Dear Belarus SIG,

In a moment of strength, weakness, or naivete at the
2006 NYC conference, we volunteered to become Belarus
SIG co-coordinators. Since mid-October, we've been
slowly transitioning into our new role with the help
of the JewishGen transition team, past Belarus SIG
leaders, and current SIG volunteers. This has been
quite an education and our appreciation for those who
have gone before us grows every day!

What does a SIG coordinator do? According to
JewishGen, a Coordinator "is responsible for
overseeing all of the Group's activities including
direct supervision of such key volunteers as the
Research Coordinator, Webmaster, and Newsletter
Editor..., and ensuring that the Group's activities
are carried out in compliance with the guidelines and
procedures that JewishGen has establish for such
activities."

We look forward to working with the Belarus SIG
Research Coordinator Suzanne Waxman, the new SIG
Webmaster Kevin Hanit, Database Coordinator Adar
Belinkoff, and our Newsletter Editor Fran Bock, to
further the goals of the SIG.

What are our immediate goals?

1) Learn about all research projects being undertaken
by the SIG

2) Evaluate the SIG web site and determine what
updates are needed

3) Help our SIG email list moderator retire >from the
job (more about this soon)

Longer term, our overall goals are to help the SIG
identify and address research needs, and share
information about Jewish genealogy research in or
pertaining to Belarus. We will send out updates as we
come up to speed.

If you are a research project leader and want our
attention sooner rather than later (we plan on being
in touch eventually with all the project leaders), if
you have ideas for new research projects, if you have
suggestions for the web site, or specific questions
about SIG management, please send your email messages
to: belarus.sig@... (do not use this email
address for anything that normally goes to the SIG
list)

Please remember, we too are volunteers. We have jobs,
we have families. We will be as responsive as we can.

Looking forward to working with you,

Sharon Fingold and David Feldman

Dear Belarus SIG Members,

I would like to thank Sharon Fingold and David Feldman stepping forward to
lead the SIG in the coming years. They will need the help and support of
the membership and I urge you all to step forward and help them succeed.
There are many ways that you can show your support:

1. Volunteer your time. The SIG now needs discussion group moderators and
shtetl research leaders.
2. Donate funds for SIG research projects, translations of Belarus Yiskor
Books, and Belarus Cemetery Projects, as well as the Belarus SIG General
Fund.
http://www.jewishgen.org/JewishGen-erosity/v_projectslist.asp?project_cat=1
3. Share your research successes, your research methods, and anything else
related to Belarus that might help your fellow SIG members, by posting
messages to the SIG discussion group. <belarus@...>
4. Don't be shy about asking questions about Belarus related topics on the
SIG Discussion Group. Other people probably have similar questions and
people learn >from the answers to your questions.
5. Write up a trip report on your visit to Belarus, share a family memoir
describing Jewish life in Belarus, and write up anything related to people
and places in Belarus. Send your articles to Fran Bock
<franbock@...> the SIG Newsletter Editor, who has been doing a
wonderful job, as you can see by visiting:
http://www.jewishgen.org/Belarus/newsletter/bnl_index.htm
6. If you have language skills in Russian, Byelorussian, Polish, Hebrew, or
Yiddish and are willing to donate your time to do some translations, please
volunteer your services to the new SIG leaders.
David Feldman and Sharon Fingold have been in contact with me and we are all
working together so that I can share what I know with them to make their
jobs as easy as possible. I again want to thank them as well as Fran Bock,
Kevin Hanit, Adar' Belinkoff, and Suzanne Waxman for taking on positions of
responsibility and wish them all success in the challenges that await them.
I want them all to succeed and I hope that you will all help them succeed by
taking my suggestions above.

With fond regards,
Dave
--
David Fox
Mail to: davefox73@...
Belarus SIG Founder and Past Coordinator
Arnold, MD USA
http://www.jewishgen.org/belarus
http://www.davefox73.com

Dear Belarus SIG,

In a moment of strength, weakness, or naivete at the
2006 NYC conference, we volunteered to become Belarus
SIG co-coordinators. Since mid-October, we've been
slowly transitioning into our new role with the help
of the JewishGen transition team, past Belarus SIG
leaders, and current SIG volunteers. This has been
quite an education and our appreciation for those who
have gone before us grows every day!

----snip

Looking forward to working with you,

Sharon Fingold and David Feldman