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
Re: Lithuania/Latvia and South Africa
#southafrica
#general
#lithuania
At the beginning of the 20th century there were no restrictions on countries of origin emigrating to South Africa and Jews arrived from all countries. The Union Castle Line of ships had the contract to carry mail from Southamton, England to Cape Town and back but needed more income and so expanded into passenger service. They decided to send agents throughout Latvia and Lithuania to sell tickets to Jews in the cities and shtetls. Often one member of a family would buy a ticket, make some money in South Africa and then send money back through these agents so that the rest of their families could get tickets.
Ed Goldberg
Vancouver, Canada
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Response to Jim Gutterman about Tuchin - All the Tuchin revision lists are online on the Tuchin KehilaLinks page https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/tuchin/tuchin.htm. This includes years not yet uploaded to the Ukraine database (1816-1817). Also various lists from the Polish period that you may find useful for the 20th century. Unfortunately there are no birth/marriage records known to have survived for Tuchin.
Response to Sammy Iger and others about Rovno: All of the 1851 revision list for Rovno town (4581 records total) has been translated. It has been submitted to the Ukraine database but not uploaded yet. Please contact me for more information. I'm afraid I don't see the surname IGER or variants in that list. David R. Brill Cherry Hill, NJ
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Ordering books from Avotaynu
#general
SOL2516171@...
Does anyone know how to order a book from Avotaynu without using its website? Because Avotaynu doesn't use https/encryption, I'm reluctant to order on its website.The number on Avotaynu's website for telephone orders is inoperative, no one has responded to messages I've sent using its online "contact us" tool, and there is no reference on the website to ordering by mail/check. Thanks.
David Solomon sol2516171@...
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Re: Lithuania/Latvia and South Africa
#southafrica
#general
#lithuania
ryoudelman
I can't answer that question exactly, but among my ancestors--my father's family all came from Lithuania--many went to South Africa but some came to the US as well. It seems to be a bigger group in South Africa (where they spell they family name "Judelman"), but I don't know of any impediment keeping them from going elsewhere. I would also like to know--was it more expedient to immigrate to SA?
Rachel Youdelman
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Re: British census terms
#unitedkingdom
Diane Jacobs
Perhaps one got bed and food while the other just had a bed.
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Diane Jacobs
On Jan 11, 2022, at 10:22 AM, John Anderson <counselor12721@...> wrote:
--
Diane Jacobs, Somerset, New Jersey
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Re: Where is the SSDI?
#usa
Sarah L Meyer
While to access all of Ancestry's records and databases, a subscription is required, some of Ancestry's databases are free. Don't dismiss Ancestry until you have seen a padlock on the data. I have a subscription so I can't tell if it is or is not free. The 1940 census is free. There is however a list of free collections on Ancestry.
-- Sarah L Meyer Georgetown TX ANK(I)ER, BIGOS, KARMELEK, PERLSTADT, STOKFISZ, SZPIL(T)BAUM, Poland BIRGARDOVSKY, EDELBERG, HITE (CHAIT), PERCHIK Russia (southern Ukraine) and some Latvia or Lithuania https://www.sarahsgenies.com
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British census terms
#unitedkingdom
John Anderson
What might be the difference between these terms in the 1891 English census (London)--LODGER and BOARDER? This person's household had 3 lodgers and 2 boarders.
John Anderson, Orlando, FL
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JGSColorado presents Preserving Holocaust History: Collecting Oral Testimonies and Researching Family Fates with experts from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
#announcements
#jgs-iajgs
#events
Preserving Holocaust History: Collecting Oral Testimonies and Researching Family Fates With experts from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Jo-Ellyn Decker, Research and Reference Librarian, National Institute for Holocaust Documentation. U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Ina Navazelskis, Oral Historian, National Institute for Holocaust Documentation. U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum MODERATOR: Jaime Monllor, International Outreach Officer, National Institute for Holocaust Documentation. U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Join us for a live digital program featuring representatives from the National Institute for Holocaust Documentation at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum who collect, preserve, and make accessible to the public the vast collection of record on the Holocaust. The Museum has collected and produced over 25,000 interviews, making it one of the largest Holocaust-related oral histories collections in the world. In addition, it has thousands of collections and millions of pages of searchable material from the International Tracing Service Digital Archive from the Arolsen Archives. Learn how the Museum continues producing oral history interviews despite the pandemic and hear about the meticulous research process offered -- relevant for Holocaust survivors, their families, and others wishing to discover more about the fate of those persecuted. Sunday January 23, 2022 10:00 AM To 12:00 PM Mountain Time 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM Schmear, Schmooze, and Share Program starts promptly at 10 AM On Zoom Speakers’ bios: Jo-Ellyn Decker is currently a Research and Reference Librarian in the Holocaust Survivor and Victims Resource Center. In this role she conducts research using Museum collections, especially the International Tracing Service (ITS) collection from the Arolsen Archives, in order to trace the paths of persecutions related to individuals, Jewish or non-Jewish, persecuted, or discriminated against due to the racial, religious, ethnic, social, and political policies of the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945, this includes, inmates of concentration camps, ghettos, and prisons as well as people who were in hiding or displaced. Ms. Decker earned a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies: Appreciation, Promotion, and Management of Historical and Cultural Antiquities from Bethany College, WV, in 2006 with minors in History and in German. She holds a master’s degree in Library and Information Science (M.L.I.S.) from Kent State University in Ohio. Ms. Decker began her career at the Museum in 2008. Ina Navazelskis is a journalist of 35 years’ experience specializing in East European affairs and 20th century history. Since 2001, she has been on staff at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Oral History Branch. In that time, she has conducted almost 400 in-depth video interviews with Holocaust survivors, witnesses and liberators from over a dozen countries in three languages: English, German and Lithuanian. She has written extensively about the Baltic States in the context of World War II and its aftermath. Her work has appeared in publications such as Newsday, the Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor, St. Petersburg Times, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Transitions Magazine, Index on Censorship, the German language newspapers Die Zeit and Sueddeutsche Zeitung, as well as the Lithuanian language publications Kauno Dienos and Ieva. She is also the author of Fragments and Fissures: Dispatches from Vilnius 1990-1991 (in Lithuanian: Versus Aureus, Vilnius, 2012); Leonid Brezhnev (in English: Chelsea House Publishers; New York, 1987); and Alexander Dubcek (in English: Chelsea House Publishers; New York, 1990). She was a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center in 2009. Jaime J. Monllor currently is the International Outreach Officer at the National Institute for Holocaust Documentation of U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where he oversees a range of international activities under the Museum’s Rescue the Evidence Initiative. He provides leadership and direction for the development and operation of the outreach program, analyzes its needs, and defines policies, procedures and guidelines for its execution. He joined the Museum in 1996 to manage the visiting scholar and academic scholarly presentation programs at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies. He also served as a Program Producer for the Museum’s Educational and Public Programs Division, producing a variety of programs that examined the Holocaust and contemporary genocides. Prior to joining the Museum, he worked at the National Endowment for the Arts’ Office of Communications. Jaime earned a M.A. in Language and Foreign Studies / Latin American Studies, American University, Washington, DC, and a B.A. in Communications, University of the Sacred Heart, San Juan, PR. Free for JGSCO Members but you must register! Guests $5
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Re: Searching for 2 Abramowitz Brothers Who Emigrated to South Africa from Kurland, Latvia
#southafrica
Ellen
Tara,
I've had good results with two South African websites: SA Jewish Rootsbank, the South African Jewish Database National Archives of South Africa FamilySearch has some South African records, but I'd recommend starting with these two websites. Many Jews emigrated to South Africa from Latvia and Lithuania. Ellen Ellen Morosoff Pemrick Saratoga County, NY Researching WEISSMAN/VAYSMAN (Ostropol, Ukraine); MOROZ and ESTRIN/ESTERKIN (Shklov & Bykhov, Belarus); LESSER/LESZEROVITZ, MAIMAN, and BARNETT/BEINHART/BERNHART (Lithuania/Latvia); and ROSENSWEIG/ROSENZWEIG, KIRSCHEN, and SCHWARTZ (Botosani, Romania)
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Re: Where is the SSDI?
#usa
Several days ago, I posted this question to the group and got many suggestions. Since in my original post I did not explain why I was asking, I'd like to do it now.
On the stevemorse.org Social Security Death Records page, you have to select a search engine before you may search. There are 5 options: Ancestry and Genealogy Bank require a subscription (which I don't have), while Death Master File, FamilySearch, and MyHeritage are free.
I tried FamilySearch first, but got an error message "oops, something went wrong". Then I tried the Death Master File and got a note saying that it's hosted by JewishGen. After that, being lost, I posted my question.
Now, I think, at the time, there was some kind of a glitch either on the page, or on the server, or on my computer.
Nevertheless, my thanks to all who responded to my question!
Ilya Zeldes
North Fort Myers, FL
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New Partnership between JewishGen and Yad Vashem
#JewishGenUpdates
Avraham Groll
Yad Vashem Partners with the Museum of Jewish Heritage and JewishGen to Expand Access to Yad Vashem's “Pages of Testimony” and the 4,800,000 names commemorated in the Central Database of Shoah Victims’ NamesGenealogy researchers on JewishGen can now tap into Yad Vashem’s collection of Pages of Testimony memorializing family and friends lost in the Holocaust11 January 2022 The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust and its affiliate JewishGen have announced a new partnership with Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, whereby researchers will be able to access Yad Vashem’s Pages of Testimony data as part of a genealogical search on the JewishGen website – the largest online Jewish genealogy resource of its kind, which includes a Holocaust collection of nearly 3.8 million records. Museum of Jewish Heritage President and CEO Jack Kliger says:
Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan states:
Since the 1950s, Yad Vashem has collected "Pages of Testimony," in which members of the public memorialize family members and friends who were murdered during the Holocaust. In many cases, these Pages – that comprise the names, biographical details and if possible, photographs – might contain the only evidence of what happened to their loved ones. Dr. Alexander Avram, Director of Yad Vashem’s Hall of Names, observes:
JewishGen Executive Director Avraham Groll notes:
Yad Vashem has been running their Names Collection endeavor for over six decades, with the aim of restoring the personal identities and recording the brief life stories of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis and their accomplices. The names documented in Yad Vashem’s Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names are sourced from many different sources, including Pages of Testimony. To date Yad Vashem has gathered some 2,700,000 Pages of Testimony. The Names Database currently commemorates over 4,800,000 Jewish men, women and children who were murdered in the Holocaust. About the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is New York’s contribution to the global responsibility to never forget. The Museum is committed to the crucial mission of educating diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during and after the Holocaust. The third largest Holocaust museum in the world and the second largest in North America, the Museum of Jewish Heritage anchors the southernmost tip of Manhattan, completing the cultural and educational landscape it shares with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The Museum receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts. For more information, visit mjhnyc.org. About JewishGen JewishGen was founded in 1987 and serves as the global home for Jewish genealogy. Featuring unparalleled access to more than 30 million records, it offers unique search tools, along with opportunities for researchers to connect with others who share similar interests. There is no charge to access JewishGen’s resources. JewishGen is an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. For more information, visit: www.jewishgen.org About Yad Vashem Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, was established by the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) in 1953. As the world's largest and preeminent Holocaust institution, Yad Vashem's extensive collections of Holocaust-era artifacts, documentation and artworks serve as the foundation for its research, commemorative and educational activities both on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem and digitally worldwide. Yad Vashem's educational method integrates a multigenerational and interdisciplinary approach to telling the story of the Holocaust as a unique and unprecedented event perpetrated against the Jewish people, and as a cataclysmic event with universal significance. For more information, visit us at www.yadvashem.org
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Re: Searching for connections to surname HOLZAPFEL
#names
David W. Perle
I’m not really of much help, but I wonder if you’ve become familiar with musician Peter Holsapple, whose name I know from having worked with R.E.M. for a while.
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Gillian Cook
Thanks for the Canadian info but I dont think that this can be correct for my grandparents as if they came from there, they would have had to have gone there from Poland and then back to England which I feel would have been unlikely at that time (but maybe not impossible :))
Any idea where I could search to find an entry point to Britain for these grandparents and their first child. They lived in London at the time of the 1891 census and continued to live there until their deaths. Gillian Cook
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rklegon@...
Does anyone know if any 19th century records survive from the town of Dubrovytsia?
-- Rob Klegon Chicago, IL USA
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Lithuania/Latvia and South Africa
#southafrica
#general
#lithuania
Hi,
I have had a question that has been 'gnawing' at me for some time. It seems to me that most of the Jews who got affidavits (or the South African equivalent) to emigrate to South Africa came from Lithuania (and Latvia?). Was South Africa the only country to which emigration was possible from Lithuania? Thank you. David Cherson
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Re: Translation of Death Announcement -- German
#translation
kassells@...
The announcement runs as follows :
This is the only announcement Deeply shaken I am giving the sad news, on my behalf as well as on behalf of my wife and my so, of the demise of so beloved son, resp. brother, Sir Frit Werner Lieutenant (res.) who after short illness went to an appeasing rewt. We are mourning in the deceased person a son of rare kindness with exceptional traits of character. Burial of the unforgettable departed person takes place on Monday May 7th 1917 at 10:30 AM at the Central Cemetery from the Ceremony Hall to the family crypt. Gottlieb Werner, Cäcilie Werner. Leo Werner Parents. Acrive First Lieutenant, brother It is asked to refrain from flowers and visits of condolence Laurent Kassel
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ViewMate translation request - Russian
#translation
Dror Bereznitsky
Hello
I've posted two vital records 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/view Please respond via the form provided on the ViewMate image page. Thank you very much. Dror Bereznitsky
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Viewmate translation request--Russian.
#translation
#russia
Sfingold
I've posted an image of two envelopes sent in the 1960s or 1970s from the USSR to relatives in California. I need a translation of the return address for each envelope--the address of the sender not the receiver. It is on ViewMate at the following address ... https://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM96761 Please respond via the form provided on the ViewMate image page Thank you very much. (signature) -- Sharon Fingold
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Re: Where is the SSDI?
#usa
Linda Higgins
This is the SSDI on Family Search: familysearch.orgsearch/collections/1202535
Linda Gordon Higgins Spring, TX
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"Navigating Your Jewish DNA Results” webinar by Adina Newman for the JGS of Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022
#announcements
#jgs-iajgs
Adina Newman to explain how to interpret Jewish DNA test results for Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois on Jan. 23 “Navigating Your Jewish DNA Results” will be the topic of a presentation by genealogist Adina Newman for the Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022, virtual meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois at 2 p.m. CST. Register/RSVP to receive the Zoom link at https://jgsi.org/Events-calendar. This online presentation, which will be free and open to the public, will focus on interpreting so-called “Jewish DNA” results from the major commercial testing companies (i.e., Ancestry, 23andMe, Family Tree DNA, and MyHeritage), with primary focus on Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. The speaker will dig into common beliefs and misconceptions related to interpreting these results and provide context and strategies to maximize successful research. Topics will include ethnicity estimates, tools to understand and locate DNA matches, nuances found at each testing company, and strategies to tackle endogamy. Although not required, familiarity with navigating the various DNA testing sites and viewing DNA matches is recommended. Adina Newman, EdD, is the owner of My Family Genie, where she assists clients with their research and blogs about her own family history. Her main interests are in Jewish genealogy, genetic genealogy, and New England. She has a doctorate in educational leadership and a certificate in genealogical research from Boston University. She volunteers as a Jewish genetic genealogy Facebook group moderator, social media coordinator for NextGen Genealogy Network, and a discussion leader for ProGen, a self-study group for aspiring and professional genealogists. She was also a 2020 recipient of the AncestryProGenealogists scholarship. She presented four talks for the 2021 IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping members collect, preserve, and perpetuate the records and history of their ancestors. JGSI is a resource for the worldwide Jewish community to research their Chicago-area roots. The JGSI motto is “Members Helping Members Since 1981.” The group has more than 300 members and is affiliated with the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies. JGSI members have access to useful and informative online family history research resources, including a members’ forum, more than 65 video recordings of past speakers’ presentations, monthly JGSI E-News, quarterly Morasha JGSI newsletter, and much more. Members as well as non-members can look for their ancestors on the free searchable JGSI Jewish Chicago Database. -- Martin Fischer Vice President-Publicity Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois JGSI website: https://jgsi.org
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