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
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MSTISLAVSKY from Chernigov
#ukraine
I'm trying to track down information on the MSTISLAVSKY family from Chernigov. My maternal grandmother's maternal grandmother's father was Nison TSIMBEROV. I believe his brother Abram was married to Gisia MSTISLAVSKY. And their daughter Golda was married to Moshe ben Hirsch MSTISLAVSKY. As of 1882, Abram and his family were registered in Starodub and were living in Shostka. Moshe and Golda and their family lived next door to them in Shostka, but were registered in Novgorod Seversky.
Nison's granddaughter (my great-great-aunt) married Louis DUBNOW, and I know that Simon DUBNOW, the famous historian, was from MSTISLAV, and sometimes used M. MSTISLAVSKY as a pseudonym. I have no idea if there's a connection there. Thanks, Lisa Liel
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Re: Searching:TSIBULSKY
#ukraine
elissa7@...
I have never seen this name other than on a piece of paper on my Mom's possession that we came across after her death. Her family names include Feldman which was supposedly Feldon, Goldman, Sabatsky, possibly Kosbsky too.
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ViewMate Translation Request - Polish
#translation
paulmoverman@...
I've posted a vital record in Polish for which I need a translation. It is on ViewMate at the following address ... https://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM83113 Please respond via the form provided on the ViewMate image page. Thank you very much.
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ViewMate Translation Request - Polish
#translation
paulmoverman@...
I've posted a vital record in Polish for which I need a translation. It is on ViewMate at the following address ... https://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM83686 Please respond via the form provided on the ViewMate image page. Thank you very much.
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ViewMate Translation Request - Polish
#translation
paulmoverman@...
I've posted a vital record in Polish for which I need a translation. It is on ViewMate at the following address ... https://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM83700 Please respond via the form provided on the ViewMate image page. Thank you very much.
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Sherri Bobish
David, Oklahoma Descent and Distribution https://law.justia.com/codes/oklahoma/2014/title-84/section-84-213/ Have fun trying to work through this legal jargon! Regards, Sherri Bobish Princeton, NJ
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Re: Name of Marrero possibly Marrano from Puerto Rico. Possibly Jewish?
#names
#latinamerica
Sally Bruckheimer <sallybruc@...>
" I been told that my family came from spain but they wasn't spanish they were Jewish. They said that my last name change during the time but originally was "Marrano" "
Most, if not all, people of Iberian descent have some small % of Sephardic ancestry, since there were a lot Sephardim there and many forced / coerced / whatever conversions; and it is now 5 centuries back to the Expulsion, and more than 6 since the troubles started in 1391. But you will have to find records of your family back until that point to see if anyone was Jewish (if you can). And the Sephardi considered themselves Spanish for many years after the Espulsion. Marrano was a slur and not used by Jews. Sally Bruckheimer Princeton, NJ
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Re: Online trees
#general
Max Heffler
I think to some extent this is a “religious” issue in that those that believe in private trees and those that believe in a single One World Tree are rooted in their choices. I know I am. Much as in politics, or even religions, there is an element of faith that makes some of unwilling to sway from our own beliefs… -- Web sites I manage - Personal home page, Greater Houston Jewish Genealogical Society, Woodside Civic Club, Skala, Ukraine KehilalLink, Joniskelis, Lithuania KehilaLink, and pet volunteer project - Yizkor book project: www.texsys.com/websites.html
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Myrna Waters
My ggmother from Galicia was named Suessel. She had a brother called Sussie aka Salman or Salomon or Samuel. His name varies on the various birth records of his children.
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Re: Online trees
#general
I appreciate the discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of different family trees services. I helps put my puzzling experience in perspective. I started out with a tree on MyHeritage, eventually migrated to Ancestry and, on the advice of several people. recently uploaded a .ged file to Geni. The result has been disappointing, to say the least. I have found some features in Geni to be laudable – better consistency checking, for instance – but the intrusion of the curators has been a nightmare. One of the reasons I was exploring Geni in the first place is research into the parentage of my 3x ggm. While related trees in Ancestry identified two different possible sets of parents, the record on Geni showed only one option, with notes, discussion, and links to supporting documents. I wrote to the person who created the record asking for help clarifying the supporting documents and he suggested I start a discussion with the record. I did, explaining the two possible options, asking whether anyone had any sources supporting either version. Several people weighed in and, though no one made any attempt to actually answer my question, one took it upon himself to merge what he considered duplicate records. I'm not sure which records were merged – maybe the purported 4x ggf with his brother? – but he was told to undo that by another correspondent. When the dust cleared, my 3x ggm was now the daughter of yet a third set of parents, again without any supporting documentation. When I asked what happened, I was told that I was wrong, that she had always been linked to this set of parents. (I have a screenshot of the earlier version but you can't post images to a Geni discussion.).
You can catch part of the thread here:https://www.geni.com/people/Slawa-Ludwinowska/6000000089675728890 I understand the theoretical advantage of one unified family tree over the messy confusion one can find in sites like Ancestry and MyHeritage. But the reality is that genealogy is messy and there are some questions we can't answer definitively . While having some people record different stories in their individual trees looks chaotic, its better – more honest, a better reflection of the situation – than a single version dictated by some bureaucrat. I'd rather be aware of the confusion or controversy than have someone clean things up and make them neat (but also, as in this case, probably wrong). Lee Jaffe
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Re: Translation needed: Russian script to English
#translation
Jules Levin
In going thru old message I came across yours. I am not a native
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
speaker, but when I was a grad student I took an interest in Russian calligraphy and practiced it for my own amusement. I can't help noting that this example is actually a very fine 19th Century scribal script. Since my eyes are 80 years old I would need to enlarge the sample to read thru it, but I read the first word perezhivayushchaya very easily. The strokes observe the thick/thin norms, but are a little too "inky" without enlargement. You are not the only post-1918 native speaker with problems--I think you have to be used to reading it to get it easily. Cyrillic calligraphy is I am afraid a lost art. Yours, Jules Levin
On 7/18/2020 2:48 PM, sastakhova@... wrote: I'm a native russian speaker, but this is hard to read. I copied the
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Town Finder my district
#education
ds810a@...
I know how to use the Town Finder, but is there a way to search by Gubernia (region/district) to see which towns are included?
Thanks!
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Translation
#translation
#yiddish
aaran1286@...
YOAV ARAN
Shalom friends, I'd be immensely grateful if someone could translate any of these documents. Best wishes, Yoav
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Re: Hungarian translation
#hungary
#translation
JPmiaou@...
Dated in Berczel, 1 March 1903. The marriage registered herein between Dávid Weisz and Johanna Blumenthal is dissolved per the Hungarian Royal Curia's III. degree decision dated 11 February 1903 under civil number 8364 and publicized under number 1225 dated 21 February 1903 of the royal court of law of Balassagyarmat. Béla Géczy registrar. As certification of the copy, in Berczel 1 March 1903. Béla Géczy registrar.
As certification of the entry. BGyarmat 2 March 1903. [signature: Balogh?], archivist. Number 15. Dated in Berczel, 1 June 1897. Groom: Dávid Weisz, Jewish, mixed-goods merchant, residence Balassa-Gyarmat, birthplace Ipolyság, 6 February 1873, known personally to registrar Father: Bernát Weisz, hairdresser/barber, Balassa-Gyarmat Mother: Mrs. Bernát Weisz born Netti Fremd, homemaker, Balassa-Gyarmat Bride: Johanna Blumenthal, Jewish, machinist's family member, residence and birthplace Berczel, 10 January 1874, known personally to registrar Father: Márkus Blumenthal, steam-mill machinist, Berczel Mother: Mrs. Márkus Blumenthal born Lotti Lévi, homemaker, Berczel Witness: Ábrahám Markusz, butcher, Berczel, age 54 years, known personally to registrar Witness: Mór Blumenthal, registered merchant, Berczel, age 44 years, known personally to registrar (Sorry, completist streak, and my parents were both born in Balassagyarmat.) Julia ./\ /\ .>*.*<
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Re: Blitz family: trying to find my grandfather's brothers
#records
paveanyu@...
Hi, 10th August 2020
As you mentioned Hungary I remember a BLITZ ANIKO/ Aniko Blitz being in the Budapest Jewish Orphanage--at Delibab utca 35 between 1964-1968 I left Budapest in 1970--so I do not know if Aniko Blitz remained in Budapest or not? I wonder, was Aniko an 'orphan' or an --emotionally and physically --abandoned child? sadly, I do not know. If you are interested, I can try to send some e-mails to Budapest in case my former school mates remember her./Aniko BLITZ. Wishing you Mazel and Brocho in your research Veronika Pachtinger
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JPmiaou@...
Fülek (Fiľakovo): civil registrations for places now in Slovakia are only accessible in the relevant regional archive in Slovakia. They are not online anywhere, because they have never been filmed or digitized.
Aszód: civil registrations for places in Pest county are only accessible in the Pest county archive in Budapest. They are not online anywhere, because Pest county did not participate in the records-preservation contract with the Mormons. Julia ./\ /\ .>*.*<
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Diabetes and antisemitism around 1900: cultural history
#education
Alberto Guido Chester
Dear Genners
I am sharing a link to an article I have found interesting on Judaism and diabetes in the beginnings of XX th Century.
I understand it is appropriate to this list in that provides a background of cultural history.
Let me suggest to NOT post personal stories on the list, for this is just general history.
I have no relation to the author or magazine.
Alberto Guido Chester
Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Re: Blitz family: trying to find my grandfather's brothers
#records
Lee Hover
I knew a Brian Blitz, who would now be 40ish, living in the metro NY/NJ/CT area.
This may be of absolutely no help, but one never knows. Lee MESSING Hover KLEIN-Hungary; LAP(P)IN-Lithuania; ALTSCHULER (all spellings)--Poland; MESSING--Poland
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EdrieAnne Broughton
Probate in Oklahoma occurs at the county level, the county that the deceased owned real property or mineral rights. I've gone through this process for G-grandfather (died in Oklahoma 1940), Grandfather who died in 1969 in Arizona and my parents who died in California 1986 and 1998. I might be able to help you understand the rules.
EdrieAnne Broughton, Vacaville, California
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jbonline1111@...
I was able to ascertain the names of great-grandparents who did not emigrate to the USA through the marriage certificates of my grandparents. Naturalization papers and birth certificates will also give hints. In some cases, you may not be able to ascertain whether people are related, at least for now. That is the case for me in my Slonimsky line.
-- Barbara Sloan Conway, SC
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