Upcoming Monthly Meetings
Virtual Meetings Via Zoom
Times may vary each month
Times may vary each month
November 8, 2020: Guest speaker, E. Randol Schoenberg, will present "Woman in Gold"
Time: 1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Members: Virtual meetings are free and members will get advance notice and priority access to "seats". To join, click here.
Non-members: While virtual meetings are free, we ask that you make a donation by clicking here.
To attend: email program@jgssn.org. In the email subject line, put "I would like to attend the November 8 meeting". Be sure to put your name in the email. If space is available, you will receive a confirmation with the Zoom link.
"Woman in Gold"
The remarkable true story of one woman’s journey to reclaim her heritage and seek justice for what happened to her family. Sixty years after she fled Vienna during World War II, an elderly Jewish woman, Maria Altmann, starts her journey to retrieve family possessions seized by the Nazis, among them Klimt’s famous painting Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. Together with her inexperienced but plucky young lawyer Randy Schoenberg, she embarks upon a major battle which takes them all the way to the heart of the Austrian establishment and the U.S. Supreme Court, and forces her to confront difficult truths about the past along the way.
Bio of E. Randol Schoenberg:
E. Randol Schoenberg is an American lawyer specializing in complex litigation matters, and notably in cases involving looted art and the recovery of property stolen by the Nazi authorities during the Holocaust. He won the return of five famous Klimt paintings for his client, Maria Altmann. In 2007, Mr. Schoenberg received the California Lawyer Attorney of the Year award for outstanding achievement in the field of litigation. He also received the 2006 Jurisprudence Award from the Anti-Defamation League and the Justice Louis D. Brandeis Award from the American Jewish Congress.
Mr. Schoenberg served as President of Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust from 2005-2015, during which time the museum constructed its new building in Pan Pacific Park. Mr. Schoenberg led the redesign of the permanent exhibit for the new museum. In 2013, he served as acting executive director while the Museum conducted a search for its new executive director.
He serves on the board of JewishGen, and the L.A. Jewish Symphony. He has been an avid genealogist since he was 8 years old, maintains a huge family tree both on JewishGen and Geni, and is the Co-Founder, Coordinator and Moderator for the JewishGen Austria-Czech Special Interest Group. He is the author of the Beginner's Guide to Austrian-Jewish Genealogy and the co-author of Getting Started with Czech-Jewish Genealogy.
Time: 1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Members: Virtual meetings are free and members will get advance notice and priority access to "seats". To join, click here.
Non-members: While virtual meetings are free, we ask that you make a donation by clicking here.
To attend: email program@jgssn.org. In the email subject line, put "I would like to attend the November 8 meeting". Be sure to put your name in the email. If space is available, you will receive a confirmation with the Zoom link.
"Woman in Gold"
The remarkable true story of one woman’s journey to reclaim her heritage and seek justice for what happened to her family. Sixty years after she fled Vienna during World War II, an elderly Jewish woman, Maria Altmann, starts her journey to retrieve family possessions seized by the Nazis, among them Klimt’s famous painting Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. Together with her inexperienced but plucky young lawyer Randy Schoenberg, she embarks upon a major battle which takes them all the way to the heart of the Austrian establishment and the U.S. Supreme Court, and forces her to confront difficult truths about the past along the way.
Bio of E. Randol Schoenberg:
E. Randol Schoenberg is an American lawyer specializing in complex litigation matters, and notably in cases involving looted art and the recovery of property stolen by the Nazi authorities during the Holocaust. He won the return of five famous Klimt paintings for his client, Maria Altmann. In 2007, Mr. Schoenberg received the California Lawyer Attorney of the Year award for outstanding achievement in the field of litigation. He also received the 2006 Jurisprudence Award from the Anti-Defamation League and the Justice Louis D. Brandeis Award from the American Jewish Congress.
Mr. Schoenberg served as President of Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust from 2005-2015, during which time the museum constructed its new building in Pan Pacific Park. Mr. Schoenberg led the redesign of the permanent exhibit for the new museum. In 2013, he served as acting executive director while the Museum conducted a search for its new executive director.
He serves on the board of JewishGen, and the L.A. Jewish Symphony. He has been an avid genealogist since he was 8 years old, maintains a huge family tree both on JewishGen and Geni, and is the Co-Founder, Coordinator and Moderator for the JewishGen Austria-Czech Special Interest Group. He is the author of the Beginner's Guide to Austrian-Jewish Genealogy and the co-author of Getting Started with Czech-Jewish Genealogy.
December 13, 2020: Guest speaker, Jennifer Mendelsohn, will present "Think Like a Reporter To Avoid Genealogy Mistakes"
Time: 1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Members: Virtual meetings are free. New and current members will get advance notice and may sign up immediately. Members will have priority access to "seats". To join JGSSN, click here.
Non-members: Registration will open on November 15. While virtual meetings are free, we ask that you make a donation by clicking here.
To attend: email program@jgssn.org. In the email subject line, put "I would like to attend the December 13 meeting". Be sure to put your name in the email. If space is available, you will receive a confirmation with the Zoom link.
"Think Like a Reporter To Avoid Genealogy Mistakes"
This talk will cover how more than two decades of journalism experience has helped me as a genealogist, both to zero in on reliable information and not to be duped by unreliable information. We’ll talk about using the “Law and Order” method (follow the “dun duns!”) to track down information and how relying on simple principles like Occam’s Razor – that the most likely scenario is the least complicated – and logic grids can help you get further. We’ll go over pitfalls like not blindly using Ancestry hints, assessing the credibility of sources, not being wedded to spelling, (hello, wildcard searches!) and why genealogy is like playing Concentration: you always have to remember the cards you’ve seen and turned over.
Bio of Jennifer Mendelsohn:
Jennifer Mendelsohn is a seasoned journalist and ghostwriter whose work has appeared in numerous local and national publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, People, Slate, and USA Today.
A native Long Islander now based in Baltimore, Mendelsohn serves on the board of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Maryland and is the administrator of Facebook’s Jewish genetic genealogy group. A member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, she is the creator of the movement known as #resistancegenealogy, a project that uses genealogical and historical records to fight disinformation and honor America’s immigrant past. Her work has received international media attention, including being featured on CNN.com, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post.
Time: 1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Members: Virtual meetings are free. New and current members will get advance notice and may sign up immediately. Members will have priority access to "seats". To join JGSSN, click here.
Non-members: Registration will open on November 15. While virtual meetings are free, we ask that you make a donation by clicking here.
To attend: email program@jgssn.org. In the email subject line, put "I would like to attend the December 13 meeting". Be sure to put your name in the email. If space is available, you will receive a confirmation with the Zoom link.
"Think Like a Reporter To Avoid Genealogy Mistakes"
This talk will cover how more than two decades of journalism experience has helped me as a genealogist, both to zero in on reliable information and not to be duped by unreliable information. We’ll talk about using the “Law and Order” method (follow the “dun duns!”) to track down information and how relying on simple principles like Occam’s Razor – that the most likely scenario is the least complicated – and logic grids can help you get further. We’ll go over pitfalls like not blindly using Ancestry hints, assessing the credibility of sources, not being wedded to spelling, (hello, wildcard searches!) and why genealogy is like playing Concentration: you always have to remember the cards you’ve seen and turned over.
Bio of Jennifer Mendelsohn:
Jennifer Mendelsohn is a seasoned journalist and ghostwriter whose work has appeared in numerous local and national publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, People, Slate, and USA Today.
A native Long Islander now based in Baltimore, Mendelsohn serves on the board of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Maryland and is the administrator of Facebook’s Jewish genetic genealogy group. A member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, she is the creator of the movement known as #resistancegenealogy, a project that uses genealogical and historical records to fight disinformation and honor America’s immigrant past. Her work has received international media attention, including being featured on CNN.com, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post.
January 17, 2021: Guest speaker, Daniel Horowitz, will present "Location, Location, Location: Where Your Relatives Were"
Time: 1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Members: Virtual meetings are free. New and current members will get advance notice and may sign up immediately. Members will have priority access to "seats". To join JGSSN, click here.
Non-members: Registration will open on December 20. Please make a donation by clicking here.
To attend: email program@jgssn.org. In the email subject line, put "I would like to attend the January 17 meeting". Be sure to put your name in the email. If space is available, you will receive a confirmation with the Zoom link.
" Location, Location, Location: Where Your Relatives Were"
You know what they say: location is everything. Maps, addresses, and places are some of the key points of genealogy research. Analyzing your facts and recognizing when the places you’ve recorded were misspelled, incomplete, or totally wrong can give your research a huge boost — paving the way for you to discover how, where, and why your ancestors lived and worked where they did. By using the correct tools and websites, you’ll find new clues and gain extraordinary insights... but only if you follow the right path. In this lecture, Daniel will show you the way.
Bio of Daniel Horowitz:
Daniel is the Expert Genealogist from MyHeritage. He speaks at genealogy conferences around the world. He has been dedicated to genealogy since 1986. He was the teacher and the study guide editor of the family history project “Searching for My Roots” in Venezuela for 15 years. Daniel is involved in several crowdsource digitization and transcription projects and holds a board level position at the Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA)
Time: 1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Members: Virtual meetings are free. New and current members will get advance notice and may sign up immediately. Members will have priority access to "seats". To join JGSSN, click here.
Non-members: Registration will open on December 20. Please make a donation by clicking here.
To attend: email program@jgssn.org. In the email subject line, put "I would like to attend the January 17 meeting". Be sure to put your name in the email. If space is available, you will receive a confirmation with the Zoom link.
" Location, Location, Location: Where Your Relatives Were"
You know what they say: location is everything. Maps, addresses, and places are some of the key points of genealogy research. Analyzing your facts and recognizing when the places you’ve recorded were misspelled, incomplete, or totally wrong can give your research a huge boost — paving the way for you to discover how, where, and why your ancestors lived and worked where they did. By using the correct tools and websites, you’ll find new clues and gain extraordinary insights... but only if you follow the right path. In this lecture, Daniel will show you the way.
Bio of Daniel Horowitz:
Daniel is the Expert Genealogist from MyHeritage. He speaks at genealogy conferences around the world. He has been dedicated to genealogy since 1986. He was the teacher and the study guide editor of the family history project “Searching for My Roots” in Venezuela for 15 years. Daniel is involved in several crowdsource digitization and transcription projects and holds a board level position at the Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA)
February 21, 2021: Guest speaker, Todd Knowles, will present "What's New at FamilySearch"
Time: 1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Members: Virtual meetings are free. New and current members will get advance notice and may sign up immediately. Members will have priority access to "seats". To join JGSSN, click here.
Non-members: Registration will open on January 24. Please make a donation by clicking here.
To attend: email program@jgssn.org. In the email subject line, put "I would like to attend the February 21 meeting". Be sure to put your name in the email. If space is available, you will receive a confirmation with the Zoom link.
"What's New at FamilySearch"
FamilySearch is one of the largest genealogical websites and grows more every day. This presentation will show some of the newest features of FamilySearch and how best to utilize them to find your Jewish ancestors..
Bio of Todd Knowles:
W. Todd Knowles is an accredited Genealogist who specializes in English and Jewish research. For the past 20 years he has been a member of the staff at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, where he currently serves as a Deputy Chief Genealogical Officer. He is past President of the Utah Jewish Genealogy Society (UJGS).
Todd has lectured all over the world and his articles have been widely published. His own genealogical search began at the age of twelve with the desire to find more about his family and grows every day. His quest to find more about his GGGrandfather, a Polish Jew, has led to the creation of the Knowles Collection, six databases that contain the records of the Jewish people. It currently (as of Jan 2020) contains the records of over 1.4 million people.
March 21, 2021: Guest speaker, Hal Bookbinder, will present "Why Did Our Jewish Ancestors Leave a Great Place Like the Pale?"
Time: 1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Members: Virtual meetings are free. New and current members will get advance notice and may sign up immediately. Members will have priority access to "seats". To join JGSSN, click here.
Non-members: Registration will open on February 28. Please make a donation by clicking here.
To attend: email program@jgssn.org. In the email subject line, put "I would like to attend the March 21 meeting". Be sure to put your name in the email. If space is available, you will receive a confirmation with the Zoom link.
"Why Did Our Jewish Ancestors Leave a Great Place Like the Pale?"
Jews had lived in Western Russia (the Pale) for centuries. At the turn of the last, two million left. This talk discusses how the Pale came to be, life in it and why the mass migration occurred. It breaks its 120-year history into periods of creation, confinement, repression, enlightenment, pogroms and chaos. There is more to the story than the horrific violence at the turn of the 20th century.
Bio of Hal Bookbinder:
Hal writes and lectures extensively on diverse genealogical topics, including border changes, migration, citizenship and practicing safe computing. He has identified over 4,000 relatives, tracing two lines to the mid-1700s in modern Ukraine. He has served as president of the IAJGS and has been honored with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Hal is a retired information technology director who continues to teach at the university level. He also directs a transition-to-work training program for individuals in addiction recovery. Hal and his family reside in the Los Angeles area. Check out his articles on safe computing at http://www.tinyurl.com/SafeComputingArticles.
Time: 1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Members: Virtual meetings are free. New and current members will get advance notice and may sign up immediately. Members will have priority access to "seats". To join JGSSN, click here.
Non-members: Registration will open on February 28. Please make a donation by clicking here.
To attend: email program@jgssn.org. In the email subject line, put "I would like to attend the March 21 meeting". Be sure to put your name in the email. If space is available, you will receive a confirmation with the Zoom link.
"Why Did Our Jewish Ancestors Leave a Great Place Like the Pale?"
Jews had lived in Western Russia (the Pale) for centuries. At the turn of the last, two million left. This talk discusses how the Pale came to be, life in it and why the mass migration occurred. It breaks its 120-year history into periods of creation, confinement, repression, enlightenment, pogroms and chaos. There is more to the story than the horrific violence at the turn of the 20th century.
Bio of Hal Bookbinder:
Hal writes and lectures extensively on diverse genealogical topics, including border changes, migration, citizenship and practicing safe computing. He has identified over 4,000 relatives, tracing two lines to the mid-1700s in modern Ukraine. He has served as president of the IAJGS and has been honored with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Hal is a retired information technology director who continues to teach at the university level. He also directs a transition-to-work training program for individuals in addiction recovery. Hal and his family reside in the Los Angeles area. Check out his articles on safe computing at http://www.tinyurl.com/SafeComputingArticles.