If you live in the greater Los Angeles area, the Jewish Genealogical Society
of Los Angeles cordially invites you to a very special program with Mr.
Valery Bazarov, Family History Specialist for HIAS - The Hebrew Immigrant
Aid Society:

Thursday, November 16, 2006, 7:30 p.m..

Skirball Cultural Center, Magnin Auditorium, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los
Angeles, CA

Program: The Genealogist as a Detective: Mining the Records of HIAS and YIVO

from the first flood Eastern European Jewry in the 1880s to the rescue of

the remaining Jews of Iraq during the last conflict, the Hebrew Immigrant
Aid Society has been instrumental in bringing about four million Jews to the
United States. During the Holocaust HIAS played a major role in an organized
rescue operation, working in territories occupied by the Nazis, and after
the war, it was instrumental in bringing thousands of displaced Jews to the
United States. In the 1970s they facilitated the massive exodus of Jews >from
the Soviet Union.

How can a genealogical researcher make use of these records to learn more
about relatives who might have been helped by HIAS? Mr. Bazarov will show
how genealogy and detective investigation have more than a superficial
similarity, and how--with the help of archival documents--one can fill in
the blanks and reconnect with missing family. In addition to offering case
studies he will demonstrate the scope of HIAS and YIVO archives so
researchers can learn the best methods for beginning their own research.

SPEAKER: Valery Bazarov was born in Russia in 1942 and immigrated to the
United States in 1988. He holds two graduate degrees >from Odessa State
University (1969) and Hunter College of the City University of New York
(1994). Mr. Bazarov joined the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in 1988 and over
the next decade assisted the arrival of more than 200,000 Jewish refugees
who came to the United States under HIAS auspices. He is currently
responsible for the HIAS Location and Family History Service, helping
immigrants of different generations find family members and friends – often
in other countries – with whom they’ve lost contact over the years…sometimes
decades. He is especially committed to finding and honoring the heroes who
rescued European Jews during the Holocaust. Mr. Bazarov also researches HIAS
history, presents his findings in lectures and publications and is a
frequent lecturer at the international seminars on Jewish genealogy. He
travels frequently to Eastern Europe ( Poland and Ukraine) where he works in
various archives to locate documents related directly to HIAS activities,
spanning the last 100 years.

PLEASE NOTE: This meeting will take place on a Thursday, when the Skirball
exhibitions are open and free of charge, >from noon to 9 p.m.

Current exhibits: “On the Couch: Cartoons >from The New Yorker” and “Visions
and Values: Jewish Life >from Antiquity to America," and "Hanukkah Lamps >from
Italy." For more details go to:
http://www.skirball.org.

Come early to tour the galleries and enjoy a light dinner >from the Skirball
food cart prior to our program.

The JGSLA's Spiszman traveling library, offering a range of books useful for
Jewish genealogical research will be available, with our volunteers on hand
to answer your questions, >from 6:45PM - 7:30PM in the auditorium.

There is no charge for members. Guests are welcome. There is a $5.00 fee for
guests, which can be applied to JGSLA membership dues. Membership is based
on the calendar year, but new memberships will extend through 2007 and
include the 2006 issues of the JGSLA Journal, Roots-Key.

Directions and further information are available at:

JGSLA Home Page: http://www.jgsla.org
Meeting Info:
http://www.jewishgen.org/jgsla/Meeting%20Pages/Nov_16_2006_Mtg.htm
HIAS info: http://www.hias.org
YIVO info: http://www.yivo.org

We look forward to welcoming you at this informative program.

Pamela Weisberger
Program Chair, JGSLA
Santa Monica, CA
pweisberger@hotmail.com