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?
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What if I have questions or need assistance using the new Group?
Send your questions to: support@JewishGen.org
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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
Jewishgen Education Offers Beginning DNA Class June 14 - June 21, 2020
#events
#JewishGenUpdates
Nancy Holden
DNA I: Introduction to Genetic Genealogy will be offered June 14 - June 21
This one week class will help you decide about DNA testing, DNA tests and introduce you to the testing process -- we will not be analyzing your DNA results in this class The goal of the DNA I class is to introduce the topic of genetic genealogy to those who have not yet started the testing process. We will discuss the types of available tests and lay out a strategy for how best to test your DNA to locate possible relatives. Additional topics included will be the ethical issues related to this testing process and the special DNA interpretation issues of Ashkenazi Jews. Pre-requisites: 1) You must be familiar with using computers; 2) You must be willing to participate via teleconferencing software (such as Zoom); 3) you have not yet started the testing process This class will be taught in the private JewishGen Forum which is open 24/7 for your interaction with the instructor. Tuition for this class is $36. To enroll please visit https://www.jewishgen.org/education/edu-courses.asp Send questions and all replies to Larry Fagan, Instructor . "Larry Fagan" <LMFagan731@...>
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Re: Warsaw birth record - house number but no street?
#warsaw
Try posting an image of the (entire) document on ViewMate. Perhaps the street name is there but not obvious, and someone more familiar with this type of document might be able to identify it for you.
-- Deborah Blankenberg Lodi, CA dtblankenberg@... JewishGen ID #613395
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Re: Warsaw birth record - why registered 3 months late?
#warsaw
You don't say where (or when) your great aunt was born. If she was born in a smaller town near Warsaw, someone would have had to travel to Warsaw to register the birth, which may account for the delay.
My grandmother's birth (near Lodz) was not registered until she was 6 or 7 years old. Unlike today in the United States, there apparently was no requirement in Poland in the late 1800s, when my grandmother was born, for civil birth records to be registered immediately. -- Deborah Blankenberg Lodi, CA dtblankenberg@...
JewishGen ID #613395 Researching BLOCH/BLOCK (Germany to New York, Colombia and Missouri), BLINDER (Kishinev to New York via Poland? and Paris), KUSHER/KUSZER (Lodz vicinity to New York via Paris), GOLDSCHMIDT (Germany) List the surnames/towns that you are researching in the JewishGen Family Finder.
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Re: Sharing family tree information
#general
Carolyn Lea
My cousin had a woman who approached her (tree on Ancestry).We both had doubts that she was linking to the right person in her tree and within a few weeks she also had thousands of family members - lots of kings and queens, etc. Fortunately, the only help we had given was disproving her link to us - which she left in anyway.
Carolyn Lea LEACL7@...
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Ernst-Peter Winter
Rich,
I have once again checked the entire book on Hebenshausen. Both in the original under <https://arcinsys.hessen.de/arcinsys/digitalisatViewer.action?detailid=v3553157> image 14, as well as in the duplicate <https://arcinsys.hessen.de/arcinsys/digitalisatViewer.action?detailid=v3031394>, image 13, the first name of the mother Schewelche, daughter Caroliene, can be found (in the duplicate both better readable!). Strange is the death entry of the daughter in image 71 in the original and image 72 in the duplicate. In the original the death is recorded for April 29, 1841 and for May 2 the burial of "Karoline Frank, Tochter der Schewelchen Frank, unehelich, in einem Alter von 11 Monathen" "Karoline Frank, daughter of Schewelchen Frank, illegitimate/out of wedlock, at the age of 11 months", In the duplicate was originally "Meyersburg", is deleted and overwritten with "Frank". The crossed out words at age cannot be deciphered because of the quality of the original. Also the note under the date of death/burial is different. Original: "Nachgetragen auf Grund der Kreisamtsacten 2/53 C" "Supplemented on the basis of the District Office acts 2/53 C" Duplicate: "Nachgetragen auf der Grund(lage?) der Kreisamts-Verhandlung 2/53 C" "Supplemented on the basis of the District Office hearing 2/53 C". I think that the couple Meiersburg - Frank were not married at that time. Since the surviving Samuel later carries the family name of the father, a marriage should have taken place later. If there are no other original documents from Germany, but only registrations from the United States, Schewelche Frank and Julia Frank could be identical - she would then have taken a more pronounceable name. Ernst-Peter Winter, Münster, Hesse
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Re: Illegitimate births circa 1840
#germany
rich.meyersburg@...
Thank you very much.I can understand why my ancestors wanted to come to the US.
Rich
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Re: Illegitimate births circa 1840
#germany
Ernst-Peter Winter
Please note that "unehelich" may mean illegitimate, but itSorry, what's the difference between "illegitimate" and "out of wedlock"? I understand "unehelich" to mean a child born outside a legally constituted marriage. This means that the child has no rights against the father, e.g. it cannot inherit anything. In the case of a subsequent marriage, the father must expressly recognise the child as having been produced by him in order to grant him the same rights as the other children of this marriage. Ernst-Peter Winter, Münster, Hesse
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Re: Sharing family tree information
#general
I think what you are talking about is GENI and possible to a smaller extent, MyHeritage. I agree. But, with Ancestry, I immediately (now) ignore the tree hints. Just look at the documents only. I only look at the tree hints as a last resort to see as a general rule and see in which direction others went. But I do try to see if there is any documentation that proves it.
Jonathan Jacobs
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MAZEROV family arrival from Europe
#russia
cmazerov2007@...
Family of Maritz MAZEROV arrived in US in 1891, Resided in Baton Rouge, LA for short time and moved to St Louis, MO for 6 years before whole family moving to Pittsburgh, PA in 1898. I have been unable to find arrival in US or country of origin other than Yiddish Russia although family suspects it was Ukraine.
C. Mazerov Moderator Note: Please reply privately with family information
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Ellen Barnett Cleary
A friend of mine and I are trying to figure out the name of the place her father was exiled to in WWII. On a form he filled out for his immigration visa and alien registration, the place was cited as Raisefka, USSR. Does anyone have any idea what the correct name of this place is?
This is what we do know. He was from Ivenitz, Belarus. He was sixteen years old, serving in the Polish Army, when he was.captured by the Russians. The place he was sent to was in Siberia. He told his daughter, he could see Alaska from the place he was in. There was an explosion in a coal mine there and he was the only survivor. He was burned and had a scar under his neck from one ear to the other from this experience. After the explosion a nurse in the Army kept him underground caring for him for 6 months. She released him into the forest, where he wandered for months. Can anyone help us figure out the name of this place? -- Ellen Barnett Cleary San Francisco CA USA
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Re: Percentages of ancestry - my Ashkenazi father seems to be partly of Italian/Greek descent?
#dna
SarahRose Werner
Oh, duh, I meant to say it adds up to 50%, i.e., implying 100% for my father.
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
On Sat, May 23, 2020 at 10:52 AM, <swerner@...> wrote:
38% + 9% + 3% adds up to 100%
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Re: Warsaw birth record - why registered 3 months late?
#warsaw
henry
My grandfather was born in the UK after his father died. His mother failed to register his birth within the 6 months legal time limit. To avoid a fine, she invented a date of birth (26/04/1888) within the limit to register him. This date was about 13 months after his father died, so his 'official' date of birth is at least 4 months after his actual date of birth, which is not known.
Henry Best, London, UK
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Re: Ukrainian birthplace for one great uncle from Northern Lithuania
#lithuania
#ukraine
Sally Bruckheimer <sallybruc@...>
"Could Slaviansk, in the southern Ukraine, be the place where the family was exiled to during WW I?"
Anything is possible - my usual reply for most genealogy questions.
I had a cousin Jankel, who came to the US from the hometown, Augustow, now Poland, then Russia, in 1890. When I got his naturalization papers - the last ones in Niagara County Hall - he was born in Marseilles.
Southern France is about as far from NE Poland (today) as you can get. But apparently the parents and other kids went to Marseilles in the rebellion / cholera epidemic / famine of the 1860s. But they also went back to Russia, because he came to the US from there.
Sally Bruckheimer
Princeton, NJ
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Re: Illegitimate births circa 1840
#germany
James
In this period the German peasant class couples often had several births out of wedlock during a very long courtship because there was a significant fee to get legally married. Once the couple was able to afford the fee and married, their children became "legitimate". My Catholic German research in this time period had several couples where the Priest would go back and note them as legitimate in the records.
James Castellan Rose Valley, PA
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Re: Illegitimate births circa 1840
#germany
Reuven Stern
Please note that "unehelich" may mean illegitimate, but it also means out of wedlock
-- Reuven Stern, Kfar Vradim Israel
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Percentages of ancestry - my Ashkenazi father seems to be partly of Italian/Greek descent?
#dna
SarahRose Werner
I had my genes tested by FamilyTreeDNA. I already knew I had two very different lines of ancestry. My father's Ashkenazi Jewish (Belarus, Ukraine). My mother's of Irish and German descent. My results came back: Ashkenazi 38%, Ireland/British Isles 27%, West and Central Europe 23%, Southeast Europe 9%, East Europe < 3%.
The Southeast European bit was sort of a surprise. On my mother's side I know back to my great-great-great-grandparents in all cases and further back than that in some cases. (Of course, this assumes that everyone's father was the person their mother was married to.) On my father's side I only know back to my great-grandparents plus, in three out of four cases, their parents as well. Is it possible that some of my father's ancestors came from Southeast Europe and later immigrated to the Pale to escape persecution? It's rather tantalizing that 38% + 9% + 3% adds up to 100%. (Of course, it could also be that some of that 23% West and Central Europe is coming from my father's side as well as my mother's. For example, my mother's Irish ancestry arises from three different women who immigrated from Ireland independently of each other, at different times and possibly from quite different parts of Ireland.) I should also note that both my parents are now deceased. Each of them had one sibling, also now deceased. My father's sister had no children. So asking him or her or them to get their DNA tested isn't possible. Many thanks for any info! SarahRose Werner RABINOVICH: Chopovichi, Ukraine GITELMAN: David-Gorodok, Belarus
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Re: Hebrew gravestone translation
#translation
Malka
Hello Paul. Abbreviation on top – here lies or here is buried Woman Mrs. Hannah Daughter of Eliyahoo passed away 12 Tishrei 5379 Abbreviation on bottom – may her soul be gathered in eternal life
Shalom, Malka
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Re: Sharing family tree information
#general
I have also learned to be cautious. I must say that I do not much like the big Genealogy sites whose view of reliable sources is no greater than quoting their own customers' unsourced trees.
"Collectors" can really be a nuisance, like the lady a year or two back who approached me and asked for some help with her tree because she had been "doing" her genealogy for nearly a year and had only found 26,000 ancestors! She did not know what I meant when I asked if she had sourced any of them. A little information first and see then what develops. Sometimes one can find a most useful and reciprocal partner and that can be great. It's fun to help but care is the byword. Martyn Woolf London
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Re: Austria, Vienna: Exit questionnaire & visa documents
#austria-czech
Peter Heilbrunn
The IKG in Vienna has copies of the so called exit questionnaires. One is a standard form usually filled out in 1938 the other an interview record. I think we may have already exchanged emails. If you wish I can send you samples related to my family.
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Pins and Seelig family
#germany
#latinamerica
Christiane
We are on the search for traces of the Pins and Seelig family in Montevideo.
The Louis, Jenny and Johanna Pins family lived in Dülmen, Germany. Louis died in Gestapo in Hamburg in 1939. Jenny and Johanna emigrated to Montevideo 1940. Jenny died in 1946, Johanna/Hanna married Herbert Seelig (died 1967). Unfortunately we cannot find any more information.
We also come from Dülmen and would like to learn more about the life and fate of the Pins / Seelig family. Maybe there are still relatives or family who can tell us something.
Thank you.
=========================================
Christiane Daldrup
Peppermühl 1d 48249 Dülmen 02594 787627
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