JewishGen.org Discussion Group FAQs
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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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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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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?
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The JewishGen.org Team
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Re: Kindertransport exhibit opens at Jewish Museum Vienna
#austria-czech
Michael Hoffman
Hello Hannah,
Contact World Jewish Relief at the following website as they have the files for WWII Refugees including children of the Kindertransport at https://www.worldjewishrelief.org/about-us/your-family-history This page tells you how to apply for the records. Michael Hoffman Borehamwood, HERTS, UK
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Re: JewishGen Webinar this Wednesday: Finding Original Jewish Names and Towns
#JewishGenUpdates
Hap Ponedel
Dear Avraham,
You may remember me as the translation coordinator for the Telshe yizkor book, but in addition I host a historical map website with Jewish content and I consult with students of Nancy Holden on geography. Unfortunately I was not able to attend Debbie Shaw's talk but would like to see her approach to this topic. Was it recorded and if so might there be an opportunity to watch it soon?
Thank you,
Hap Ponedel
easteurotopo.org
Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device
-------- Original message --------
From: Avraham Groll <agroll@...>
Date: 11/15/21 6:57 AM (GMT-08:00)
To: main@...
Subject: [Special] [JewishGen.org] JewishGen Webinar this Wednesday: Finding Original Jewish Names and Towns #JewishGenUpdates
Topic: Finding Original Jewish Names and Towns (Shtetls)- Our Ancestors Left Clues Speakers: Debbie Shaw
Date: This Wednesday, November 17, 2021 Time: 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time Free Registration with a Suggested Donation: Click here! Join Debbie Shaw, the Past President of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Colorado, for a discussion about Jewish Names and Towns! Successful Jewish genealogy (beyond 2-4 generations) hinges on two critical facts: original names and towns. Without these two things we hit brick walls quickly! How do you do research if you no longer have relatives to guide you? Where do you start? Is it even possible to re-capture that crucial information if you know neither the original name or town? Using many examples, Debbie will demonstrate how to find original names and towns many decades after they were forgotten or obscured. More important, participants will walk away with a comprehensive handout and one crucial strategy to help discover those facts. Registration: Registration is free with a suggested donation. Please click here to register now! After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about how to join the webinar. 
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Carol Hoffman
LitvakSIG Suwalki Gubernia Research Group has extensive information for shtetlach in the area. Follow the link in the previous sentence and you will see the list of the shtetlach. A contribution of $100 entitles one to five years access to all previous excel sheets and all new information that is circulated 18 months prior to upload on the ALD All Lithuania Database.
Carol Hoffman LitvakSIG President
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Re: Status of abandoned or divorced wife
#usa
Sally Bruckheimer <sallybruc@...>
Widowed was common, lots of women were widowed, and it was nobody's 'fault'.
Although divorce was not very uncommon in Eastern Europe, it was somebody's 'fault', and because Jewish law says only men could seek one, it was the woman's 'fault'. So men could be as rotten as they wanted, the woman could not divorce him, without his active participation. So she became a widow. I had a cousin who was a widow in NYC, but the story is that her husband went back to Russia. You could tell a census taker whatever you wanted. Sally Bruckheimer Princeton, NJ "Anyone know was the cultural rules or Halacha would have to say concerning this?"
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Re: Have the towns in Prussia but can't read the handwriting
#translation
Jack Berger
Ellen,
You might try a graphics program that will allow you to "squeeze" the image into a more legible form. Good Luck Jack Berger Mahwah, NJ
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This week's Yizkor book excerpt on the JewishGen Facebook page
#yizkorbooks
#poland
#JewishGenUpdates
Bruce Drake
I’ve posted many excerpts about market days in Jewish towns because they are always so full of life and detail, and each one has something different to offer. This passage from the Yizkor book of Brzozow (Poland) is kind of a coda to a long section about its market day when neighbors, workers from the field and peasants conclude their business and head to the pub “to moisten their throats a little.”
“The pub is full to overflowing ... The air is thick and foggy with cigarette smoke… A bottle of vodka is opened; glasses are lightly knocked against each other and drunk to be followed by herring and rolls. … Talk begins about the business of the day, what was sold for how much. With each glass spirits improve …One blabbermouth boasts, to the admiring laughter of his companions, how he got one better of a Jew, selling him shoddy goods at a fantastic price.”
Sometimes, spirits get a bit too high and the hard-working publican, in addition to serving his customers, has to keep the peace.
-- Bruce Drake Silver Spring, MD Researching: DRACH, EBERT, KIMMEL, ZLOTNICK Towns: Wojnilow, Kovel
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elkus@...
Doug, some of the functionality of that group can be found at the Suwalk-Lomza Independent Genealogy Research Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/578018456155794
Both Detroit and nearby Windsor Ontario received many Suwalki immigrants (and Cincinnati too); including my great-grandparents. Bill Elkus Los Angeles, CA Researching ELKUS, BARNETT/BONOWICZ, GOLDBERG/BRANICKI, ROTHENBERG, ROSENTHAL all from Suwalki. ELKUS also from Paberze
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KATZ - Holocaust Survivors in Budapest
#hungary
Shlomo Katz
My great-great-great-aunt and her children appear to have survived the Holocaust and to be living in Budapest in 1946:
Lina (Pollak) Katz and her daughters Frida and Gizella living at Nagydiofa 32.
Mayer Katz living at 22 Akacfa.
Mayer, Frida and Gizella would all have been between 40 and 45 in 1946, so they presumably are no longer living.
Any ideas of how to trace them or their descendants would be appreciated.
Shlomo Katz
Silver Spring, MD
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Re: Kindertransport exhibit opens at Jewish Museum Vienna
#austria-czech
Jill Whitehead
Info is available from the individual Alien Registration records on Ancestry, FindmyPast and UK National Archives, and also via the Assn of Jewish Refugees. In some cases, there is specific data for some groups of arrivals - I found the records for the Kindertransports taken in by my Edinburgh family when they arrived in Southampton in 1939 from Berlin.
Jill Whitehead, Surrey, UK
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Jill Whitehead
The owner of the Landsmen printed publication decided to call it a day about three years ago or so. I understand some of the Suwalki data (not Lomza) has been deposited with Litvak SIG from the information on that website. Unfortunately copyright is vested with the owner of the publication and the owner or her representatives have said that copying of it is not allowed.
Litvak SIG sends out specific Suwalki area data if you pay them 100 $ (covers three year period). And some of the data is on JRI Poland too. Some of us also submitted our own data to Landsmen collected in Suwalki Record office itself (for which we paid) over time. The SIG only published in printed not digital form, and some of us did voluntary research for it when asked to by the owner. It would help if the info could be digitised but this requires the permission of the owner. Copies of Landsmen can be viewed in specific libraries, which seem to be mainly University libraries in certain cities in the US (I do not know which these are). I understand that Litvak SIG is trying to set up a Suwalki Birds of a Feathers group at the moment (not including Lomza), under its new coordinator. Jill Whitehead, ex UK rep on Landsmen Editorial Board
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Status of abandoned or divorced wife
#usa
I believe I have found my 74 year old 2xg grandfather and his 68 year old second wife living separately with different married daughters in NYC in the 1900 federal census. His status is married, while hers is widowed. I have read several articles on desertion and divorce within the immigrant population but nothing mentions the abandoned or divorced wife claiming to be a widow. Anyone know was the cultural rules or Halacha would have to say concerning this?
-- Sam Lorber researching LORBER/GOODMAN/RUDMAN/HAUFT
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Re: Seeking Ancestors, Julie ERTHEIN, born Julie ROSE
#usa
The Becker's Email
Herman Rosenberg married Nora Coon 7 Apr. 1904 in Manhattan. His parents were Harris and Lea (Sissenurie) (source: familysearch.org)
Son George's obit in The Journal News (White Plains, NY) 7 Dec. 1982 gives his parents as Herman and Nora Rose and surviving sister Julie Erthein. (source: newspapers.com) Herman d. 3 June 1911 NYC. Parents listed as Harry and Leah (Sesson Weve) (source:familysearch.org) Buried in Mt. Zion Cemetery, Queens. Johanna Becker Newport, RI
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Re: van Staveren family in the UK from 1858
#unitedkingdom
l.a.m.buisman@...
Are you familiar with the database Ashkenazi Amsterdam 18th century? the family is listed there with their jewish name Lehr, or similar. His father adopted the name van Staveren.
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Re: Tombstone in Hebrew
#israel
ramot418@...
I agree with Diane. I did quite a bit of 'browsing' in the early Montreal cemeteries and many of the older stones are in Hebrew only.
I think it would be a good idea to post a picture of the stone. From my experience, different locations usually have slightly different texts and styles. Perhaps someone will be able to identify the style/text as perhaps belonging to a specific location. -- Steve Goldberg Jerusalem, Israel Researching: Sagan/Shagan family from Veliuona (Velon), Lithuania Goldberg family from Vidukle, Lithuania Susselovitch/Zuselovitch family from Raseiniai (Rossein), Lithuania
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Michael Moritz
Anything that is included in the JewishGen Romania Vital Records database is a record that we have. Please reach out to us about any record of interest. Best,
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Re: Translation help needed: Yiddish or Hebrew?
#translation
#yiddish
ramot418@...
The two documents in Hebrew talk about promissory notes given to him for safekeeping. I think the first document refers to a note in the amount of $60, while the second refers to two notes in the amounts of $1,000 and $3,000 - enormous sums at that time.
-- Steve Goldberg Jerusalem, Israel Researching: Sagan/Shagan family from Veliuona (Velon), Lithuania Goldberg family from Vidukle, Lithuania Susselovitch/Zuselovitch family from Raseiniai (Rossein), Lithuania
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Re: van Staveren family in the UK from 1858
#unitedkingdom
Lyn8
Martin,
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15 resources every Sephardic genealogist should know
#events
#sephardic
contact@...
Where do you start when researching your Sephardic ancestors? This week Ton
and David share their top fifteen resources for Sephardic genealogy. Many of these are accessible from your desktop. These range from national archives to specialist websites and indispensable books. While not a comprehensive list, this will help you get ahead in studying your family history. Ton Tielen and David Mendoza are professional genealogists, founders of Sephardic World, the Sephardic Genealogical Society and co-founders of The Sephardic Diaspora group on Facebook. The meeting is on 21 November 2021, at 11am in LA, 2pm NYC, 7pm London, 8pm Paris/Amsterdam and 9pm Jerusalem. Patrons can join us on Zoom. Everyone is invited to join us for free at: https://www.youtube.com/SephardicGenealogyAndHistory/ Please subscribe to the YouTube channel. It helps us a lot and reminds you when we are going live! Our last meeting, on Ashkenazim with Sephardic ancestry, was our popular ever. You can watch the recording at https://youtu.be/fjz6hs_nqaE A listing of previous Sephardic World videos is available on the Sephardic Genealogical Society website at https://www.sephardic.world/sephardic-world Best wishes, David Mendoza and Ton Tielen, Sephardic World
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Sally Bruckheimer <sallybruc@...>
"I have been trying to contact the Suwalk-Lomza Interest Group to join and purchase copies of the publication of their journal the Landsmen,
to learn more about my great-grandparents who emigrated from the Suwalki region in 1876 to Detroit, Michigan." The SIG no longer active and doesn't publish the Landsmen journal any more. I don't know what has happened or who (if anyone) is looking at letters. Since they didn't cash your check, I would recommend stopping payment on it, and, perhaps sending a message to the SIG that you are still interest. There have never been digital copies as far as I know. I'm sorry that it has come to this, as it was a valuable group, but check on JRI-Poland.org, as much of the information is there as well. Jewishgen.org also has some. Sally Bruckheimer Princeton, NJ
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dan.efrat@...
Simon,
It is unlikely that they walked from Ukraine to Palestine during that period, especially after the beginning of WWI, since the Turkish/Ottomans were Germans allies, while the Russians were allies with France and England. Traveling as Russian/Ukrainian nationals through the Ottoman Empire during the war would mean death sentence or long imprisonment as spies, if caught. As others have said, it is more likely that they sailed to Palestine from a port in Europe and part of their journey to that port may have been on foot. It is also possible that if they disembarked at Port Said (Egypt) or Beirut (Lebanon) instead of Jaffa, they had to walk the rest of the way. When my great-great grandfather immigrated from Belarus to Palestine in 1891, he left his wife and 4 younger children in Port Said and sailed to Jaffa with his older son. Once they found work and were able to rent a room, they sent for the rest of the family, but for some reason, the ship from Port Said did not stop at Jaffa as planned and continued to Beirut, from which they traveled by wagons to Palestine. Most maritime traffic to Palestine stopped during the war, so if they did manage to get to Palestine, it was most likely before or after the war. Dan Efrat Cherry Hill, NJ, USA (formerly from Israel) Researching Israelit (Belarus and Latvia), Goldblat (Belarus), Vilensky (Belarus), Pruss and Koifman (Ukraine)
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