Winnipeg: Galicia gen conference, Oct. 2

"Galicia: Multi-Ethnic Roots in Ukraine and Poland" is a full-day seminar scheduled by the East European Genealogical Society in Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada), on Saturday, October 2.

The city is home to a large Ashkenazi Eastern European community, as well as large Ukrainian and Polish populations and EEGS experts will help those interested in tracing their roots.

The former Austrian province of Galicia is now western Ukraine and southeastern Poland.

Among the topics to be presented: how records of the people were kept; how to locate, read, and analyze them; languages (including Cyrillic), and more.

Speakers are internationally known authorities on Galician genealogical research Matthew Bielawa and Brian J. Lenius, both well-known to Jewish genealogists and to those with Galician roots.

Bielawa specializes in western Ukraine and eastern Galicia, has extensively lectured, written articles for journals and has a webpage, Genealogy of Halychyna/Eastern Galicia. He has conducted research in Ukraine, Poland and Russia, and holds a BA in Slavic and East European Studies (University of Connecticut), and an MA in Slavic Languages and Literature (New York University).

Lenius (Selkirk, Manitoba) has researched for more than 25 years in Galicia. He is author and publisher of the "Genealogical Gazetteer of Galicia: Expanded Data Edition," numerous articles on Galician and Austrian research published in Polish, Eastern European, and other genealogical periodicals. He has presented research-oriented lectures to numerous genealogical societies in Canada, USA, and Germany. Brian has undertaken 15 extended research trips in Poland, Ukraine, Austria, Czech Republic, and Germany greatly expanding resources available to North American genealogical researchers.

While Ukrainian and Polish roots will be covered in depth, other groups - German, Jewish, Mennonite, Armenian and Czech with roots in Galicia - will be covered according to attendance.

The location is Red River College’s Princess Street Campus. Registration: EEGS members, C$55; others, C$60. Meals are not included.

The seminar is open to 120 people only. For more information, see the East European Genealogy Society website, or request a registration form via email.

Colorado: Steve Morse seminar, Oct. 10

Steve Morse will offer a full-day genealogy seminar for the Jewish Genealogical Society of Colorado on Sunday, October 10, in Denver.

Dr. Stephen Morse has received the Award of Merit from the National Genealogical Society, the Excellence Award from the Association of Professional Genealogists, and the Outstanding Contribution and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies. A computer professional with a doctorate in electrical engineering, he was the architect of the Intel 8086 (the granddaddy of today's Pentium processor), which sparked the PC revolution 25 years ago.

He'll present The Jewish Calendar Demystified; From DNA to Genetic Genealogy: Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask; One-Step Webpages: A potpourri of genealogical search tools; and One-Step Webpages: A hodgepodge of lesser-known gems.

The program will run from 9am-4pm, at the Jewish Community Center, 350 S. Dahlia St.
Attendees may participate in one program or in all of them. A kosher box lunch is included and snacks will be provided during breaks. Attendance is only via advance registration (October 1 deadline) and payment. No walk-ins permitted.

Fee: JGSCO members: $18, entire day/lunch; others: $40, entire day/lunch plus a one-year JGSCO membership.

Visit the JGSCO website for more information and registration forms.

Boston: Australian research seminar, Sept. 22

Two programs on Australian genealogy will be presented at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) on Wednesday, September 22.

The seminar, free and open to the public, will run from 10am-noon at the NEHGS, 99-101 Newbury St., Boston.

Australian Helen D. Harris, OAM will offer "Beginning Your Family History Research in Australia," and "Finding your Long Lost Relatives in Australia."

She has lived in Whitehorse for more than 30 years, with the past 13 years in Elgar Ward. Her areas of interest include heritage, health and environmental issues.

Harris is affiliated with the Box Hill Historical Society, ELGAR Contact, Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies and the Whitehorse Branch of the Greens. She holds the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) (1993, for services to community history); MA (History); founder/honorary life member Avoca and District Historical Society; inaugural 2004 Frances Brown Award for Excellence from the Victorian Association of Family History Organizations.

For more information visit AmericanAncestors.org.

Houston: Legacy of a Hidden Past seminar, May 23

Congregation Shaar Hashalom (Houston, Texas) will present a seminar on the history of the Crypto Jews in New Spain and Mexico, on Sunday, May 23.

"Discovering the Legacy of a Hidden Past" is open to the public and runs from 8am-3.15pm.

Crypto Jews were Jews from Spain and Portugal who, after being forced to convert to Catholicism beginning in the late 14th century, continued to practice Judaism secretly, and passed on a hidden legacy to their descendants. Among the indications of such a heritage are:

-- Lighting candles on Friday nights without knowing why
-- Sweeping to center of room, not over the threshold
-- Covering mirrors when a relative died
-- Observing these or other unusual practices, not understanding why

More than 500 years after the Alhambra Decree of Exile - which sent many Sephardic Jews around the world and many more who went underground to stay in Iberia - the descendants of these individuals are now beginning to rediscover their hidden past. Readers who are interested in learning more about this intriguing history of Jews who hid their faith during the Inquisition (and even from 1391, a century earlier) will enjoy this lineup of speakers.

Some descendants know their ancestors were Jewish and some have passed down Jewish customs through the century. Sometimes traditions are practiced today, but the families don't know why. Others have learned about their hidden legacy and are trying to reconnect.

The seminar will provide general information to those seeking more insight on the topic through experts on the subject matter and informational outlets which they can use as a reference point for their personal research.

Speakers and their presentations are:

-- Rabbi Peter Tarlow, Texas A&M Hillel: Setting the Stage: History of the Crypto-Jews
-- Bennett Greenspan, FamilyTreeDNA,com: Family Tree DNA and the Crypto-Jews 
-- Rabbi Jimmy Kessler, Temple B’nai Israel, Galveston: Crypto-Jews: How This All Got Started
-- Dr. Janet Jacobs, University of Colorado-Boulder; author, "Hidden Heritage; The Legacy of the Crypto-Jews": Women and the Persistence of Culture (Ritual, Customs and Recovery of Ancestry)
-- The program concludes with a Q&A panel.

To register online ($18 donation is suggested) or for more information, visit Crypto Jews of Houston or Shaar HaShalom, or contact Rabbi Stuart Federow.

New York: Beyond the basics, April 11

The Jewish Genealogical Society of New York will present "Basics and Beyond," an afternoon family history seminar, on Sunday, April 11.

The program will run from 1-5pm, at UJA-Federation of New York 130 East 59th Street, 7th floor, Manhattan.

Experienced genealogists will present two tracks - for beginners and those more experienced.

Beginners’ Track:
-- How to get started
-- Tracing your family in the US
-- Finding/interpreting census/vital records
-- Crossing the pond: Finding/interpreting passenger arrival/naturalization records

Advanced Track:
-- Organizing, goal-setting, record-keeping
-- What’s new in computer research
-- Researching European records at home

Tracks run simultaneously; participants may attend sessions in either or both tracks

Topics include:

-- Finding and interpreting census and vital records
-- Passenger arrival and naturalization records
-- Computer research
-- Research organization
-- Record-keeping and goal setting
-- Searching European records from home.

Advance registration required, no on-site registration. For more information and registration, click here.

Fee: JGSNY members, $18; others, $25. New member special: $40, includes 2010 JGSNY membership (annual membership alone is $36).

UK: Who Do You Think You Are? February 2010

Have you ever wondered what secrets lurk in your family's past?

The next edition of the fabulous "Who do You Think You Are? LIVE" is set for London's Olympia National Hall from February 26-28, 2010. It may be the place where you find answers to your questions about your family's unique history.

Some 15,000 enthusiastic and passionate-about-genealogy visitors are anticipated over the three-day show. Sponsors include Ancestry.co.uk, FamilyTreeDNA.com and others.

The show has a new website with all the latest information. Readers should sign up for the newsletter to receive breaking news and more information. The sign up box is above the left sidebar menu.

Family history research is always an exciting ride down discovery road, and we're never sure of what we might find along the way. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned researcher, the event will have something to enjoy and many experts to help.

The Society of Genealogists Family History Show, sponsored by TheGenealogist.co.uk, will feature UK family history societies, whose specialists with local knowledge will help find answers to questions, and provide information to help you discover your own unique story. The SoG workshop program will offer more than 100 workshops and seminars on many topics. Some 200 exhibitors will help even more. Everything's under one roof, making it very convenient.

I've tried to attend the show for two years without success - something has always forced a change in plans - but I'm hoping this year I'll really make it.

The Olympia National Hall in London is easily accessible by tube (subway for non-Brits), bus and other transport. It's just a short bus ride from our cousins in Chiswick (and there's a great Persian restaurant across the street from the hall!).

Tickets go on sale soon (show tickets, November; workshop tickets, January). Show hours are Friday (10am-6.30pm), Saturday (9.30am-6pm) and Sunday (9.30am-5pm).

Sign up for the newsletter!

Kansas City: Jewish genetics seminar, Nov. 2-3

If genetics and DNA fascinate you and you live near Kansas City, here's an event you won't want to miss.

The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle reported on the seminar - “Genetics, Jewish Diseases and Personalized Medicine” - which will take place Monday and Tuesday, November 2-3, at the Kansas City, Missouri Public Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Advances in genetics change the way we think about health, disease, and personal identity. The free two-day conference features prominent panelists who will discuss the ethical implications of new discoveries in genetics.

The complete schedule is available here (with links to each speaker's bio). Registration is free, but space is limited. Register online, call (816) 979-1352 or e-mail.

Tracing the Tribe was happy to note that our good friend, author and journalist Jon Entine ("Abraham's Children: Race, identity and the DNA of the Chosen People") is the kick-off speaker at 8.30am Monday, with "Genetic Testing and Jewish Identity: Do our genes tell us who we are?"

While the upcoming seminar is heavy on Jewish presenters and Jewish-related topics, organizer Dr. John Lantos (more below) said anyone who is interested in the field of genetics might find it interesting.

Other Monday programs:

-- “Tay-Sachs and Sickle Cell: Different cultures, different responses to genetic testing”
Rutgers University sociologist Keith Wailoo.

-- “Genetic testing from a traditional Jewish perspective: Can testing before marriage help?”
Thomas Jefferson University radiologist Daniel Eisenberg.

-- “Personalized Medicine and the cost of health care”
Bar Ilan University's Rabbi Noam Zohar and Children's Mercy Hospital pharmacogeneticist Dr. Stephen Spielberg.

-- “Can we redesign ourselves? If so, would we do it well? Thoughts of a genetics consumer” Journalist/bioethicist David Ewing Dunan

Tuesday sessions include:

-- “Eugenics, arranged marriages and gene-therapy responses to genetic disease”
Panel: American University of Judaism professor, Rabbi Elliot Dorff; NIH geneticist Chris Austin; and “Yaakov,” father of a child with a genetic disease

--“Individuals, culture and biology: what does the future hold?”
Northwestern University bioethicist Laurie Zoloth and Dr. John Lantos

The seminar organizer is University of Chicago professor of pediatrics and bioethics Dr. John Lantos, who holds the John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics at the Kansas City-based Center for Practical Bioethics. He has lived in the Kansas City area for a few years and has an office at Children's Mercy Hospital.

Why did Lantos organize this event?

“There have been fascinating developments in genetics, leading to what is called personalized medicine,” Dr. Lantos said. “It’s still mostly a dream, but the idea is that, instead of studying diseases and treatments the way we have since the beginning of time — which is to figure that all people act the same — we can now figure out how people are different and customize treatments for each individual genetic makeup.”

Read the complete program at the link above, as well as the full article (link above) for more information.

New York: Salonika experiences at YIVO, July 12

The YIVO Institute will sponsor, with the American Sephardi Federation, a seminar on Jewish experiences in Salonika through the YIVO Archives, on Sunday, July 12.

Meet the faculty at 3pm; the seminar begins at 3.30pm, at the Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th Street, New York City.

The Ruth Gay Seminar in Jewish Studies is titled "Uncommon voices, Everyday Lives: Jewish experiences in Salonika through the YIVO Archives."

Pre-registration is required; via email or call 212-294-6143.

Presenter Devin Naar is historian of the YIVO Salonika Project. He is a Stanford University doctoral candidate and writing his dissertation on the Jewish community of Salonika during the 19th-20th centuries.

The Archive of the Jewish Community of Salonika at YIVO was organized, microfilmed and digitized through this project. It was funded by the Maurice Amado Foundation and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The seminar chair is Thessaloniki born-and-raised Dr. Isaac Benmayor, who holds a Ph.d. in Modern Greek Linguistics from Oxford University. He's a past president of the American Friends of the Jewish Museum of Greece, has worked on a number of publications on the Holocaust in Greece and a Ladino scholar.

Dr. Steven Bowman will offer introductory remarks. He is a University of Cincinnati Judaic studies professor and a Greek Jewry historian.

The Salonika Project's academic advisory committee includes Bowman, Benmayor, Stanford University Professor of Sephardic History Dr. Aron Rodrigue, CUNY Graduate CenterDdirector of Jewish studies Dr. Jane Gerber, Greek Jewry historian and Association of Friends of Greek Jewry president Marcia Hadad Ikonomopoulos, Hebrew University Ladino Professor Dr. David Bunis, Panteion University (Athens) Dr. Rena Molho.

Israel: Call for Papers, 5th One-Day Seminar

The Israel Genealogical Society (IGS) and the Jewish Family Research Association (JFRA) have announced the Call for Papers for the Fifth One-Day Seminar on Jewish Genealogy.

The event will take place Tuesday, December 1, at Bet Hatefutsoth/ Museum of the Diaspora, located on the Tel Aviv University campus and convenient for those attending via intercity train, bus or car.

The Museum's beautifully renovated meeting spaces will provide an excellent experience for all attendees and this year's well-chosen theme will provide for a wealth of diverse programming.

Presentations may be in English or Hebrew:

Preserving Memory: Family and Community

Methods of recording and transmitting

past and present family and community history

Examples include books, articles, websites, family/community groups

and associations, artifacts, audio, video/photographs, databases, oral history projects.

Guidelines: Submit an abstract via email attachment in Word (.doc) or Rich Text (.rtf) format to reach the Program Committee by July 10. If submitting on diskette (Word), include three original hard copies. Proposals will not be returned, so keep a copy.

Note that presentations will be 35 minutes with an additional 10 minutes for Q&A.

Abstracts: Accepted in English or Hebrew, 250-word limit, 12pt Times New Roman font, page margins 2.5cm/1-inch. At the end of the abstract, state clearly the program language (English or Hebrew), and if equipment is required (computer, projector, overhead projector). Presenters are advised to bring their own laptops.

Email abstracts here or snail mail to Yom Iyun c/o Dr. Lea Gedalia, PO Box 4102, Atlit 30300 Israel.

Accepted proposals: A full version of the program must be sent to the program committee before the seminar. Details will be included in the letter of acceptance.

Important dates: July 10 deadline for abstract submission. July 25 notification of acceptance.