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
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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
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nbloch2@...
Please inform me how to contact Yonatan/Yoni Ben Ari in connection with his and my relationship to Reb Chaim of Volozhin. Many thanks, Naomi Bloch Melbourne. Nbloch2@...
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Translation from Polish please
#translation
#poland
#lodz
Yohanan
Translation from Polish of a section from the attached Work Permit certificate issued at the Lodz Ghetto, of Herszek ALTMAN who perished in the Holocaust.
Mainly interested to understand about the army service that seems to be recorded. Appreciate your help. -- Yohanan LOEFFLER Melbourne, Australia MODERATOR NOTE: Please reply privately Researching (main surnames): From Austria, Slovakia: LOFFLER / LEFLER, LEDERER, SCHNEIDER, NATHAN, SEELENFRIED, ZAPPERT. From Bukowina, Galicia: MINSTER / MUNSTER, NAGEL, SCHERL, IWANIR. From Poland / Belarus: ALTMAN, KAMINSKY, KAMINKIER, LUBETKIN, SZTARK, YOSELEWICZ, KOSLOWSKI, KRAMARZ, RAUCHFELD.
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Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh Presents: “Dead Letters: Delivering Unopened Mail from a Pennsylvania Ghost Town” with Jess Weible
#announcements
#jgs-iajgs
#events
Steve Jaron
 Please join the Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh on November 14th for our upcoming program with author Jess Wieble - “Dead Letters: Delivering Unopened Mail from a Pennsylvania Ghost Town”
On assignment for a small-town newspaper in rural Pennsylvania, rookie reporter Jessica Weible meets Joan Swigart, a creative fireball and “pioneer in print.” As the two women forge a relationship based on their passion for storytelling, Joan reveals a mystery that she had discovered years ago, but had never solved—a pile of dead letters found in an abandoned general store, just before it was torn down. Joan gives Jessica the letters, each stamped and dated over a hundred years ago, and encourages Jessica to investigate the untold stories of the people and places contained in each one.
Among the letters is a correspondence in Yiddish, which connects to a web of Jewish stories in Pittsburgh.
This program costs $5 per person. It’s free for Jewish Genealogy Society members. Click Here To Register.
This is a hybrid program. Attendees can participate either online or in-person at the Heinz History Center. In-person attendance will be limited to the first 20 people who register. Social distancing will be enforced. Depending on public health conditions at the time of the program, we may revert to all-virtual format and send updated instructions to all registrants. Attendees in person will get a chance to see the actual letters.
For information on membership and future programs please visit our website.
Steven Jaron
JGS of Pittsburgh President 
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Belung, Russia?
#russia
alisaklaus@...
Dear Genners
Where is Belung? A document from my family who comes from Taurage and Kvedarna, Lithuania says he was born in Belung, Russia. Can anyone suggest where this place might be? Jewish Communities and the Gazetteer suggest Plunge or Palanga but these don't seem to match other evidence. Thank you, Alisa Klaus -- Alisa Klaus Santa Cruz, California
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October 2021 Summary of IAJGS Records Access Alert
#general
#jgs-iajgs
#records
Jan Meisels Allen
As mentioned previously, every month I post a listing of the IAJGS Records Access Alert topics from the previous month for you to see the variety of issues…some were posted on this discussion group but most were not—all postings are included below. The following are the summaries for the month of October, 2021. In order not to miss out on important information it is worthwhile for you to be subscribed to the Records Access Alert. Without records, genealogists cannot do genealogy –making certain that we retain access and gain access where it is impaired is every genealogists' responsibility.
The IAJGS Board of Directors approved opening the Records Access Alert to anyone who is interested in records access. This was announced previously. We now have subscribers from many genealogical organizations not previously able to subscribe. To be on top of what is happening you are encouraged to register for the Records Access Alerts to receive the information in a timely manner. If you are interested in any of the above items, please register for the IAJGS Records Access Alert and look at them in the archives. To register for the IAJGS Records Access Alert go to: http://lists.iajgs.org/mailman/listinfo/records-access-alerts and follow the instructions to enter your email address, full name and which genealogical organization you belong to a society, SIG or a subscriber of JewishGen, AVOTAYNU, Legal Genealogist etc. You will receive an email response that you have to reply to, or the subscription will not be finalized. The alerts are archived and once you register you may access the archives at: http://lists.iajgs.org/mailman/private/records-access-alerts/
The IAJGS Records Access Alert is not a daily announcement list. Depending on what happens worldwide, there may be no postings for several days and other times there may be several in one day.
These are listed alphabetically not chronologically. Each month the locales covered differ.
Jan Meisels Allen Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee
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Exhibit at National Museum of History of Moldova
#bessarabia
Yefim Kogan
Hello friends, I think you might be interested in an exhibit at National Museum of History of Moldova
"Jewish Presences in the History, Culture and Memory of the Republic of Moldova"Here is the link:https://www.nationalmuseum.md/en/exhibitions/jewish_presence_in_the_history_culture_and_memory_of_the_republic_of_moldova/ It seems very interesting exhibit, and if our members who live in Kishinev, maybe able to visit museum and give us a virtual tour that would great! I am looking forward to hear from you. All the best, Yefim Kogan Bessarabia Group Leader and Coordinator
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SCJGS invites you to- The Power of the Catalog - Unindexed Records and How to Find Them on November 14
#announcements
#events
#records
#education
Leah Kushner
Santa Cruz Jewish Genealogy Society invites you to
The Power of the Catalog - Unindexed Records and How to Find Them
Speaker: Risa Daitzman Heywood. Professional genealogist
Sunday, November 14- 1 pm Pacific Time Zone/4 pm Eastern
Register:Here Free to Members, $5.00 to Guests Description:
Did you know that over 75% of the records available on FamilySearch cannot be accessed by a simple records search? Did you know that Ancestry has record collections that are available to browse but that cannot be searched because they are not yet indexed? While digitizing records is relatively fast and inexpensive, indexing those records is much costlier. Many online repositories have made these records available for browsing but working with them can be a challenge. This presentation will show you how to find and use these unindexed records to greatly enhance your research.
Bio: Risa Daitzman Heywood has been involved with Jewish genealogy for over 25 years. She is Past-President of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Colorado, served as co-chair of the original Belarus SIG, travelled to Belarus as a JewishGen Shtetl Now defunct) liaison. Risa earned a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University, and is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and adheres to its Code of Ethics and Professional Practices.Zoom link will be sent to your email the week of the event, please check your Spam folder.
Zoom link will be sent to your email the week of the event, please check your Spam folder. For more information or membership information membership.scjgs@... Contact: Leah Kushner President, SCJGS For more information or membership information membership.scjgs@...
co-sponsor- Chadeish Yameinu
Leah Kushner, SCJGS
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JGS Cleveland & Slegal CWRU present One-Step Webpages: A Potpourri of Genealogical Search Tools and Case Study: A Complete Genealogy Starting from Nothing with Stephen Morse
#education
#jgs-iajgs
#announcements
deborahakatz@...
Jewish Genealogy Society of Clevelandin partnership withSiegal Lifelong Learning Program of Case Western Reserve UniversitypresentOne-Step Webpages: A Potpourri of Genealogical Search Tools andCase Study: A Complete Genealogy Starting from Nothing with Stephen Morse
2-part Zoom Program: Sunday, November 14, 2021, 1:30-4 pm EDT ● Session 1 - One-Step Webpages: A Potpourri of Genealogical Search Tools Join Steve for a personal tour of the One-Step website. This site contains tools for finding immigration, census, and vital records and for dealing with calendars, maps, foreign alphabets, and numerous other applications. Though it started as an aid to find passengers in the Ellis Island records, it has evolved to include about three hundred web-based tools covering sixteen categories ranging from genealogical searches to astronomical calculations to last-minute bidding on e-bay. This presentation will highlight tools of interest to genealogists. ● Session 2 - Case Study: A Complete Genealogy Starting from Nothing “Where to begin” is a common question of genealogists trying to learn something about an unknown relative or person. In this case study, Steve will use his One-Step website and other sites to develop an entire family history beginning with a minimal amount of information. He will also show you how to obtain records despite a name misspelling and how to avoid accepting wrong information. Speaker: Stephen Morse is the creator of the One-Step Website for which he has received both the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Outstanding Contribution Award from the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, Award of Merit from the National Genealogical Society, first-ever Excellence Award from the Association of Professional Genealogists, and two awards that he cannot pronounce from Polish genealogical societies. In his other life, Morse is a computer professional with a doctorate degree in electrical engineering. He has held various research, development, and teaching positions, authored numerous technical papers, written four textbooks, and holds four patents. He is best known as the architect of the Intel 8086 (the granddaddy of today's Pentium processor), which sparked the PC revolution 40 years ago. Registration: Registration is managed by Siegal Lifelong Learning Program of Case Western Reserve University. This program is free for members of JGS Cleveland and/or the Siegal Lifelong Learning Program. If you are not a member of either organization, there is a charge of $5 for each session. 1. Online: Please follow the instructions to register online, then click the "Checkout" link to complete your registration. · To register for Session 1 only, go to https://case.edu/ · To register for Session 2 only, go to https://case.edu/ · To attend both sessions, you must register for EACH session, before you click the "Checkout" link. 2. Phone: Please register by phone at 216-368-2090 or 216-368-2091. Once you have registered, you will receive an email from the Siegal Lifelong Learning Program Please Note: Sessions will NOT be recorded. Contact: Deborah A. Katz, JD, PhD Vice President, Programming JGS Cleveland
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I want to learn more about adult life histories of Anna and Frank Cohen of Philadelphia.
In the 1920 and 1930 censuses, Anna and Frank are recorded living with parents Harry and Esther Cohen in Philadelphia Ward 32 on Camac St. Harry Cohen was the americanized rendering of Gavril' Kagan, born 1887 in Zvenigorodka, Ukraine, emigrating to Philadelphia in 1903 and operating a tailoring business with his younger brother Danil'/Daniel. In the 1940 census, Anna is gone (married perhaps?). Frank is still present, having completed college and working as an Investigator in some kind of social services. There is also a record of Frank graduating from high school in 1932. Judging from ages in the censuses, Anna must have been born about 1910 and Frank about 1914. I am hoping to learn Anna's history after 1930 and Frank's beyond 1940. I have had much better luck tracing siblings Leon, born about 1912 and becoming a practicing physician with an M.D. from Temple University. I have also traced Bernice, born about 1922, who became an artist and moved to Virginia. I was able to find Leon's and Bernice's obituaries with references to their spouses and children, however Anna's life after 1930 and Frank's after 1940 remain unknown to me. David Mason Culver City, CA
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UPDATE: “Jewish Cemeteries in Poland”
#announcements
Walter Rosenthal
Update: Registration for JGSPBC presentation “Jewish Cemeteries in Poland”, closes on November 7 at 11:30 ET.
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Re: Jews of Sicily
#general
Dksoren@...
As David commented, I'm not sure where you are in your research. However, you first must start with your American research and hopefully find her mother's father's ship manifest when he came to America, along with naturalization papers, etc. if he naturalized. These should give you a better idea of the town he came from in Sicily. Once you have that town, civil records going back to 1820 are available online via the archives. See http://www.antenati.san.beniculturali.it/?lang=en , along with some at FamilySearch
-- Debbie Trotsky Soren
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Re: Photo needed from Chevra Bikur Cholim Cemetery
#general
ireneplotzker@...
Tara, are you sure there is a Hebrew side? The engraving begins with the Hebrew letters Peh-Nun (abbreviation for Hebrew for "here is buried"), followed by only English text. There might not be any more Hebrew than that.
The photo is from FindAGrave. Irene Greenwald Plotzker Wilmington, Delaware 
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Re: Recommendations for Manchester, England research
#belarus
#unitedkingdom
marcelo@...
Maybe you could ask at RAYBURN TRADING (Mancheter) www.rayburntrading.com
-- Marcelo Rosenbaum STOCKPORT - UK researching KAHN (Altenstadt/Illereichen) / ROSENBAUM (Wonfurt/Nuernberg) / VANDEWART (Lendershausen) / WILHERMSDOERFER (Ansbach/Gunzenhausen)
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Re: Help Identifying Old Photo
#russia
#latvia
#photographs
Gail H. Marcus
Apparently not. I don't have the original, but that's what I was told.
It might be that it was designed to serve as a postcard, with the back blank so someone could write a message and send it. Gail Marcus Maryland
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Free Virtual Cemetery Program with Nolan Altman
#education
#announcements
bgephart@...
The Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society is proud to partner with the Indiana Jewish Historical Society for “Jewish Cemeteries – Indiana and Beyond,” a free virtual program on Sunday, November 14th at 2:00 p.m. Guest speakers will be Jeannie R. Regan-Dinius, from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and JewishGen’s Nolan Altman. The program is free and open to the public. Registration is required to attend. The link can be found on the NEIJGS website at www.NEIndianaJGS.org/upcoming-events/.
Jeannie Regan-Dinius will begin the afternoon at 2:00 with a discussion of the state of cemeteries in Indiana, the presumed meanings of markings, how pop culture affects stones, and what you need to look at when you walk through a cemetery. Beginning at 3:30, Nolan Altman will continue the afternoon’s program with “Patronymic Naming and Cemetery Records - Their Importance in Jewish Genealogy.” This presentation will familiarize attendees with the evolution of family surnames and the practice of patronymic naming. Recognizing the components of patronymic naming, participants will learn how to take advantage of these clues to link their family through generations. By using an actual case study Mr. Altman will show participants online resources to help find headstone information worldwide. Examples of odd inscriptions and errors will add unexpected humor to the presentation. A full press release is attached. Please help us spread the word to those who might be interested, and we hope to see you on the 14th!
Thanks, Betsy Thal Gephart, vp Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society
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Re: Help Identifying Old Photo
#russia
#latvia
#photographs
Valentin Lupu
Hi Gail,
I think that this is a family photo. The two young women are wearing shirts made of the same fabric. All three women are wearing the same model of skirt. The two men standing behind are alike to each other and wearing identical suits. In my opinion the two women are sisters and the two standing men are brothers. It is possible that the four of them are either siblings or two couples. It was common to sew clothes for the family members from the same fabric. Buying a larger quantity of fabric would have reduced the price. I have a picture from that period of my grandmother and her four daughters all wearing dresses sewn from the same fabric. Usually such images bear the photographer's logo both in the front and the back. It can help locate where the family lived. Valentin Lupu ISRAEL
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DOLGINOS and DOLGIN same family?
#names
Yonatan Ben-Ari
I have met several DOLGINs in my life and my late father-in-law, Rabbi
Moshe Morris JERUSHALMY has a picture which was taken (probably) in NYC around the 1930s or 40s. Because of the similarity between DOLGINOS a and DOLGIN were they the same name and/or are they related one to the other ? Yoni Ben-Ari, Jerusalem
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Moti Shames or Shames or his father Isaac
#israel
Through DNA matches, I recently found that I may be related to him. I have known Moti or Morton as I knew him because my late wife was related to his wife, Lucy or Pearl.
According to their daughter, Inna, they visited Moti’s relatives in Israel but she didn’t remember who. So if you are related to him, please contact me Alan Tapper hisabaalan@...
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Re: Help Identifying Old Photo
#russia
#latvia
#photographs
kosfiszer8@...
What is on the reverse side of the photo? Anything?
-- Angel KosfiszerRichardson, Texas
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Re: Jews of Sicily
#general
Susan J. Gordon
When i last visited Sicily, I saw a large map in the town hall of Taormina, which depicts all the towns in which Jews lived before 1492.
"They were all over Sicily!" Rabbi Barbara Aiello told me, at a conference about Jewish Sicilians. I agree that she is a great resource. On the tiny island of Ortygia, (almost) connected to Siracusa, a mikveh was uncovered when construction of a small hotel began. It's been determined that the mikveh was buried by Jews probably fleeing the area around 1492-3. You might read my 2013 article about my Sicilian born father-in-law, who never forgot unusual customs observed by priests outside his church on Friday nights - One Italian's Secret Jewish Heritage – The Forward Susan J Gordon - New York GULLOTTA - Castelmola Sicily
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