The Jewish Genealogy Society of Southern Nevada (JGSSN) invites you to a Zoom meeting at 11:00 a.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) on Sunday, October 10: “"Routes to Roots Foundation: New Surnames Databases, Maps, Town Images and More!” with Miriam Weiner

To request a Zoom link, please complete this short form: which can also be found on our Meetings webpage.

Members of JGSSN can attend for free.  Non-members can pay $5.00 on the Donate webpage and complete the short form.

Session Description:

From 30+ years of working in the archives of Eastern Europe (Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Lithuania), Miriam has acquired hundreds of various document collections yielding millions of surnames. She formed a close working relationship with archivists on all levels many of which continue to this day. 

During the past two years, she has created a surname database containing over 2,000,000 names (with continuing updates regularly). At the website, a surname search can produce entries from Holocaust name lists, vital records, census lists, school records, property lists, various telephone and business directories, applications for Communist Party membership and much more, most of which do not appear elsewhere online. A surname search can produce document results with that surname and links to a street map and town images. All in a single search!  A town name search can yield archive data for that town, as well as town images and a link to a street map of the town.  Another valuable website resource is the Maps database.  Miriam has acquired many maps from various localities. A map search will bring up very detailed maps that, when you zoom in, may reveal even the smallest shtetl.

In 1989, Miriam Weiner accepted an invitation from the Polish National Tourist Office to visit the Polish Archives in preparation for arranging genealogy tours to Poland. That visit led to a 30+ year career working in the archives of Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Lithuania. 

In 1991, The Jewish Week in New York, referred to Miriam as “The Genealogist who Lifted the Archival Iron Curtain”. 
In 1998, The Forward referred to her as “The Indiana Jones of Pre-war Polish Jewry.” 
In 2019, The Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia referred to Miriam in a lecture review as "Genealogy Rock Star Discusses Digging up Jewish Roots."

Miriam's work in the genealogy field has produced a slew of awards beginning more than 30 years ago; among them are: 

In 1988, a writing award from the Council of Genealogy Columnists for her syndicated genealogy column

• In 1999, 2000, and 2003, three major awards from IAJGS (one for each of her two books and the Lifetime Achievement Award)
• In 2000, Reference Book of the Year award from the Association of Jewish Libraries
• In 2019, The National Genealogical Society presented Miriam with the prestigious "President's Citation" at its annual conference in St. Louis
• In 2020; The Federation of Genealogical Societies awarded her the Rabbi Malcolm H Stern Humanitarian Award 

The new version of the RTRF website has produced many comments from noted members of the genealogical community, See www.rtrfoundation.org/comments2020.shtml

Ben Kempner

Vice President,

Jewish Genealogy Society of Southern Nevada