JewishGen.org Discussion Group FAQs
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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.
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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?
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I like how the current lists work. Will I still be able to send/receive emails of posts (and/or digests)?
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Yes.
Can I categorize a message? For example, if my message is related to Polish, or Ukraine research, can I indicate as such?
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What are the new guidelines?
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Sincerely,
The JewishGen.org Team
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Re: Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, NY
#photographs
#usa
Lynn Caporale
If someone does go to Beth David with a camera, I have one additional suggestion,
I was there on a quiet weekday, visiting my beloved Grandparents, few other people there, a large silent expanse of graves. It led me to reflect on the millions of Jews who came here in the years from 1880-1924 bringing their hard work and devotion to family and our communities, enriching our worlds, (In 1924 the Reed-Johnson Act --named for the Republican Congressman and Senator whose bill imposed strict quotas on immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe —trapped millions in Europe in time for the Holocaust), So many of these good and courageous people, inspired refugees escaping pogroms and other horrific treatment, who came to the “Golden Land”, now lie there, quietly, I was thinking perhaps a photograph of that vast expanse of graves would be meaningful, Lynn Caporale
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Re: My Hebrew Name
#names
Feige Stern
Willa,
Do you know who you are named for? That may provide a clue. Here are a couple of ideas for you: If you live in the US and your parents, grandparents or great grandparents immigrated here, try looking for their passenger arrival record. It's possible they used their Hebrew name when they immigrated. I don't know where you are on your genealogical journey, but you may need to construct a family tree that includes birth and death dates. Jewish people name after the dead, so you need to look for people who died before your birth. There are no rules, but commonly people choose a Hebrew name that begins with the same letter or sound in Hebrew. Try checking the Jewishgen given names information. https://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/GivenNames/ There is a lot of great information there! Other ideas: If your family was affiliated with a local synagogue, check there. Gravestones are a great source of Jewish names. If you have death records for people in your family, there should be a funeral home listed. If you get lucky, the home might be in existence and have records. Your local historical society may keep records from local synagogues or funeral homes. Best of luck in your search, Feige Kauvar Stern Cleveland, OH
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Re: My Hebrew Name
#names
Shlomo Katz
Here are some possibilities:
1. If your parents belonged to a synagogue, it may have records--not necessarily a record of your birth, but even membership records may list names of children. 2. If you are named after a deceased relative, try to locate that person's tombstone. 3. If you have living older relatives, perhaps they remember. PLEASE NOTE: Even if you find an answer through this or other methods, if you are seeking this information for a religious purpose such as getting married or divorced, you must inform the officiating rabbi that you are not certain what your name is and tell him how you came to the conclusion that you came to. He will then decide whether to rely on your research for the religious purpose. Good luck, Shlomo Katz Silver Spring MD
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Help needed to ascertain Blumberg family variant first names
#names
Brina Feitelberg I’ve been trying to track down my 2nd ggm without success, so am trying through her husband, Abraham, my paternal 2nd ggf or my ggf Schmerl.
He is usually referred to as Schmariyahu or Schmerl. One of my ancestors, whom I believe to be a son of Smariyahu / Schmerl has Simcha as the father’s name on his headstone. I am trying to research if Simcha and Schmerl and Smariyahu are variants of the same name in order to verify that this ancestor is a son of Schmariyahu/Schmerl.
Martin Blumberg Melbourne, Australia
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Elena Bazes
Join the Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA) for our upcoming free webinar, “From Liepaja to Latgale: Latvian Jewish Research” by Marion Werle on October 17th, 7 pm Israel Time, 12 pm ET Advance Registration Required: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAld-qhpjMjGdVYguB5dShotBipIxtl1Wbd In
recent years, the number of resources available to the Jewish researcher with
Latvian roots has increased exponentially. This talk will introduce the core
sources to further your Latvian research. The presentation covers vital records
(birth, marriage and death), censuses, revision lists and house lists, internal
passports, the Latvia Research Division databases on JewishGen, newspaper
articles, and Holocaust resources, including the Latvia Names Project. Recent
filming in the Latvian State Historical Archives by FamilySearch has added to
the availability of documents and created a wealth of information in unindexed
documents. This presentation will also be of interest to researchers with
family from Lithuania, as there were close ties between the two areas, with
many families having families that extend into both countries. Marion Werle began family history research 25 years ago, researching family from Lithuania, Latvia and Belarus, who settled in the US, Canada, UK, and Israel. She has been on the boards of the Jewish Genealogical Societies of both Los Angeles and Conejo Valley, is a past president of the Latvia SIG (Special Interest Group) and a co-director of the JewishGen Latvia Reasearch Division. A retired IT professional with master’s degrees in both European History and Library Science from UCLA, she has also completed the Boston University Certificate in Genealogical Research and the ProGen study group. Marion has written two unpublished family histories, The Skuders from Skud, about one of her family branches from Lithuania, and a history of her brother-in-law’s family, The Wilsons of Washington County, PA – from Hopewell Township to Santa Ana, California. Marion has also spoken at several IAJGS conferences and local genealogical societies in the Southern California area. She was a member of the Southern California Genealogical Society Writers Group for several years, which gave her the opportunity to hone her family history writing skills. She teaches a writing class for JewishGen education and has an ongoing interest in applying general genealogical methodology standards to Jewish research.
Elena Biegel Bazes IGRA Publicity Chair
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Ukrainians Unearth Hiding Places of Jews in City Sewers During Nazi Holocaust/Tech Savvy Holocaust Memorial Draws Criticism
#holocaust
#ukraine
Jan Meisels Allen
Diggers Andriy Ryshtun and Oleksandr Ivanov explore the city sewage system where dozens of Jews were hiding from the Nazis during World War Two in Lviv, Ukraine September 25, 2021. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Under cobblestone streets in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, diggers have uncovered new hiding spots in underground sewers where some Jews managed to flee from Nazi occupying forces during World War Two. More than 100,000 Jews, or around one third of Lviv’s population at the time, were killed by the Nazis, according to the local historian Hanna Tychka.
Father and daughter Ignacy and Krystyna Chiger, who escaped from the Jewish ghetto by digging a tunnel to the city's sewage system, and later wrote books recounting their experiences. They recently uncovered the exact area where Chiger's family lived in 1943-1944, using the books as a guide.
In Lyiv, Tychka and her team in July discovered a tiny cave where they believe Jews fleeing the ghetto would spend their first night before moving on to a larger shelter in the sewage system.
Of the original group of 21, only 10 including the Chigers and Halina survived the ordeal.
__________________
The Mirror Field monument displays columns shot with bullets of the same caliber as those used in the massacre. Credit... Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times
Ukraine this week marks the 80th anniversary of the massacre at Babyn Yar, web-savvy advertising, modern art installations and audience-grabbing techniques like online gaming have become an integral part of a well-funded effort to update Holocaust commemoration.
The tech-heavy approach has drawn criticism from traditionalists, who say it dishonors the solemnity of the topic. The Nazis shot tens of thousands of Jews, Roma, Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war at Babyn Yar, as wells as patients from psychiatric hospitals and others. Many of the original advisory team resigned in 2019 to protest the high-tech sensibility of the art director
The anniversary ceremonies culminate on Wednesday with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, visiting the site and unveiling a modern art installation, the Crystal Wall of Crying. The full museum complex is expected to cost more than $100 million, about half donated by Russian oligarchs, and it is scheduled for completion in 2025.
The massacre at Babyn Yar, also known as Babi Yar, was one of the most notorious of World War II. In late September 1941, soon after German army entered Kyiv, the city’s Jews were told to gather near a train station in order to be resettled. Crowds of people, including many women and children, followed the order but when they arrived with their belongings, they were forced to undress and gather in a ravine. People were shot in small groups, more than 33,000 in a two-day period according to historians, and further mass shootings took place at the site throughout the war.
“The narrative that is being promoted is anti-Ukrainian in nature,” Mykhailo Basarab, an historian, said of the plans for Babyn Yar. “There are great fears the memorial complex is being built with Russian money to expose Ukrainians in the world as anti-Semites and xenophobes. And this is beneficial to Putin.” Babyn Yar organizers say they will raise 50 percent of the funding inside Ukraine
To read more see: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/world/europe/ukraine-holocaust-babyn-yar.html
Jan Meisels Allen Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee
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Re: Seeking a publisher to print my family history
#general
Richard Gordon
Hello Rich,
There are 'self-publishing' companies to be found from a Google search and there should be plenty on your side of the Atlantic. The idea is that you can upload your book to a chosen template. There are pros and cons, the main pro being that you can publish one book only or more as you wish. Using a commercial printer whether digital or full colour press incurs more cost, in setting up, and there will be a minimum print run. Good luck. Richard Gordon Researching: Gordon, Dawidowna Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland
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Claims Conference Negotiations with German Government Results in Pensions for 6500 Holocaust Survivors
#germany
#holocaust
Jan Meisels Allen
Approximately 6,500 Jewish Holocaust Survivors from the Leningrad siege, those hiding In France and persecuted In Romania to receive pensions for the first time and those who survived persecution in Romania, who are not currently receiving Shoah related pensions. Payments will be €375 ($443) per month if they satisfy one of the following types of region-specific severe persecution during the Nazi period:
Child Survivor Fund payments, a symbolic one-time payment of €2,500 ($2,930), will also be paid to those who meet the persecution criteria and were born 1928 or later.
To read more see: https://www.claimscon.org/2021/10/claims-conference-negotiations-with-the-german-government-result-in-first-ever-pensions-for-6500-holocaust-survivors/
Jan Meisels Allen Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee
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ViewMate translation request - Russian
#translation
Dror Bereznitsky
I've posted a vital record in Russian for which I need a translation. It is on ViewMate at the following address:
https://www.jewishgen.org/view https://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM95447 Please respond via the form provided on the ViewMate image page. Thank you very much. Dror Bereznitsky
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Re: The Hebrew translation for the name Yetta
#names
ada zig
Jennie, was not Sheina but Freude, Joy.
Charlotte Steinzig in Canyon, CA
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My Hebrew Name
#names
Willa Lewis
Both my parents are deceased. How can I research my Hebrew name?
Willa Lewis
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Mount Zion Cemetery, Maspeth, Queens County, NY
#photographs
#usa
jaskinnon@...
Could somebody who lives in New York photograph a headstone in Mount Zion Cemetery, Maspeth, Queens County, NY for me. The person is my g-grandfather's sister "Rose L. Socolaw" Date of Burial: 05 Feb 1908, Location: 27R-2-621; Society: Chana David. With gratitude, Jeff Skinnon (NZ)
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Re: Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, NY
#photographs
#usa
Brian Weste
Steve, or whomever can go, Thank you in advance for any assistance. Brian Westerman
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The Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State presents "RESEARCHING NEW YORK CITY RESOURCES REMOTELY" on Monday, 10/11/21, 5 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
#usa
#jgs-iajgs
#announcements
#education
#events
Karen Campbell
From Karen Campbell, President/Programs/Publicity, JGSWS
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State proudly presents "RESEARCHING NEW YORK CITY RESOURCES REMOTELY" presented by Jordan Auslander, Author/Writer/Lecturer/Gameshow Host.
DATE: Monday evening, October 11, 2021, from 5 - 7 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, via Zoom (note earlier than usual start time)
This free online meeting will be open between 4:30-5 p.m. PDT for networking. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. PDT with a welcome and the featured presentation.
Registration for this meeting is required:
1) To register for this Zoom meeting, click on this link or copy it into your web browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvfuyqpzMsE9LDmZS8wyzYedNY5zEynTMv
2) You will be prompted to enter your name and email address and, when you hit enter, you will automatically be sent an email with the Zoom meeting link.
As the cosmopolitan gateway to the United States, New York City continues to appeal to those who dream of a better life. Between 1820 and 1920, over 82 percent of immigrants to the United States came through the port of New York. Even if they migrated elsewhere, over 100,000,000 Americans have an ancestral paper trail that involves New York City (of them about 40 million have roots in Brooklyn). Learn how to trace your New York ancestors, whether they were passing through or called it home, as well as find resources to help you reconnect with family that remained elsewhere. While on-site research is the optimal approach to research, this is not always convenient or feasible. Nevertheless, much can be accomplished in advance or in lieu of physical travel. Components of New York City family history can be identified without setting foot on Broadway using a broad array of free and subscription internet sites as well as some conventional and other sources.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER Jordan Auslander is a former transportation planner, now New York based genealogical researcher, lecturer, and expert witness. His BA in History, experience in applying title search, and his related real estate background contributed to various literary projects and other work he has conducted. Jordan has pursued cases across the United States, Europe, and Israel; translated, created, and published an index to vital records in the Slovak State Archive system, Genealogical Gazetteer of the Kingdom of Hungary, and articles including the history and documentation of US participants in World War I.
Jordan got into genealogy, like everyone else - too late. His interest in family history grew while stuck with sorting through bales of material his paternal grandmother had accumulated. He joined the New York Jewish Genealogical Society in 1988, serving on its board 1994-96. He is also a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society. Jordan has applied his theatrical writing and acting pretensions as "Heir Jordan, Extreme Genealogist. " He is a past Telly award winner for RootsTelevision.com and the "reliably inappropriate" host of Gameshow Nights, one of the highlights of the annual IAJGS conferences.
FOR INFORMATION ON JGSWS MEMBERSHIP AND FUTURE PROGRAMS, please visit our website at https://www.jgsws.org/
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO OUR eNEWSLETTER EMAILING LIST that provides information on current and future programs and other resources, please email: programs@...
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Seeking a publisher to print my family history
#general
Rich friedman
After many years of research, I have traced my family back in Lithuania and Belarus into the 1700`s. My book is about 600 pages and has 800 photos, charts, documents etc. in it. I am seeking advice and/or recommendations for reasonable publishers who can print a limited number of on demand copies. Any help is truly appreciated.
Richard "Rich" Friedman Wake Forest, NC Researching: Kurlandchik-Seta and Jonava, Lithuania Pok/Pock- Hlubokie, Belarus
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Upcoming JewishGen Classes: October-November 2021
#education
#JewishGenUpdates
Avraham Groll
JewishGen is offering the following courses during October and November 2021
ONGOING
Nancy Holden Director of Education education@...
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Lineage#general#rabbinic
hsalmenson@...
I was told that I am a descendant of Rabbi Schneur Zalman. Briefly my family tree is:
Rabbi Dovber Schneuri married Shayna Schneuri. They had a daughter Rivka Bella Wallis who married Yekutiel Zalman Wallis. They had a son Srul Mendel Zalmanson who married Gita Zalmanson. They had a son Levi Itzhak Zalmanson who I believe is my great grandfather. My two questions: 1. From a genealogical or Rabbinic perspective does it make a difference that the lineage is not all male i.e. my connection to Schneur Zalman is through a daughter. 2. I have done an Ancestry DNA. If I wanted to repeat the DNA testing, bearing in mind the above information, which company and which test should I get. Thanks. Herman Salmenson
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Looking for pre-1700 records DE LA PARRA - family
#sephardic
Hester de la Parra
Hi, my father and I are seeking your expertise in tracing our family history. Our ancestors were Sephardic Jews who came to Surinam after the Inquisition. Selemoh de Semuel de la Parra and his wife Luna de Campos (1667-1716) and their descendants lived there. We would appreciate any suggestions on finding their parents and grandparents and reconstruct their journey from Iberia to Surinam. The father of Selemoh, Semuel de la Parra, might have been born around 1640, his grandfather could have been a Yaakov / Jahacob de la Parra, residence unknown (perhaps Amsterdam or Spain). We don’t know anything about Luna’s parents. It would be a great assistance if you could provide any kind of information (in German, English, Dutch or French) on how to proceed? Kind regards, Hester de la Parra Den Haag, The Netherlands
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Miriam Weiner presents: "Routes to Roots Foundation: New Surnames Databases, Maps, Town Images and More!” at JGSSN Zoom
#events
#galicia
#holocaust
#lithuania
#poland
Ben Kempner
The Jewish Genealogy Society of Southern Nevada (JGSSN) invites you to a Zoom meeting at 11:00 a.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) on Sunday, October 10: “"Routes to Roots Foundation: New Surnames Databases, Maps, Town Images and More!” with Miriam Weiner
To request a Zoom link, please complete this short form: which can also be found on our Meetings webpage. Members of JGSSN can attend for free. Non-members can pay $5.00 on the Donate webpage and complete the short form. Session Description: From 30+ years of working in the archives of Eastern Europe (Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Lithuania), Miriam has acquired hundreds of various document collections yielding millions of surnames. She formed a close working relationship with archivists on all levels many of which continue to this day.  In 1989, Miriam Weiner accepted an invitation from the Polish National Tourist Office to visit the Polish Archives in preparation for arranging genealogy tours to Poland. That visit led to a 30+ year career working in the archives of Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Lithuania.
The new version of the RTRF website has produced many comments from noted members of the genealogical community, See www.rtrfoundation.org/comments2020.shtml
Ben Kempner Vice President, Jewish Genealogy Society of Southern Nevada
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Re: Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, NY
#photographs
#usa
Steven Lasky
I have photographed more than 100 society plots at Beth David. Perhaps if you can tell me what society plot your people are buried in, and their names, I can check to see if I have info on them. steve@...
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