Gesher Galicia: Lviv Photo Project

For many researchers around the world, traveling back to the homes of our ancestors may an impossible dream.

Wouldn't it be great to see the house our great-great-grandparents lived in? Or, to bring it forward to more contemporary times, perhaps the house you or your parents lived in?

Thanks to volunteers around the world, it is becoming possible. Now it is a reality for some whose families came from Lviv/Lvov/Lemberg (was Galicia, now Ukraine), thanks to Gesher Galicia's "Lviv House and Street Photography Project." See it here.

When a Dutch-born teacher, now working in Germany, volunteered to do work during his summer in Lviv, the project took off. For four weeks in July, Dick Koops covered the city in search of the streets, lanes and pathways our ancestors once walked, enabling many Gesher Galicia members to have photos of the places where they or their ancestors once lived.

When Koops sent the photographs to Pam, he wrote:

I very much hope that my work in Lviv, will be meaningful for the Jewish grand-grandchildren of those who were victims of the Nazi-regime and those who supported it or allowed it to exist. We cannot change history; at least to learn from it is already very difficult.

Many street names have changed during the past 70 years. Thanks to the Henri Nouwen Foundation, one worker researched the street names, and the brother of the Foundation's local head, Petrov Kokor, served as Koops' guide and translator. Read more at the link above.

When you click on the site link, photos are listed in alphabetical order according to street name and number. In some cases, there are interior/courtyard and street views and more than one house is included.

Feel free to download the photos for personal use only as Koops holds the copyrights to these images. Email him to obtain permission for another purpose.

Visitors to the site are invited to add comments about the house (the age of the building, the identity of residents and when they lived there) by emailing (see below) the details to Pam Weisberger. Viewers may also add comments on Flickr via the provided link.

Eventually, says Pam, the details will be in a searchable database. Gesher Galicia also plans to create an interactive Lviv map, overlaying old maps onto contemporary ones, with photo links and resident details.

Many readers actually lived in these buildings before and after the war, and those personal stories are very important to the project; make sure to contact Pam if you have stories to share.

For more information about Gesher Galicia, click here. Email Pamela Weisberger if you have additional information for a photo or personal story. Credit where credit is due: Special thanks to Brooke Schreier Ganz for formatting the photos for the Internet.

New Jersey: Steve Morse to speak, Nov. 12

Dr. Stephen Morse will present "A Hodgepodge of Lesser Known Genealogical Gems" at Beth El Synagogue in East Windsor, New Jersey, on Thursday, November 12.

The Beth El Jewish Genealogy Club is hosting Steve's appearance, which will begin at 7.30pm.

His popular One-Step site offers many useful utilities and tools for genealogists and family history researchers.

His talk will describe many of these offerings including problem solutions, genealogy searches, identity theft, DNA and other topics.

A Brooklyn-born San Francisco resident, Steve has received many national and international awards for his innovative work, including his utility that has made it possible to efficiently search the Ellis Island Database.

In addition to being an internationally known computer professional with an electrical engineering doctorate, he has been a genealogist since a young age, as well as a researcher, writer, teacher, inventor and developed the chip that made our modern PCs possible.

The meeting is free and open to the public. Reservations are strongly recommended; send an email.

JGSLA 2010: What's happening?

JGSLA 2010 will feature nearly non-stop programming and activities for six days. The conference officially begins at 10am, Sunday, July 11 and ends at 12.30pm, Friday, July 16.

As the weeks go by, more details about the conference will be announced via the JGSLA Conference Blog, the Newsletter, the Facebook Page and Twitter. Sign up for the conference blog or the newsletter and you'll know exactly what's happening and when.

Some highlights:

• The keynote speaker and dessert reception will be on Sunday evening, July 11.


• On opening day (Sunday), there'll be beginners' workshops, films, classes and a Special Interest Group (SIG) Market Square.


• Arriving early to recover from jetlag? The conference will offer Shabbat-friendly, pre-conference learning on Friday and Saturday, July 9-10, as well as tours and classes.


• There will be a special afternoon Talmud study session, Friday and Saturday dinners, Jewish-themed tours, Classes are free; tours and special meals are for fee.


• Attendees will be able to meet with foreign archivists and international experts who will be lecturing later in the week.


• Remember that the banquet is Thursday, July 15 (details soon).

Go to JGSLA 2010 and sign up for the blog and the newsletter.

Remember that the Call for Papers will open November 15, so start preparing a proposal if you're interested in speaking.

Michigan: 'Annie's Ghost' author, Nov. 15

"Annie's Ghost: A Journey into a Family Secret" author Steve Luxenberg speaks on Sunday, November 15, hosted by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Michigan.

The event takes place from 1-3pm, at the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills.

Steve is a Detroit native and the book is based in the area, making it most appropriate.

A 30-year journalist, Steve will provide a detailed look at the genealogical and investigative reporting techniques he used to unearth the story behind a family secret, and answer questions about how to dig into your family history.

As a genealogist and journalist, I loved the book as it works its way through the techniques as both to find the answers to his family's secret. If you haven't read it yet, do so before the meeting, so you can ask him questions.

He'll also sign books (bring your own copy or purchase one at the meeting).

Admission: JGSMichigan members, free; others, $5. Reservations are recommended.

Australia: Jewish genealogy conference website now live

Are you reading this from "down under" or are you planning on visiting Australia in March 2010? Learn about this great event.

The website is now live for the Second Australian National Conference on Jewish Genealogy - Sunday-Tuesday, March 7-9, 2010 - in Melbourne.

Hosted by the Australian Jewish Genealogical Society (Victoria) in association with the Makor Jewish Community Library, the conference will be held at the Beth Weizmann Jewish Community Centre, Melbourne.

Go to the new AJGS (Vic) website and click on the Conference Link at the right side. Right now, the conference flyer and registration form (with much information) is available, but conference chair Allan Jankie says that more will be available in the coming days and weeks. Also sign-up for their newsletter - the next one may be out next week - send an email to be placed on the list.

Themed "Our Jewish Roots," several international speakers (watch for announcements) will be presenting along with local experts in an innovative, interactive program highlighting recent advances in genealogical research, while also focusing on helping attendees' research interests.

This should be an exciting and rewarding experience for family history researchers regardless of their skill levels, from beginner to experienced. It will also provide an opportunity to meet others with similar interests, share findings and learn about what's new.

The program will offer lectures and presentations, panel discussions, special interest group (SIG) meetings, a cocktail party along with visits to Jewish institutions and public genealogical resources.

Major sessions will run early morning and late afternoon on Sunday and Monday, while mid-mornings and early afternoons will feature smaller parallel sessions dealing with specific countries and topics, covering available resources and techniques.

The Beth Weizmann Jewish Community Centre, in Caulfield, is central to Melbourne’s large and diverse Jewish community and cultural institutions. It offers excellent conference facilities, and includes the Makor Library, community offices, a plenary hall and smaller meeting rooms.

Most conference activities – sessions, resource room and computer workshops – will be at the center, which also provides facilities for the disabled.

Guided tours are set for Tuesday for attendees to pursue independent research and private study at various institutions.

Makor Library resources will be available Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. For information about the library's holdings, see the Makor link above. Attendees will be able to access online genealogical sites and databases via the Library's computer workshop. Bring your laptops, as the event will provide Wi-Fi.

The registration fee - A$120 - includes attendance, morning and afternoon tea, lunch (Sunday/Monday), and the cocktail party. All food at the venue will be kosher, while the cocktail party will be vegetarian.

Learn more about the conference, the program and accommodations and receive updates by sending an email to the conference committee. Tracing the Tribe will also provide updates as well.

New York: JGSNY member brunch, Nov. 15

The Jewish Genealogical Society of New York will hold its membership brunch on Sunday, November 15, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in lower Manhattan.

The kosher dairy buffet at 11am will be followed by guest curator Karen Franklin speaking on "Creating the Morgenthau Exhibition: a Family Historian confronts the Twentieth Century." Karen will lead opening day tours of the exhibit after her program.

For more information, click here. The reservation deadline is November 6. Fee: members, $20; others, $25.

She will describe how a simple genealogy request resulted in her participation in an exciting reinterpretation of the family's role in public service and service to the Jewish community.

Karen uncovered fascinating personal stories and documents through two years of research in dozens of archives, libraries and private collections, and she will describe these discoveries, many of which are not in this exhibit.

A co-chair of the Board of Governors of JewishGen, she is a past president of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies and a past chair of the Council of American Jewish Museums. She serves on the board of ICOM-US (International Council of Museums), and the International Committee of Memorial Museums of ICOM, and is an Obermayer German Jewish History Award juror. She also holds the distinction of being the Jewish museum director elected to the American Association of Museums board.

A researcher on looted art, she has worked on cases for the Origins Unknown Agency in the Netherlands, the Commission for Looted Art in Europe, and the U. S. Treasury Department. In June she spoke at the Holocaust Looted Assets Conference in Prague as a member of the Judaica and Jewish Cultural Property Working Committee.

For more information, click here or send an email. The reservation deadline is November 6. Fee: members, $20; others, $25.

Seattle: Eastern European Jewry, Nov. 9

Eastern European Jewry up to the great migration, with Professor Natan M. Meir, will be discussed at the Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State, on Monday, November 9.

Doors open at 7pm and the program begins at 7.30pm at the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island. The JCC offers Wi-Fi, so bring your laptops. The JGSW library will also be available for attendees.

Although many American Jews think that their Eastern European ancestors were “traditional” shtetl Jews until they left for the US, the historical reality was more complicated.

This program will survey the history of Eastern European Jews from the twilight of old Poland at the end of the 18th century through the vicissitudes of subjectship under the 19th century Russian Empire. Gain an understanding of the vitality of Jewish life in Eastern Europe and the multiple crises that Russian and Polish Jews faced at the turn of the 20th century – the age of the “Great Migration.”

Topics will include tsarist policies towards Jews, Jewish leadership shifts, the roles of pogroms and anti-Semitism, internal cultural and religious dynamics, as well as economic and demographic transformations.

The program will mainly cover the Russian Empire (Pale of Settlement) but will also refer to Russian Poland (Congress Kingdom) and Austrian Galicia.

Born in Jerusalem and raised in New Jersey and Quebec, Natan M. Meir is the Lokey Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies at Portland State University (Oregon). He holds a Ph.D in Jewish History (Columbia University), taught at the University of Southampton (UK), and was a Hebrew University Yad Hanadiv postdoctoral fellow.

His interest is modern Jewish history, focusing on the social and cultural history of East European Jewry in the 19th-20th centuries. His first book, "Kiev: Jewish Metropolis, 1859-1914," is forthcoming from Indiana University Press, and he's now working on a second project tentatively titled "Jewish Marginals in Eastern Europe."

Admission: JGSWS members, free; others, $5.

For more information, visit the JGSWS website.

Chicago: Fragile family ties, personal histories, Nov. 12

Fragile family ties and conserving personal histories will be discussed at Chicago's Spertus Museum in Chicago, on Thursday, November 12.

An exhibit viewing (see below) is set from 6.30-6.15pm, with the presentation following from 6.15-7.15pm.

This program should be required for anyone who has ever wondered about the importance of family objects in their home and, of course, for everyone interested in Jewish and genealogical history.

An artist and author, Chicago Conservation Center CEO Heather Becker will help participants understand the important role that conservation of family treasures play in family and cultural history.

Drawing on personal items conserved by the CCC, Becker will demonstrate images from before, during and after restoration. These items have a lasting impact on how families and communities understand themselves.

The related exhibit - What Does It Say to You? - presents more than 60 objects from the museum's collection.

Related programs, such as the one by Becker (above) are an important component of the exhibit. On the second Thursday evening of each month, the public joins museum staff, community leaders, scholars, artists, performers and others to explore the roles objects play in our lives.

For more information, click here.