Schelly Talalay Dardashti will introduce the growing field of Sephardic research, surveying websites, discussion groups, books, journals, conferences, archives and libraries, ongoing research projects, researchers, and DNA projects. She will include information on the Sephardic presence in Eastern Europe, a topic that has not been explored widely by researchers.

Pioneer Jewish genealogy columnist (Jerusalem Post, “It’s All Relative,” 1999-2005) and blogger (“Tracing the Tribe: The Jewish Genealogy Blog,” since 2006)  Schelly Talalay Dardashti is the US Genealogy Advisor for MyHeritage.com. Her noted articles have appeared in Avotaynu, NGS Quarterly, The Forward, and Hadassah, among others. She co-administers the IberianAshkenaz DNA Project at FamilyTreeDNA.com, which has successfully confirmed the Sephardic origins of some Eastern European Ashkenazi families.

Research Help

12:30 pm – come early to join the following discussion groups:

Ask the Experts – for help with U.S. research
Bessarabia Special Interest Group
Litvak-Baltic Special Interest Group (covers Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia)
Poland Special Interest Group

4:00 pm – meet with the Belarus Special Interest Group

Admission is free for members, $5 for non-members. Refreshments will be served.