JGSGB paid members: Program is free. Members do not need to register. You can find the Zoom link by logging in to your JGSGB Membership account. Once logged in, use the "What would you like to do" dropdown to locate the Members-only Page for the Zoom link. You will also receive an email with the Zoom link the morning of the program. This program will be recorded, so members will be able to view it on the Members-only Page. Guests: Click here…

Join us for a special online showing of the film, “Children of the Inquisition,” followed on November 22 by a one-hour panel discussion and Q&A led by the film’s director, Joseph Lovett. The film will be available for registrants to view at their leisure for 48 hours before the ZOOM discussion with the panel on November 22nd. Panel Participants: Joseph Lovett, Executive Producer and Director of the film and event moderator Adam Brown, Administrator, Avotaynu DNA Project Jose “Akiba” Portuondo-Dember,…

The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Deborah Munk Long reviews the best (as well as some of the obscure) resources and methods for determining the fate of those involved in the Holocaust, including survivors and victims. Deborah will use examples from her own research to demonstrate the documents and artifacts she discovered. Bio: Deborah Munk Long has been researching her family's Holocaust history and looking for surviving family members since she was 10 years old. Her research has led to the…

Researching our Eastern European ancestry remains challenging in many countries, where missing records may lead to frustrating “brick walls”. This presentation offers guidance in using the region’s historical events and geography to help fill in gaps and move past brick walls.  It shows you ways to identify your ancestors, find the places where they lived, and trace their migrations. Bio: Amy Wachs, past president of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland,  has been involved in Jewish genealogy for over 30…

Old family photos, documents, and heirlooms are vitally important in preserving your family's past. Learn how to organize and store these special items safely, and discover an easy step-by-step process for deciding what to retain in your collection and what to give to relatives or institutions. Finally, you will get ideas for preparing a "genealogical will" to preserve your family's photos, documents, and heirlooms for future generations. Bio: Marian Burk Wood is a popular speaker and author. Her Planning a Future…

This presentation is for you if you’ve done a great job finding your ancestors, but you’re not sure where to start to locate their living descendants. Learn tips and tricks that you can use to safely and respectfully discover the identities of your living cousins and perhaps make new connections. Bio: Nicka Smith is a professional photographer, speaker, host, and documentarian with more than 20 years of experience as a genealogist. She hosts BlackProGen LIVE, an innovative web show about…

Finding Presidents' (and Your) Ancestors in the Strangest Places You might think that U.S. presidents are a breed apart from your ancestors, but they are not. They also arrived on ships and also came face-to-face with the census taker. This talk will show you how to search for presidential records, and, in the process, it will teach you how to search for your ancestors' records. There are similar problems with both searches, including misspellings and incorrect dates, and we'll learn…

When It Takes a Village: Applying Cluster Research Techniques Researching our ancestors involves not only finding their origins, tracking them through different times and places, and viewing them in their social context, but also looking at their relatives, associates, and neighbors. This presentation shows how to apply cluster and collateral research techniques to your genealogical research problems. Topics include research planning, commonly used resources and documents, and a case study following individuals’ migrations from Europe to the U.S., overcoming name…

Joint program between the Polish Genealogical Society of Massachusetts and the JGSGB  If you’d like to go beyond JewishGen and JRI-Poland to find vital records for your Polish-Jewish ancestors, this program will introduce you to major websites such as Metryki, GenBaza, Szukajwarchiwach (the Polish State Archives), Geneteka, and FamilySearch.  Our speaker, Julie Szczepankiewicz, will also review U.S. records that contain the specific places of origin of your immigrant ancestors, suggest resources to decipher misspelled place names, and identify the registry…