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Past Programs - 2013
The following
programs and workshops were held in 2013; they are shown here so that
you may view the range of activities of JGSGW.
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| January |
Sunday,
January 13, 2013 |
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Program: |
We are Here: A Lithuanian
Encounter
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Location:
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Time: |
1:00 PM - Schmooze
1:30 PM - Short Business Meeting, Announcements,
and Program
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Speaker:
Ellen
Cassedy (click
here for bio) |
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Ellen Cassedy set off into the Jewish heartland of Lithuania to study
Yiddish and connect with her Jewish forebears.
When she read something given to her by an uncle, she learned something
she had never suspected, and her journey to Lithuania changed her
forever. What had begun as a personal quest expanded into a
groundbreaking exploration of how people in Lithuania – Jews and
non-Jews – are confronting their Nazi and Soviet past in order to move
forward into the future. |
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| February |
Sunday, February 10, 2013
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Program: |
"The Stones Speak: Recent Genealogical Findings from the Bulgarian
Zone of Occupation in Greece”
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Location:
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Time: |
1:00 PM - Schmooze
1:30 PM - Short Business Meeting, Announcements,
and Program
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Speaker:
Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos
(bio) |
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Due to the brutality of the Bulgarians in the Occupied Zones of
Northeastern Greece (Thrace and Macedonia) there are few descendants to
shed light on Jewish genealogy (from 97-100% of the Jewish population
perished in the Holocaust). Only amid the weed-covered tombstones do we
get a glimpse of centuries of Jewish presence. Join us as Marcia Haddad
Ikonomopoulos reveals recent genealogical findings from the Bulgarian
Zone of Occupation in Greece. Ms. Ikonomopoulos is the Museum Director
of Kehila Kedosha Janina in New York City. |
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| March |
Sunday, March 10, 2013 |
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Location: |
B'nai
Israel |
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Workshop: |
Beginner's Workshop |
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Instructor: |
Marlene Bishow |
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Time: |
11:00 am - 1:00 pm |
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The role of the family
archivist and historian will be explored in the context of the how to
begin researching your Jewish ancestors. Where do you start and where to
go next? Collecting and preserving family photos and interviewing family
members will be discussed, as well as getting started with JewishGen.
Participants will receive a copy of the JGSGW publication “Jump-Start
Your Jewish Genealogy Research: A Beginner’s Guide.”
Participation in this workshop is a
benefit of membership in JGSGW. Reservations are required; send an email
to
Class limited to 20
participants.
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Program: |
"Searching New York Roots"
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Time: |
1:00 PM - Schmooze
1:30 PM - Short Business Meeting, Announcements,
and Program
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Speaker: Avrum Geller (bio) |
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New York City has for two centuries been
the golden door into which Jewish immigrants entered America. Avrum
Geller will explore the wealth of resources to discover family roots and
connections through New York area resources. This will include both
great buildings and the stuff inside them, and also many online
resources. Quite a number of these resources are hidden in plain sight,
and it will be revealed where to find them and how to use them. He will
focus on New York City archival and library resources with an emphasis
on finding the less obvious treasures which lie therein. He will also
give practical tips on conducting your on-site research in New York
City, getting below the surface when you visit an archive, a library, a
courthouse, etc. and throw in some tips on going below the surface to
arrive there.
Avrum will be available after the meeting answer questions on a
one-to-one basis.
Click here for the meeting handout - Searching New York Roots. |
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| April |
Sunday, April 21, 2013 |
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Location:
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Workshop: |
Intermediate Workshop |
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Instructor: |
Jonina Duker |
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Time: |
11:00 am - 1:00 pm |
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What can be learned from the
study of the Jewish tombstone (matzevah)?
This workshop will explore
customs and symbols associated with Jewish burials, including a
discussion of the Hebrew calendar, as well as the history and meaning of
personal names and surnames.
The workshop will also address the basics of effective
search queries in Google, as well as an introduction to Ancestry.com and
optimizing searches there.
Participants will receive a
copy of the new JGSGW publication: “Intermediate Topics in Jewish
Genealogy Research.”
Participation in this workshop is a
benefit of membership in JGSGW. Reservations are required; send an email
to
Class limited to 20 participants. |
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Program: |
"Routes to Roots in the 'Old Country': Where are the Surviving
Documents and How to Obtain Them?"
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Time: |
1:00 PM - Schmooze
1:30 PM - Short Business Meeting, Announcements,
and Program
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Speaker: Miriam Weiner, President, Routes to
Roots Foundation (click here for bio) |
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This presentation will focus on the
Routes to Roots Foundation website (RTRF) at
www.rtrfoundation.org
including a live “tour” of various components of the website. Our
speaker, Miriam Weiner, has worked officially with the archivists
throughout Eastern Europe beginning in Poland in 1989, then Ukraine,
Moldova, Belarus and Lithuania. She has received unprecedented
cooperation from the archives in identifying and publishing information
about surviving Jewish and civil records.
The RTRF website includes a comprehensive searchable archive database by
town name, covering document holdings relevant to Jewish life in five
countries (and portions of two others) in Central and Eastern Europe, an
image database, and multiple searchable name databases for various
localities. The website is updated regularly with new/revised archive
data, additional name databases and images as well as articles by
archivists, historians and others.
In addition, Miriam will discuss the new collaboration between RTRF and
the Center for Jewish History (CJH) in
New York City. The CJH website features its Online Public Access Catalog
(OPAC) which integrates the holdings of CJH’s five partners into one
searchable database, as well as separate pages for each of the five
partners and a page for the Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute. |
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| May |
Sunday,
May 5, 2013 |
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Program: |
"Genealogical Travel: How to plan and get the most from your trip"
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Location:
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Time: |
1:00 PM - Schmooze
1:30 PM - Short Business Meeting, Announcements,
and Program
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Speaker: see below |
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Have you ever dreamed about walking where your ancestors
may have walked? Most genealogists have experience that fantasy on an
occasion, but some lucky ones get to fulfill their dreams. Hear what
five of our JGSGW members have to tell us about various aspects of their
trips – the the planning through the execution.
This program will be a series of presentations by JGSGW
members. Each will focus on a specific location and each will address an
aspect of the planning and execution of that trip. Each of the
presentations will be accompanied by slides from the trip.
Jeff
Miller
Lithuania
Faith Klein Ukraine
Ben Terner Kishinev, Moldova
Jeff Malka Transcarpathia
John Hirschmann Germany
At the end of the program, there will be ample time to
ask questions of the panel. |
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June |
Sunday, June 9, 2013 |
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Program:
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Membership
Appreciation Luncheon
"Clued-In: Case Studies from Sherlock Cohn, The Photo Genealogist"
Note: This meeting is for members only. |
| Location |
Potomac Community Center |
| Time: |
12:00 PM - Meeting and Luncheon
(This is a pot-luck luncheon; members are requested to bring a dish to share
with 8 people. More information will be forthcoming.) |
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1:00 PM - Program
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Speaker: Ava Cohn, AKA Sherlock Cohn The
Photo Genealogist (bio) |
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Step
aside NCIS and CSI! There are no greater detectives than Jewish
genealogists when it comes to loving the hunt for information about our
ancestors, and no greater tool to find out about the people and the
personalities in our family trees than through our family photographs.
In this
fun and informative talk, Sherlock Cohn, the Jewish genealogy sleuth,
will introduce attendees to the discipline of Photo Genealogy. She’ll
explore how and why it is important to find the clues our ancestors left
for us in their photographic portraits. The program leads off with a
definition of Photo Genealogy and explodes commonly held myths about
dating Jewish photos. Participants will learn what clues an expert looks
for in photos, how to organize your approach to dating and interpreting
photos and how to match photo information with vital records to tell the
stories within the photos.
In the
second half of the presentation, Sherlock will present two of her
challenging cases, “The Case of the Mistaken Date” and “The Case
of the Immigration Snafu.” In the true cerebral style of a Basil
Rathbone character, she’ll offer examples of how accurate photo dating,
identification of individuals in our photos, knowledge of fashion and
decorative arts, and the process of matching photographs with vital
records can illuminate our relatives’ lives and the social context in
which their photos were taken.
After
the presentation, Sherlock will help attendees get started on exploring
the dates and answers to other questions they may have about their own
photographs. Attendees may bring their photo for evaluation. Limit is
one photo per person, unless a second photo is brought for purposes of
identifying the person in the first photo. Due to time constraints, not
all attendees will be able to have their photos evaluated. Selection of
attendees to have their photo evaluated will be by lottery. |
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| August |
Sunday,
August 18, 2013 |
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Program: |
"JRI-Poland - Learn and Ask!" (A webinar) and
"Ask the Experts" session
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Location:
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Time: |
1:00 PM - Schmooze
1:30 PM - Short Business Meeting, Announcements, and Program
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Speaker:
Stanley Diamond
(click here for bio) |
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The
story of Jewish Records Indexing - Poland is well known. But researchers
want to know how the database and ongoing indexing work in Poland will
be of benefit to their personal family history projects.
This
webinar will include a very brief overview of the current activity,
focusing on what's new and what can be expected in the months and years
to come. However, the main emphasis will be on answering questions from
attendees, to provide answers that may not be readily apparent on the
JRI-Poland website and to share news about data that is not yet online.
After the presentation,
there will be an Ask
The Experts session to be moderated by Dr. Eugene Alpert.
Participating on the Experts panel will be a number of senior JGSGW
members with expertise in a broad set of topics. Each expert will talk a
bit about their own area of expertise and give a short list of tips for
beginning family researchers. |
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| October |
Sunday,
October 13, 2013 |
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Program: |
Obscure Records of Citizenship and Nationality
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Location:
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Time: |
1:00 PM - Schmooze
1:30 PM - Short Business Meeting, Announcements,
and Program
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Speaker:
Marian L. Smith |
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This presentation will focus on lesser-known federal records of derived
citizenship, repatriation, and correspondence covering a variety of
citizenship-related problems and topics. While the records discussed
were created after 1906, some involve events that occurred years or
decades before. In addition to case studies and examples, the
presentation will provide guidance for researching the records at either
USCIS or the National Archives.
Click here for Marian Smith's bio. |
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| October |
Wednesday, October 23, 2013 |
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Workshop: |
Ancestry Workshop |
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10:15 AM
Ancestry techniques and tips: Learn ways
to improve your results on Ancestry.com and work individually with the
JGSGW Librarian on your Ancestry research.
The workshop will be in the
JGSGW Library at the Chod Media Center, B'nai Israel.
Members only. Send registration request to
.
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| November |
Sunday, November 3, 2013 |
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Workshop: |
Beginner's Workshop |
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10:00 AM - noon.
If you are new to Jewish genealogy or looking
for some fresh ideas and new sources or how to approach a “brick wall,”
then register for our Beginner’s Workshop. The workshop is a
members-only benefit. Attendees will receive a copy of the JGSGW
publication “Jump-Start
Your Jewish Genealogy Research: A Beginner’s Guide.”
Workshop limited to 20. Send registration request to
.
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Program: |
Cadastral Maps, Landowner, School, Magnate & Voter Records: New
Horizons for Genealogists
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Location:
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Time: |
1:00 PM - Schmooze
1:30 PM - Short Business Meeting, Announcements,
and Program
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Speaker:
Pamela Weisberger (bio) |
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Galician (Austrian, Polish and Ukrainian)
cadastral, property, school and voting records are valuable genealogical
resources, especially when vital records are sparse. Historical maps
show locations of synagogues, cemeteries, and schools, often with the
names of landowners written onto the plots. Using Gesher Galicia’s
database and interactive mapping portal, you can chart a family over
several generations. Landowner records show property
valuation/inheritance patterns and voter records document the residents
of a single dwelling, showing ages, occupations and place of birth. This
presentation will cover their relevance as an alternative source of
genealogical/community information and will also highlight other unique
records that are now part of the "Galician Archival Records Project,"
such as "people who suffered during the war" and magnate records, which
illustrate the relationships between Polish (and Jewish) nobles and the
Jews who ran their mills, taverns and inns. Be prepared to expand your
view on how these insightful -- and accessible -- documents can help to
bring your ancestors to life. |
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| November |
Monday and
Wednesday, November 4 and 6, 2013 |
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Program: |
Private Guided Tour of “Discovery and Recovery: Preserving Iraqi
Jewish Heritage,”
and Researcher Card Registration
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Location:
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Time: |
Monday, November 4: 1:15 PM
Wednesday, November 6: 10:50 AM |
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JGSGW has arranged for a two-part program
at the National Archives and Records Administration. The first part of
the program is a private, guided tour of “Discovery and Recovery:
Preserving Iraqi Jewish Heritage,” featuring 24 artifacts recovered from
a flooded basement in Saddam Hussein’s intelligence headquarters. The
NARA exhibition marks the first time these items have been on public
display. Display highlights include a Hebrew Bible with commentaries
from 1568, a hand lettered, decorated Haggadah from 1902, and an
official 1918 letter to the Chief Rabbi regarding the allotment of sheep
for Rosh Hashanna. The exhibit also explains details of records
recovery and preservation. While the exhibit is open to the public, the
tour is limited to JGSGW members.
A second, optional activity is the opportunity to register
for or renew a NARA researcher card. There will also be a lecture on
research room regulations. If you wish to renew a researcher card,
please provide the card number with your registration information.
Note: on Monday, Nov. 4, the first part of the program will be the
lecture on research room regulations, and the tour will follow. On
Wednesday, the tour will be first, then a break for lunch, and the
research room regulations will be presented after lunch.
The same program will be presented on November 4th
and November 6th. Space for this program is limited – only
20 members per session by preregistration only. To register, send your
full name, address and telephone number (and NARA researcher card number
if applicable) by October 15, 2013 to Jeff Miller,
.
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| December |
Sunday, December 15, 2013 |
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Program: |
Genealogy and the Next Generations
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Location:
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Time: |
1:00 PM - Schmooze
1:30 PM - Short Business Meeting, Announcements,
and Program
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Speaker:
Elijah
Schulman,
“Simcha in Selma: Back to My Family’s Roots” |
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When Elijah’s ancestors came to the
United States, instead of staying in New York like most Jews, they went
to the south, specifically Alabama. For his Bar Mitzvah Project, Elijah
Schuman chose to raise funds for the Mishkan Israel Temple in Selma,
Alabama.
The synagogue itself is a beautiful building that can still be visited
today. But unfortunately, nearly all of the children of the congregation
members left Selma for the big cities, and the congregation slowly died
out. Now, there are only seven remaining members, all over the age of
sixty. Since there are so few members left, the temple is used less and
less, and has fallen into disrepair. That is why Elijah’s project is
raising money to help restore the building. Once it is fully restored,
the members may choose to donate additional funds to the Institute of
Southern Jewish Life to be used as a museum.
Elijah Schulman, now 13 and a bar mitzvah, is a resident of Bethesda,
MD. He is an 8th grader at Takoma Park Middle School. Please visit
www.elijahschulmanbarmitzvah.com
for extra details, articles, photos
and links about Elijah’s project.
Following the main program, there will be a discussion of how to engage
the younger generation in genealogy. The discussion will address current
JGSGW projects involving the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy and the
Charles E. Smith Day School, as well as plan for a NextGen program in
D.C.
This program is particularly
suited to younger audiences and we encourage students and NextGenners to
attend and participate in the discussion. All are welcome! |
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© 2014, Jewish Genealogy Society of
Greater Washington, Inc.
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