Upcoming Monthly Meetings
Available to JGSSN meeting attendees: private access to the resources of the FamilySearch Center!
The FamilySearch Center resources will be available for JGSSN use after the meeting until 4:00 pm. Those resources include free access to a variety of genealogy programs, such as Ancestry.com, MyHeritage, Newspapers.com, and many others. In addition, the library will make their document, photo, slide, audio and video scanners available. Bring in your family memories and convert them to digital files. See the attachment for a list of the resources. Library staff will be available to assist.
The FamilySearch Center resources will be available for JGSSN use after the meeting until 4:00 pm. Those resources include free access to a variety of genealogy programs, such as Ancestry.com, MyHeritage, Newspapers.com, and many others. In addition, the library will make their document, photo, slide, audio and video scanners available. Bring in your family memories and convert them to digital files. See the attachment for a list of the resources. Library staff will be available to assist.
| lvfsl_web_programs_and_scanning_resources.pdf |
Sunday, June 14, 2026: Guest speaker, Dr. Peter Morgan, will present: "How Jews came to Britain fleeing Nazi persecution in the 1930s"
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Members: Free. Click here to RSVP
Guests: In-person meetings are free for all attendees; however, we welcome donations from non-members to support our programs and activities. Click here to donate and click here to RSVP.
How Jews Came to Britain Fleeing Nazi Persecution in the 1930s
The talk will cover how Jews came to Britain, fleeing Nazi persecution in the 1930s, and some of the reasons why they were able to take refuge there. Whilst recognizing the very positive aspects of the story, it will also address the more difficult issues regarding internment, restriction, and deportation. This will be illustrated with examples from the Wiener Library document collections and the experiences of the individuals they refer to.
About Peter Morgan
Peter Morgan was a secondary school history teacher for 21 years after graduating with a history degree from the University of Leeds in the UK. Since leaving mainstream teaching, he completed a PhD at the University of Brighton on British Representations of the Armenian Genocide, which was published this year (2025) by Routledge. Since January 2024, he has been the Education Officer at the Wiener Holocaust Library in London.
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Sunday, July 19, 2026; Guest speaker, Alex Prizgintas, will present " Borscht Belt Artifacts: Relics of the Catskill Resort Age."
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Members: Free. Click here to RSVP
Guests: In-person meetings are free for all attendees; however, we welcome donations from non-members to support our programs and activities. Click here to donate and click here to RSVP.
Borscht Belt Artifacts: Relics of the Catskill Resort Age
Culture, cuisine, and comedy came together to form an intricate network of hotels, bungalow colonies, and resorts throughout New York’s Catskill Mountains. With a strong Jewish lineage, the Borscht Belt came to be known as a distinctly American story—one represented by a diverse clientele that journeyed to the mountains in search of fellowship basking under the warmth of the summer sun. Now, with the remaining hotel structures vanishing one by one, it is through these remaining artifacts such as matchbooks, silverware, menus, and even architectural details that this story can be shared. The lecture employs these relics to share with visitors the complete and complicated story of the Borscht Belt—one that extends before the Civil War and reveals the many industries, as well as individuals, that made it successful. Displayed are a wide array of artifacts from the Richard L. Benjamin Archive of Borscht Belt Tourism History, which works in conjunction with the Borscht Belt Museum in contributing artifacts for exhibits.
About Alex Prizgintas
Alex Prizgintas is a historian, author, and musician whose lifelong passion for local history began with early involvement in regional historical societies and grew through extensive research, public lectures, and published works during his college years. He graduated summa cum laude from Marist College with a degree in History, a minor in Hudson River Valley Studies, and a concentration in Public History, and later completed his Master of Public Administration to support his leadership in historical preservation and community engagement. As a student, Alex produced research articles and a documentary, delivered numerous lectures, and developed podcasts exploring Hudson Valley history. Beyond academia, he serves in leadership roles in historical organizations and integrates his musical talents into immersive public presentations.
Sunday, July 19, 2026; Guest speaker, Alex Prizgintas, will present " Borscht Belt Artifacts: Relics of the Catskill Resort Age."
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Members: Free. Click here to RSVP
Guests: In-person meetings are free for all attendees; however, we welcome donations from non-members to support our programs and activities. Click here to donate and click here to RSVP.
Borscht Belt Artifacts: Relics of the Catskill Resort Age
Culture, cuisine, and comedy came together to form an intricate network of hotels, bungalow colonies, and resorts throughout New York’s Catskill Mountains. With a strong Jewish lineage, the Borscht Belt came to be known as a distinctly American story—one represented by a diverse clientele that journeyed to the mountains in search of fellowship basking under the warmth of the summer sun. Now, with the remaining hotel structures vanishing one by one, it is through these remaining artifacts such as matchbooks, silverware, menus, and even architectural details that this story can be shared. The lecture employs these relics to share with visitors the complete and complicated story of the Borscht Belt—one that extends before the Civil War and reveals the many industries, as well as individuals, that made it successful. Displayed are a wide array of artifacts from the Richard L. Benjamin Archive of Borscht Belt Tourism History, which works in conjunction with the Borscht Belt Museum in contributing artifacts for exhibits.
About Alex Prizgintas
Alex Prizgintas is a historian, author, and musician whose lifelong passion for local history began with early involvement in regional historical societies and grew through extensive research, public lectures, and published works during his college years. He graduated summa cum laude from Marist College with a degree in History, a minor in Hudson River Valley Studies, and a concentration in Public History, and later completed his Master of Public Administration to support his leadership in historical preservation and community engagement. As a student, Alex produced research articles and a documentary, delivered numerous lectures, and developed podcasts exploring Hudson Valley history. Beyond academia, he serves in leadership roles in historical organizations and integrates his musical talents into immersive public presentations.
Sunday, August 16, 2026: Guest speaker, Hal Bookbinder, will present "Ships of Our Ancestors"
Time: 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Members: Free. Click here to RSVP
Guests: In-person meetings are free for all attendees; however, we welcome donations from non-members to support our programs and activities. Click here to donate and click here to RSVP.
Ships of Our Ancestors
During the active years of Ellis Island, 83,000 ship arrivals were recorded. Between 1880 and 1914, about two million Jewish immigrants arrived from Europe, with most passing through Ellis Island. Until the age of flight, immigrants arrived by sea, first on sailing ships and after the middle of the 19th Century, on steamships. This presentation focuses on the ships on which our ancestors traveled, discussing the shift from sail to steam and the governmental regulations that made ship travel safer and more humane. It will address the experience of our ancestors in getting to the port of embarkation, pre-boarding processing,, and their shipboard experiences, as well as the cost and duration of the voyage. Finally, it will address several stubborn myths related to our ancestors' immigration.
About Hal Bookbinder
Hal is a retired information systems director and university instructor. He has been actively researching his genealogy for more than three decades, identifying over 4,000 relatives and tracing two lines to the mid-1700s in modern Ukraine. He is a past president of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Los Angeles (JGSLA) and of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS). Hal publishes a series of monthly articles on safe computing, which are freely available at http://www.tinyurl.com/SafeComputingArticles.
He and his wife, Marci, were raised in the Catskills of New York State, in the famed “Borsht Belt”. After attending New York University and a four-year stint in the US Air Force, they have lived in the Los Angeles area. In 2018, he made a journey to Ukraine, visiting various areas of the former Volhynia and Podolia in which his family lived for hundreds of years. He also spent time experiencing Kyiv during its Independence Day celebrations, and even visited Chernobyl.
Finding the Las Vegas FamilySearch Center and where to park:
Click here for directions.
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