Germany’s boundaries have changed markedly over time. This talk works backwards from today’s Germany to the early 19th century, emphasizing historical events and their impact on Jewish life. Before 1871, Germany was composed of dozens of separate states.  Where (in what states) were my ancestors located?  What records were kept where? What was the legal status of Jews? To properly research Jewish records there, you’ll need to answer these questions.

Roger Lustig is one of the long-time leaders of JewishGen’s GerSIG (Germany Special Interest Group) and its expert research coordinator. Though he specializes in research on Jewish families of Prussian Poland, he is a top expert on general German Jewish research. He has worked in archives in the US, Germany, and Poland and advises museums and civic groups. He has developed databases and contributed over 25,000 records to JRI-Poland, while keeping abreast of research concerning all the former and current German-speaking areas.

Slides from the talk can be seen at tinyurl.com/JGSGB-Lustig.

Special Interest Group (SIG) Meetings

Pre-lecture: 12:30 pm – 1:20 pm
Bessarabia and Poland SIGs

Post-lecture (approx. 3:30 pm)
Belarus and Ukraine SIGs

Plus special Germany Pop-Up SIG featuring speaker, Roger Lustig
Whether you have family who come from Germany or are just interested in researching that area, please join us.

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