Best-Kept Secrets of Polish Genealogy: Books of Residents 
Fay and Julian Bussgang
Sunday, December 9, 2001 — 1:30-4:30pm
Temple Reyim, West Newton
Fay and Julian Bussgang will describe this little-known source of valuable information for Polish genealogy, both Jewish and non-Jewish.
Books of Residents are a valuable yet little-known source for Polish genealogical research, showing on a single page: name, date of birth, birthplace, names of parents, occupation, etc. for every person within a household. A new CD from Poland lists towns and dates for such books.
Also to be discussed: Survivor Lists, Ghetto Lists, Passport Applications, Professional and Military Records. Many records are equally applicable to non-Jews. Similar resources may exist in other East European countries. Opportunity for questions after the talk.
The Bussgangs have made nine trips to Poland and have done a great deal of research on their families in the Polish State Archives.
Admission is free for members, $3 for non-members. Refreshments will be served. Society resources will be available for research after the talk.
The meeting will take place at Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street (Route 16), West Newton. The Temple is near Newton-Wellesley Hospital and the Woodland Stop on the Riverside Green Line, as well as a short ride from Route 128 at Exit 21. Click here for directions.
JGSGB Members Night at NARA
Tuesday, November 13, 2001
National Archives, New England Region,
The National Archives, New England Region holds many records for genealogical research, including the U.S. Federal Census (1790-1920); Passenger Arrival Records for Boston and other New England ports; New England Naturalization Records, Canadian Border Crossing records, WWI Draft Registration Card for New England, Russian Consular Records, and WWII War Crimes records.
For a complete list of the National Archives’ relevant holdings, see Resources for Jewish Genealogy in the Boston Area, (Boston: JGSGB, 1996).
This meeting will include an orientation lecture and over two hours of open research time. Archives staff and experienced JGSGB members will be available to help anyone who needs assistance. Microfilm copiers are available, so bring quarters.
This meeting is open to JGSGB members only — you may join at the door. Beginners and those wishing to join please come at 6:00pm, others at 6:30pm. Orientation promptly at 6:10 and 6:25pm. Refreshments will be served.
Directions:
- From Route 128: Exit at Trapelo Road (Exit 28A) and continue east on Trapelo Road for 2.8 miles to the National Archives, on the right side of the road.
- From Boston: Take Storrow Drive, follow signs for Route 2. Cross the Charles River at the Eliot Bridge, bear right but keep left, left on Mt. Auburn Street till it forks, bear right onto Belmont Street. When Belmont Street forks, bear right onto Trapelo Road, follow for 2.4 miles to National Archives on the left.
Introductory Workshop in Jewish Genealogy
Sunday, October 28 and November 4, 2001 — 2:00-5:00pm
Temple Reyim, West Newton
This year the JGSGB will be offering a greatly expanded and enhanced version of its annual beginners’ workshop. First of all, it is no longer just for beginners; there is plenty of material of interest to more advanced researchers. Second, instead of one session of two hours, there will be two sessions, each of three hours, for a total of six hours!
The instructor will be Nancy Levin Arbeiter, a full-time professional genealogist, Director of Genealogical Research for the American Jewish Historical Society, and author of “A Beginner’s Primer in U.S. Jewish Genealogical Research” (Avotaynu, Fall 1998). Nancy has led these workshops at numerous international Jewish genealogy conferences.
Click here for more information and registration form.
Open House at the AJHS
American Jewish Historical Society
Sunday, October 21, 2001
AJHS, Waltham
We will hold an open house at the American Jewish Historical Society on the Brandeis campus, where the expanded JGSGB resource collection will be available for use during all hours when the AJHS is open (most weekdays).
Russia to America: Why They Came, Where They Settled
Harry D. Boonin
Sunday, September 16, 2001 — 1:30-4:30 PM
Temple Reyim, West Newton
Harry Boonin, founding president of the Philadelphia Jewish Genealogy Society and frequent contributor to Avotaynu, will speak about Jewish life in northern and southern Russia and the big immigration to the U.S. at the end of the 19th century. The immigrants’ reasons for leaving, their routes, and their early settlement in one of the East Coast cities will be covered.
Harry Boonin is an expert on the Jews of Philadelphia and the author of a book on the subject. He is also an expert on the shtetl of Slutsk (Belarus) and on Russian Jewish genealogy. You might enjoy a visit to his web site starting at the following page: http://www.boonin.com/author.htm.
Admission is free for members, $3 for non-members. Refreshments will be served. Society resources will be available for research after the talk.
The meeting will take place at Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street (Route 16), West Newton. The Temple is near Newton-Wellesley Hospital and the Woodland Stop on the Riverside Green Line, as well as a short ride from Route 128 at Exit 21. Click here for directions.
Annual Meeting – Gary Mokotoff 
“The Future of Jewish Genealogical Research”
Sunday, June 10, 2001 — 2:00-5:00PM
Temple Reyim, West Newton
Annual Meeting – Election of Officers
Special guest: Gary Mokotoff
- Pioneer of Jewish genealogy
- Author of many articles and books
- Organizer of Jewish genealogical conferences
- Publisher of Avotaynu, The International Review of Jewish Genealogy
Admission is free for members, $5 for non-members. Festive refreshments will be served.
A preview of the JGSGB Family Finder will be available for access on our laptop computers.
The meeting will take place at Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street (Route 16), West Newton. The Temple is near Newton-Wellesley Hospital and the Woodland Stop on the Riverside Green Line, as well as a short ride from Route 128 at Exit 21. Click here for directions.
Brock Bierman – Research Adventures in Eastern Europe
Sunday, May 6, 2001 — 2:00-5:00PM
Temple Reyim, West Newton
Former Rhode Island State Representative Brock Bierman traveled through Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, and other Eastern European countries last summer in search of his family’s history. Learn from him how to plan your trip, make contacts with researchers and archives, and find convenient lodging–all to make your stay in Europe as productive as possible. Even if you are not planning a trip any time soon, you’ll enjoy hearing about Brock’s adventures and fascinating discoveries.
Admission is free for members, $3 for non-members. Refreshments will be served.
Society resources will be available for research after the talk.
The meeting will take place at Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street (Route 16), West Newton. The Temple is near Newton-Wellesley Hospital and the Woodland Stop on the Riverside Green Line, as well as a short ride from Route 128 at Exit 21. Click here for directions.
Fact and Fiction about Immigration
Walter Hickey
Sunday, April 22, 2001 — 2:30-5:30PM
(note the later-than-usual time)
Temple Reyim, West Newton
Walter Hickey, Archives Specialist at the New England Regional Archives in Waltham, will explore the content of passenger arrival records, with an emphasis on the records of the Port of New York. The famous “Ellis Island Myth” will be put to rest. Also discussed will be Boston Arrivals and Canadian Border Crossings (St. Albans Records).
Please note that records for New York arrivals are not yet available at the National Archives branch in Waltham. They are currently available in the branches in New York City; Pittsfield, MA; and Washington, DC; as well as via LDS Family History Centers. The microfilms of 1820-1897 arrivals are available at the Boston Public Library.
Admission free for members, $3 for non-members. Refreshments. Society resources available for research after the talk.
The meeting will take place at Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street (Route 16), West Newton. The Temple is near Newton-Wellesley Hospital and the Woodland Stop on the Riverside Green Line, as well as a short ride from Route 128 at Exit 21. Click here for directions.
“Project Search” — Red Cross Tracing Service
Elaine Abrams
Sunday, March 18, 2001 — 1:30-4:30PM
Temple Reyim, West Newton
Recently released documents from the former Soviet Union have greatly increased the possibilities of tracing Holocaust victims and survivors. Find out how Project Search can help you learn the fate of relatives who perished in the Holocaust or perhaps locate living survivors.
Elaine Abrams is Program Manager of International Social Services at the American Red Cross in Boston.
Admission free for members, $3 for non-members. Refreshments. Society resources available for research after the talk.
The meeting will take place at Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street (Route 16), West Newton. The Temple is near Newton-Wellesley Hospital and the Woodland Stop on the Riverside Green Line, as well as a short ride from Route 128 at Exit 21. Click here for directions.
Czech Roots — Journey of Discovery
Alexander Woodle
Sunday, February 11, 2001 — 1:30-4:30PM
Temple Reyim, West Newton
Alexander Woodle, librarian with the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), will describe the research process he used for uncovering needles in a genealogical haystack. A search for the U.S. resting place of an ancestor, using genealogical resources in our local area, began the process that led to the uncovering of his family’s ancestral shtetl and a sponsored trip abroad.
Woodle will give a slide presentation of his search for his Bohemian family roots in the modern day Czech Republic and show a documentary film he helped make for the Ellis Island Museum. We will be treated to the first public showing of this film.
Admission free for members, $3 for non-members. Refreshments. Society resources available for research after the talk.
The meeting will take place at Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street (Route 16), West Newton. The Temple is near Newton-Wellesley Hospital and the Woodland Stop on the Riverside Green Line, as well as a short ride from Route 128 at Exit 21. Click here for directions.