At its reception at the POLIN Museum in Warsaw on August 7, 2018, held
at the end of the day of the Joint AGAD-Gesher Galicia Symposium,
Gesher Galicia honored two women, both prominent in genealogical or
historical archival research, with lifetime achievement awards. The
awards, in the form of engraved plaques, were presented by Ann Harris,
Board Member and Treasurer of Gesher Galicia.

Shelley Pollero received her award for her longstanding and selfless
devotion to genealogy, benefiting Jewish family history researchers
worldwide.

Dorota Lewandowska was given her award for her work at AGAD over many
years, on records >from eastern Poland >from the time of the First
Partition of Poland onward, again greatly benefiting historical and
genealogical researchers.

These are short biographies of both of them.

Shelley Pollero was part of Gesher Galicia even before its official
founding in 1993 and served as president >from 1998 to 2005, during
which time the Gesher Galicia website was set up. She has been
researching her own family's history for 50 years. Currently, Shelley
Pollero is a Board Member and head of Membership for Gesher Galicia.
She is president of the Anne Arundel Genealogical Society in Maryland,
and presents Jewish family research workshops. She is also a
long-standing member of the Jewish Genealogical Societies in Greater
Washington, New York, and Maryland. Among much other voluntary work in
genealogy, she has transcribed Polish and Russian vital records, and
for many years organized translation services at genealogical
conferences.

Dorota Lewandowska is head of Section II of the Central Archives of
Historical Records in Warsaw (AGAD), covering records >from after 1772.
She is the author of numerous publications derived >from archival
sources at AGAD, which include the single largest collection of Jewish
vital record books >from the former eastern Galicia. Her own research
interests include the history of local register offices in the 19th
century, national uprisings in the 19th century, the history of the
Jews in Poland, and records of the Lutheran Church in Warsaw. Dorota
Lewandowska edited the 2008 edition of "Central Archives of Historical
Records in Warsaw: a Guide to the Holdings."

For further information on these awards, please contact:
<info@...>.

Tony Kahane
Chair & Research Coordinator, Gesher Galicia
https://www.geshergalicia.org/

Send all inquiries to info@...