Jamaica has an important place in Sephardic history. In 1882 most of the
Jewish records were lost in a fire that destroyed a large part of Kingston,
the capital. For years this has been a huge barrier in researching not just
Jamaica but also the Caribbean and early community in the United States.
There are resources that can fill the gaps, but they are not well known and
sometimes difficult to access. Toni Pitock and Marina Delfos Harris discuss
the institutions that hold records, what is available and how to access
material.

Toni Pitock is a Board Member of the Jamaican Jewish Cemeteries Preservation
Fund (JJCPF). She holds a PhD in American history and teaches History and
Jewish Studies at Drexel University in Philadelphia. She has published
articles in Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography and American
Jewish History and is working on a manuscript that explores the economic
lives of Ashkenazi merchants and traders in colonial Philadelphia.

Marina Delfos Harris is a Board Member of the Jamaican Jewish Cemeteries
Preservation Fund (JJCPF) and founder of Falmouth Heritage Walks. Her
walking tour operated for 10 years (2011 - 2021) in the historic town of
Falmouth on Jamaica's north coast, and included tours of the over 200 year
old Falmouth Jewish cemetery, which she continues to maintain on behalf of
the United Congregation of Israelites.

The meeting is on Sunday 22 May 2022 at 11am in LA, 2pm NYC, 7pm London, 8pm
Paris/Amsterdam and 9pm Jerusalem. Patrons can join us on Zoom. The link is
shared at our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/sephardi Everyone is
welcome to join us on YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/SephardicGenealogyAndHistory PLEASE subscribe to the
YouTube channel. It helps us a lot and costs you nothing.

If you are not on our free email list, you can sign up here:
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Best wishes,

David Mendoza and Ton Tielen
Sephardic Genealogical Society
https://www.sephardic.world/