The US Congress passed HR 943, the Never Again Education Act—unanimously by the Senate this week and House  393 – 5 on January 27^th.  The bill was authored by Rep. Carolyn Mahoney, (D-NY)-Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens). There were 22 original co-sponsors but now 302 co-sponsors.  The act will fund the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) $10 million over the next five years. The funds will allow the museum to increase teacher access to their educational programming and resources, maintain a museum website containing curriculum materials on Holocaust education, and support professional development programming.

The bill may be rad at: https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr943/BILLS-116hr943rfs.pdf

To read more about the bill see:

https://www.kingscountypolitics.com/maloney-holocaust-education-bill-passes-congress/

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

As previously posted the ABC network, presents a new prime time series the Genetic Detective staring Cece Moore. The premiere date has been changed to June 2  10:00-11:00 PM EDT.

ABC News presents a new prime-time series, “The Genetic Detective,” that follows investigative genetic genealogist CeCe Moore and her work with DNA technology company Parabon NanoLabs. In the series, Moore and her team are revolutionizing crime solving by working with police departments and accessible crime scene DNA to help trace the path of a criminal suspect’s family tree, uncover their identity and bring them to justice.

For the past decade, Moore, a self-trained genetic genealogist, has pioneered genetic genealogy techniques utilizing a growing body of genetic data in conjunction with traditional genealogical records to help adoptees find their birth parents and to solve family mysteries. Since 2018, Moore has used her unique research skills to transform the face of crime solving, helping to identify more than 100 violent criminal suspects.

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

The DNA testing company 23AndMe has published a new BRCA study.  The BRCA gene is not specific only to breast cancer but ovarian, prostate and more.  Many people who carry a BRCA genetic variant associated with an increased risk for breast, ovarian, prostate, pancreatic and certain other cancers do not have a strong family history of cancer, according to a new study from 23andMe.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-63466-x )could help inform the on-going discussion around broader access to BRCA genetic testing.  The title of the study is: Identifying Ashkenazi Jewish BRCA1/2 founder variants in individuals who do not self-report Jewish ancestry.

Of the 1,967 carriers who provided self-reported ancestry information, 21% did not self-report Jewish ancestry; of these individuals, more than half (62%) do have detectable Ashkenazi Jewish genetic ancestry. In addition, of the 343 carriers who provided both ancestry and family history information, 44% did not have a first-degree family history of a BRCA-related cancer and, in the absence of a personal history of cancer, would therefore be unlikely to qualify for clinical genetic testing. These findings may help inform the discussion around broader access to BRCA genetic testing.

The prevalence of pathogenic BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants is estimated to be between 1 in 300 and 1 in 800 in the general population^1,2. Among individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, three BRCA1/2 founder variants — 185delAG (c.68_69delAG), 5382insC (c.5266dupC), and 6174delT (c.5946delT) — are present at a frequency of ~1 in 40¹.

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

A police official in Koloymia, Ukraine has instructed communal leaders to supply a list of all Jews in the town with their names, addresses and phone numbers.

In a letter to the head of the Orthodox Jewish community in Kolomyia,--about 500 miles west of Kiev, the police wanted details about Orthodox Jews in the city.  Signed by Mykhailo Bank, a senior police official in the Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine, the letter demanded a copy of the community’s charter, together with “a list of community members with addresses and mobile phones” and “a list of Jewish students in universities of Kolomyia and Ivano-Frankivsk.”

Bank explained that he required the information because his department was “engaged in the fight against transnational and ethnic organized groups and criminal organizations.” The community responded that the charter was available n the state registry also informing him that the “religious communities are separate from the state” and pointing out that “personal data of community members can be provided only in the case of registered criminal cases.”  This was reminiscent of the roundup of Ukrainian Jews by the Nazis and local collaborators following the German military invasion in June 1941 according to the head of the Jewish community.

The regional  head of  Ukraine’s Intereior Ministry apoogized on behalf of the leadership and stafff to the entire Jewish community for the situation. The head of Ukraine’s national police has ordered an official investigation.

A group of 40 parliamentary deputies signed an April 30 letter to Ukraine’s prime minister and interior minister urging Bank’s dismissal.

Settled by Jews from the early part of the sixteenth century, the present size of the community in Kolomyia is less than 1,000. During World War II, most of the city’s Jews were deported to the Belzec concentration camp.  According to some estimates, as many as 1.5 million Jews were killed on Ukrainian soil by Nazi forces during World War II.

To read more see:

https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/05/11/outrage-in-ukraine-as-letter-emerges-from-top-police-official-demanding-list-of-jews-in-western-city-of-kolomyia/

https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/05/12/ukraine-police-chief-orders-official-investigation-into-demand-for-list-of-jews/

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

The Genealogist  is offering two of their record sets for beginners for FREE for three months with no credit card details, no subscriptions no catches! 

The two record sets are the Census for England and Wales 1891, 1901, 1911; and

Birth, Marriage and Death records index for England and Wales 1837-2005.

You need to sign-up. Once they have your email address they will send you a link to access this service.

Go to: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/account/signup  You will need to provide your name., email and password.

To read more see: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/first-steps

During this offer you may also view and download several issues of their journal, Discover Your Ancestors.

After the free access time period, if you try to search their site you will be invited to subscribe.

I have no affiliation with The Genealogist and am posting this solely for the information of the reader.

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

The Arts and Humanities Research Council and Oxford University Press are providing free access to the Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, starting on the 15 and continuing for a week, until 21 May.  Go to: https://tinyurl.com/ya3usns6

Original url:

https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199677764.001.0001/acref-9780199677764

The reference work on family names of the UK, covering English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Cornish, and immigrant surnames. It includes every surname that currently has more than 100 bearers, and those that had more than 20 bearers in the 1881 census.

Each entry contains lists of variant spellings of the name, an explanation of its origins (including the etymology), lists of early bearers showing evidence for formation and continuity from the date of formation down to the 19th century, geographical distribution, and, where relevant, genealogical and bibliographical notes, making this a fully comprehensive work on family names.

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

I am looking for a researcher who lives in Vitebsk to go into a Vitebsk archive to get me a copy of a document. I will provide details to the researcher when one is found.

Hymie Reichstein Ottawa, Ontario
 reichstein@...>