JewishGen.org Discussion Group FAQs
What is the JewishGen.org Discussion Group?
The JewishGen.org Discussion Group unites thousands of Jewish genealogical researchers worldwide as they research their family history, search for relatives, and share information, ideas, methods, tips, techniques, and resources. The JewishGen.org Discussion Group makes it easy, quick, and fun, to connect with others around the world.
Is it Secure?
Yes. JewishGen is using a state of the art platform with the most contemporary security standards. JewishGen will never share member information with third parties.
How is the New JewishGen.org Discussion Group better than the old one?
Our old Discussion List platform was woefully antiquated. Among its many challenges: it was not secure, it required messages to be sent in Plain Text, did not support accented characters or languages other than English, could not display links or images, and had archives that were not mobile-friendly.
This new platform that JewishGen is using is a scalable, and sustainable solution, and allows us to engage with JewishGen members throughout the world. It offers a simple and intuitive interface for both members and moderators, more powerful tools, and more secure archives (which are easily accessible on mobile devices, and which also block out personal email addresses to the public).
I am a JewishGen member, why do I have to create a separate account for the Discussion Group?
As we continue to modernize our platform, we are trying to ensure that everything meets contemporary security standards. In the future, we plan hope to have one single sign-in page.
I like how the current lists work. Will I still be able to send/receive emails of posts (and/or digests)?
Yes. In terms of functionality, the group will operate the same for people who like to participate with email. People can still send a message to an email address (in this case, main@groups.JewishGen.org), and receive a daily digest of postings, or individual emails. In addition, Members can also receive a daily summary of topics, and then choose which topics they would like to read about it. However, in addition to email, there is the additional functionality of being able to read/post messages utilizing our online forum (https://groups.jewishgen.org).
Does this new system require plain-text?
No.
Can I post images, accented characters, different colors/font sizes, non-latin characters?
Yes.
Can I categorize a message? For example, if my message is related to Polish, or Ukraine research, can I indicate as such?
Yes! Our new platform allows members to use “Hashtags.” Messages can then be sorted, and searched, based upon how they are categorized. Another advantage is that members can “mute” any conversations they are not interested in, by simply indicating they are not interested in a particular “hashtag.”
Will all posts be archived?
Yes.
Can I still search though old messages?
Yes. All the messages are accessible and searchable going back to 1998.
What if I have questions or need assistance using the new Group?
Send your questions to: support@JewishGen.org
How do I access the Group’s webpage?
Follow this link: https://groups.jewishgen.org/g/main
So just to be sure - this new group will allow us to post from our mobile phones, includes images, accented characters, and non-latin characters, and does not require plain text?
Correct!
Will there be any ads or annoying pop-ups?
No.
Will the current guidelines change?
Yes. While posts will be moderated to ensure civility, and that there is nothing posted that is inappropriate (or completely unrelated to genealogy), we will be trying to create an online community of people who regulate themselves, much as they do (very successfully) on Jewish Genealogy Portal on Facebook.
What are the new guidelines?
There are just a few simple rules & guidelines to follow, which you can read here:https://groups.jewishgen.org/g/main/guidelines
Thank you in advance for contributing to this amazing online community!
If you have any questions, or suggestions, please email support@JewishGen.org.
Sincerely,
The JewishGen.org Team
Re: Family Tree of the Jewish People
#general
Pieter Hoekstra
Gramps is a free open-source program.
gramps-project.org
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Re: Family Tree of the Jewish People
#general
rebasolomon
Thank you for posing this question. My research has a working home on my Legacy software, but it is hard to find the right way to distribute the information to family and other researchers. Legacy does have many different types of charts and reports, but when I sent people the .pdf reports, the truth is that no one printed them out, and I can't afford to self-publish for everyone, now and in the future. It's decades of work to collect the information, but what is the end game? Because of your question, I went back and looked again at Family Tree of the Jewish People, and found that now they accept uploads of gedcom files. I happily exported all of my research lineages onto the Family Tree of the Jewish People. Now my work is truly available to any researcher or relative who wants it, during my lifetime and beyond. All I have to do is notify everyone to register at JewishGen.org, (if they're not already a member) and search the database: Family Tree of the Jewish People!
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ViewMate Translation - Hebrew
#translation
#ukraine
Barry E Chernick
I have posted on ViewMate three different 1912 Starokonstantinov birth
record pages in Hebrew for which I need a translation of one record on each page. The records are at the following addresses ... Male 1 (top record). Sorry the page is in such bad shape. http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM80721 Male 5 (the middle record). Sorry the page is in such bad shape. http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM80722 Male 49 (bottom record). http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM80723 Please respond via the form provided on the ViewMate image page. Thank you very much. Barry Chernick, Bellevue, WA
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Re: JewishGen Discussion Group #JewishGen LAX from Sighet
#general
cgspitz@...
Dear Mr. Katz, Maybe I’m a descendant (grandson) of Jenő Lax. He was from Máramarossziget, not from Budapest, but this is irrelevant as he may have declared it to simplify things with the shipping company. He eventually emigrated to Uruguay (which I believe was not his intended destination) but I know he made a stopover in Rio de Janeiro. I would be very grateful if you could provide some information about him and the other Laxes who apparently were from the same place as my grandfather (Maramores, Sighet).
Best regards,
Carlos G. Spitz Spitz - Translation & Editing Phone: ++972-8-9349393 Cell: ++972-54-5749394
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Re: Manifest Question
#poland
Lee Jaffe
Thanks. I was finally able to get from the stevemorse site to Ellis Island. I found the same results you found. My great uncles – Sender and Gedale – are there but don't see any possible entries for my grandfather. -- Lee
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Photos of Kryve Ozero (Krivoye Ozero, Kreevozer)
#ukraine
e_lester@...
In 2004 my husband and I visited Ukraine. My ancestors are from Kryve Ozero (My paternal Grandmother, Mollie Abramsky Sirulnick, was part of the Krovoser Society in NY). From what we could determine, all of the Jewish vital records from Kryve Ozero were destroyed in WWII. (We went to the archives in Mikalaev and Odessa to inquire). There were only 4 Jewish people living in Kryve Ozero at that time and one of them was gone at a hospital in Mikalaev with his wife, but we were able to speak to Ana and Esther (We didn't get their last names). My husband speaks better Ukrainian than Russian, so I'm not sure how much was lost in translation. I have attached the photos we took.
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shirantesler@...
Hello,
I'm in search for records of my grandfather's family and I don't even know where to look. My great-grandfather was named Arie Laib Teszler/Tessler (exact spelling is uncertain). According to the 'Daf-Ed' my late grandfather filled after him in Yad Vashem (and that's my only source of information), he was born in 1890. His place of birth (written in my grandfather's handwriting) seems in Hebrew like 'קרצניף\ץ' which from my research, I came to believe it's Crăciunești in Romania. I do know my grandfather grew up in a Hasidic family, however, I have no idea from which dynasty. I'm aware there's the Kretshnif Hasidut. Does anybody know if Hasidic groups ever saved records of their members? I do know Arie Leib married my great-grandmother, who was born in Apsa (I don't know which one) in 1894. They lived in Cluj, where my grandfather and his brother were born, and later moved to Borsa, Maramures. They were taken to Auschwitz from Borsa. Are there any records of Borsa's Jewish residents in 1944?
I couldn't find any records on my great-grandparents or my grandfather's brother. My request for information from the Auschwitz archive came up with nothing, as well as my search in the Arolsen archives. I found only information on my grandfather, under his Hungarian name, which leads me to believe the rest of his family members might have had Hungarian names as well, but I have no way of knowing that, and without it, I find myself at a dead end.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
Shiran Tesler-Greenberg
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Re: Searching STEINBERG , KVATIRMAN from Akkerman/Cetatea Alba- Bessarabia
#ukraine
bvorotnikov@...
Good afternoon. My name is Boris. I am the grandson of Sarah Steinberg (Raider) her father, Israel Steinberg was originally from Akkerman. Perhaps we are somehow connected with you?
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Re: Searching for Argentina Jewish records
#germany
#holocaust
lsragovicz@...
Hi. I have recently been in touch with the Argentina JGS. Their email is consultas.agja@... A woman by the name of Estela was kind and replied fairly quickly. Try that.
-- Lia Sragovicz
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Re: Headstone Translation
#translation
darryl@...
I'm no expert but I believe Harry is Tsvi, son of Hertz.
Leah's stone says she is Leah, (I think it says her maiden name is "Zeltser"). Its unusual to show maiden names - usually fathers given name is used. Perhaps someone with better Hebrew can enlighten us?
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Trying to find my grandfathers and great-grandfathers families in Hungarian records
#hungary
amy.winter@...
I have done alot of searching but cannot get very far on any of the ancestry sites (myheritage; ancestry; geni; etc.) and even had a Hungarian genealogist (amateur) look into it in Budapest. He said there are no records before 1851 and that was all he could do.
If anyone has any suggestions, I would be grateful. I have located their places of residence and many family names, but to no avail.
Thank you and be well, amy Amy Winter amy.winter@...>
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Re: Kopyl (Kapule)
#belarus
Steven Usdansky
No shtetl documents, but my grandfather, Isaac Usdansky, and three siblings, were among the Kapuliers who ended up in Sioux City for a while. I wasn't doing any serious record keeping at the time, but about 15 years ago, I spent a morning in the Sioux City library copying down address where my grandfather had lived, then went looking for them. None of the original buildings are still in existence.
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Ancestry.co.uk Is Offering Free Access to Featured Collections Through May 10 to Commemorate VE Day's 75th Anniversary
#unitedkingdom
Jan Meisels Allen
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, Ancestry.co.uk is offering free access to featured collections through 10 May 2020 23:59 GMT. To view these records you will need to register for free with Ancestry.co.uk with your name and email address. They will then send you a username and password to access the records. If you try to access records not in the featured collection, which are predominately military relating to World War ll, you will be invited to subscribe. After the free access period ends, you will only be able to view the records in the featured collections using an Ancestry.co.uk paid membership. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/cs/veday75
To see the list of featured collections go to: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/categories/uk_wwii_records/
The only other Ancestry site that I have found that is offering free access to their military records is Ancestry.ca and that was posted earlier https://www.ancestry.ca/search/categories/ca_military/ You will have to register for each site individually unless you have a worldwide subscription.
I have no affiliation with Ancestry and am posting this solely for the information of the reader.
Jan Meisels Allen Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee
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Headstone Translation
#translation
Pamela Works McCarthy
Hoping someone can translate the Hebrew on this headstone.
Thank you in advance.
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Re: Jewish Records in/around St George in the East, London, England
#unitedkingdom
Richard Cooper
There is a John Henry A. SANDS born in St.Olave and a William Henry SANDS born in Islington - both born in 1904. Could either of these be your relative?
All the Best,
Richard Cooper
Midhurst, UK
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Re: Finding records of my family’s entry to USA
#general
Risa Heywood
Have you considered that they changed their surname? If you have no evidence that their name in Iasi was Schwartz, and you have researched your direct ancestors and their extended family in the United States, then a name change is a very likely answer.
I am working on a project on my Skorochod family line. I've discovered that different members of the extended family took the surnames, Hoodof, Rudolph, Rosenthal, and Badion. Any descendant looking for a passenger list with the American name would hit a very hard brick wall. -- Risa Daitzman Heywood Arizona
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kesspark@...
Does anyone have any advice to where I can donate over 100 letters (that are already translated and scanned) from my grandfather''s sisters, step mother and step brother from 1920s to 1960s? I am thinking YIVO as the KEILES family was originally from Vilnius. I also visited the Israel Archives in Jerusalem and it is an option. Any others?
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My Grandfater BERGMAN from Warsaw
#warsaw
abergman@...
My "brick wall." After over 10 years of searching, I still do not have any information about my grandfather, Isidor Bergman. He was apparently born in Warsaw in May 1880 or May 1882. I have many records about his mother and his mother's parents and GRANDPARENTS, but nothing about Isidor himself! He died in 1970 and his tombstone indicates his father was Abraham, but in researching further, his Social Security application and his Ketubah indicate that his father's name was Simon. (When researching further, I found that it is common to list the father's name as Abraham if it was not known at the time of burial.) I know a great deal about his mother, Feige (Felicea) Bergman. She came to the U.S. in 1890 as Czippe Bergmann. She was apparently a concert pianist. She was born in Lublin in 1837 and her first husband, Dawid Bogulaski died in 1864 while she was pregnant with her first son, Samuel David Boguslawski (later Boguslau. I have her family traced to the mid 1700s. Her surname was intially Elbaum, later Kierer. Feige's parents are buried in the Okopowa Street Cemetery in Warsaw. YET, I know nothing about Bergman, how my grandfather got here, or about his father. Any suggestions or help would be appreciated. (Attached photos: Felicia Bergman, c 1890. Isidor Bergman (the shorter one) and his half brother, c 1895)
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I'll share one other thing in regards to finding ship manifests.
I also had a heck of a time finding the manifest for my grandfather, Jacob Levine (unfortunately, not related to the original poster..). I had his naturalization papers, which said he immigrated in 1906. I knew he had to have come with his mother, since he was born in 1902.
I FINALLY found his manifest, with his mother and two older sisters... in 1905.
So, my point is that even naturalization papers may not be accurate.
Margie
Marjorie Geiser
Northern Arizona, USA
LEVINE/LEWIN, SILBERNAGEL/ZYLBERNAGEL/SILVER, EPSTEJN, MOCZYDLOWER/MOCHEDLOVER, ERLICH, GRUNPELTZ, JOSKOWICZ, ZYLBERSZTEJN, ABRAHAMOWICZ, SZTABINSKA, WILK
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Finding records of my family’s entry to USA
#general
Joholzman@...
I have all of my family’s records in this country starting from the early 1900’s. But none of how they got here. I have checked Jewish Gen, Ancestry, Ellis Island and the records of the lost manifests from Ellis Island. Its as if they did not exist.
Any suggestions? The name is SCHWARTZ and they were from Iasi. But it also could have been from a suburb of Iasi. I have been at this for years and have found nothing. HELP!!! Would be so grateful
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