West.

Soviet officials, however, denied the family permission to leave, citing security issues, as they often did in the case of "refuseniks," the name given to dissidents but also to those whose only offense often was simply asking to leave the country. Boris' wife, Natalya, had knowledge, Soviet authorities said, of state secrets through her job at the Soviet Institute of Experimental Meteorology and the Institute of Geophysics, a claim she denied.

"You never knew who would be denied a visa or why - and that was the point," Boris Katz said. "They could say it was about state secrets, but that usually was just nonsense. The more arbitrary and random the process was, the less likely people would be to apply for a visa, knowing they could lose their job and have their life disrupted for the next 15 years."

The story details the people involved in getting the little girl out of the Soviet Union. Among them were Lillian Silver of Roselawn, whose father-in-law Rabbi Eliezer Silver of Avondale, raised "millions of dollars funneled to passport thieves, counterfeiters, smugglers and even top Nazi officers to buy not just the freedom, but the lives, of Jews in death camps and trapped behind enemy lines." As national president of Vaad Hatzala (Rescue Committee), his actions directly saved some 10,000 individuals and spared many more.

Children's Hospital in the city was said to be one of the few centers equipped to treat the child's condition and a volunteer told Silver, who launched a letter-writing campaign, arranged for local Jews visiting the Soviet Union to deliver the non-milk formula required. When Congressman Luken's office was contacted for assistance, the local story brought in a national audience, including Kennedy's staff, and others became involved in the medical and humanitarian aspects of the case.

The story has all the characteristics of a good espionage thriller. Phone calls from public phones, taxi cabs, strangers bringing supplies from the US.

"This was an amazing thing to us," Boris Katz said in an interview last week. "In our small apartment in Moscow, we of course had no idea what a congressman or senator or people in America were trying to do for us. But it gave us hope."

One woman who has stayed in touch with the family all these years was Dabby Blatt of Wyoming. In August 1978, her family visited the Moscow family.

Once Kennedy became involved, things moved faster. He visited Moscow in September 1978 to press Brezhnev to allow them to emigrate. Two months later, they arrived in Boston and she got the treatment she needed.

Thirty years on, Katz recalled, that he's "still surprised how many people were brave enough to pack the baby formula and other things we needed in their luggage and then, despite KGB intimidation, deliver it to us in a dark Moscow street."

"But this is the interesting thing about life - it only needs one person to give the spark and another to help."

Blatt and her daughter attended Jessica's July wedding in New York.

Read the complete story at the link above, and remember that it takes only one person to believe in a cause to accomplish major achievements.