Prior Meetings
JGSSN features a variety of informative sessions!
Meetings held at the Sahara West Library (and via Zoom during the pandemic)
Meetings held at the Sahara West Library (and via Zoom during the pandemic)
October 18, 2020: Guest speaker, Robinn Magid, will present "Finding your Eastern European Jewish Family on JRI-Poland.org"
Finding your Eastern European Jewish Family on JRI-Poland.org"
Join us for a presentation of some truly memorable stories from the JRI-Poland.org case file that highlight what this incredible database and website might do for your own research. For 25 years, JRI-Poland has served as the preferred finding aid for the Jewish records that survive in the archives of Poland today. This vast collection of 6.2 million records from over 550 towns includes information about towns and families from Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Germany and the former territories of Galicia and Prussia. Through understanding the contents of the database and how to improve your search results to exploring preserved Holocaust-related records, this lecture will focus on the good things that can come out of a genealogical search. Come listen to stories of the people we’ve helped in the hope that you’ll get a useful new idea from our more surprising experiences.
Bio of Robinn Magid:
Robinn Magid is the Assistant Director of JRI-Poland.org and a recent recipient of the IAJGS Lifetime Achievement Award. She recently became the project manager of the JRI-Poland “NextGen Project” to redesign the JRI-Poland website, search engine and database. She a frequent speaker and writer on Jewish genealogy topics.
As the Lublin Area Projects Coordinator, she is responsible for coordinating the indexing of Jewish vital records for approximately 100 towns. Robinn’s genealogical work resulted in her being recognized by the City of Lublin, Poland – her grandmother’s hometown – with a medal from the mayor for inspiring the future and cultural identity of that city of 450,000 people on Lublin’s 700th birthday in 2017. Robinn has spoken at many IAJGS conferences on behalf of JRI-Poland and has served as the chair of two groundbreaking conferences: IAJGS 2018 Warsaw, Poland conference, and the IAJGS 2020 Virtual Conference on Jewish Genealogy. She is a member of the San Francisco - Bay Area JGS and has spoken to her group and to other societies. Robinn is sheltering-at-home in Berkeley, California with her husband, four children and new daughter-in-law!
Comments:
"Robinn presented a huge amount of information in a short time, and it was done professionally, clearly, and of use to us as researchers. Thanks."
"Not sure how I found JGSSN but am happy I did. As a new long distance member, I look forward to other virtual sessions."
"Thank you, this was excellent"!
Finding your Eastern European Jewish Family on JRI-Poland.org"
Join us for a presentation of some truly memorable stories from the JRI-Poland.org case file that highlight what this incredible database and website might do for your own research. For 25 years, JRI-Poland has served as the preferred finding aid for the Jewish records that survive in the archives of Poland today. This vast collection of 6.2 million records from over 550 towns includes information about towns and families from Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Germany and the former territories of Galicia and Prussia. Through understanding the contents of the database and how to improve your search results to exploring preserved Holocaust-related records, this lecture will focus on the good things that can come out of a genealogical search. Come listen to stories of the people we’ve helped in the hope that you’ll get a useful new idea from our more surprising experiences.
Bio of Robinn Magid:
Robinn Magid is the Assistant Director of JRI-Poland.org and a recent recipient of the IAJGS Lifetime Achievement Award. She recently became the project manager of the JRI-Poland “NextGen Project” to redesign the JRI-Poland website, search engine and database. She a frequent speaker and writer on Jewish genealogy topics.
As the Lublin Area Projects Coordinator, she is responsible for coordinating the indexing of Jewish vital records for approximately 100 towns. Robinn’s genealogical work resulted in her being recognized by the City of Lublin, Poland – her grandmother’s hometown – with a medal from the mayor for inspiring the future and cultural identity of that city of 450,000 people on Lublin’s 700th birthday in 2017. Robinn has spoken at many IAJGS conferences on behalf of JRI-Poland and has served as the chair of two groundbreaking conferences: IAJGS 2018 Warsaw, Poland conference, and the IAJGS 2020 Virtual Conference on Jewish Genealogy. She is a member of the San Francisco - Bay Area JGS and has spoken to her group and to other societies. Robinn is sheltering-at-home in Berkeley, California with her husband, four children and new daughter-in-law!
Comments:
"Robinn presented a huge amount of information in a short time, and it was done professionally, clearly, and of use to us as researchers. Thanks."
"Not sure how I found JGSSN but am happy I did. As a new long distance member, I look forward to other virtual sessions."
"Thank you, this was excellent"!
| jri-poland_eastern_european_family_handout_10.18.2020.pdf |
September 13, 2020: Guest speaker, Yuri Dorn, will present "Jewish History & Research Strategy in Belarus ("White Russia") Archives"
"Jewish History & Research Strategy in Belarus ("White Russia") Archives"
Yuri Dorn will present a brief history of Jewish Belarus (often referred to as White Russia), followed by a description of the records available for research in Belorussian archives. He will explain which records you can expect to find and will suggest the best strategy for approaching one’s research. Remember that your Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Polish, etc. ancestors may have migrated from Belarus to these other areas. Or vice versa.
About Yuri Dorn
Yuri Dorn is a well-known genealogist, specializing in Jewish genealogy and ancestral tourism to Belarus. He founded Jewish Heritage Research Group in Belarus in 2002, which consists of professional historians, genealogists and certified English-speaking guides. Yuri and his staff are not only working in Belorussian archives and arranging ancestral tours to Belarus, but they also put a lot of effort into restoration and preservation of Jewish heritage in Belarus.
Belarus Ancestral Jewish Trips
If you are interested in Yuri and Irina Dorn's guided tours of Belarus, join their Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/570680247004318/
Comments
"Thank you for the very useful programme today on Belarus. The information I gathered will be very useful."
Handout:
"Jewish History & Research Strategy in Belarus ("White Russia") Archives"
Yuri Dorn will present a brief history of Jewish Belarus (often referred to as White Russia), followed by a description of the records available for research in Belorussian archives. He will explain which records you can expect to find and will suggest the best strategy for approaching one’s research. Remember that your Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Polish, etc. ancestors may have migrated from Belarus to these other areas. Or vice versa.
About Yuri Dorn
Yuri Dorn is a well-known genealogist, specializing in Jewish genealogy and ancestral tourism to Belarus. He founded Jewish Heritage Research Group in Belarus in 2002, which consists of professional historians, genealogists and certified English-speaking guides. Yuri and his staff are not only working in Belorussian archives and arranging ancestral tours to Belarus, but they also put a lot of effort into restoration and preservation of Jewish heritage in Belarus.
Belarus Ancestral Jewish Trips
If you are interested in Yuri and Irina Dorn's guided tours of Belarus, join their Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/570680247004318/
Comments
"Thank you for the very useful programme today on Belarus. The information I gathered will be very useful."
Handout:
| yuri_dorn_belarus_presentation_handout.pdf |
August 16, 2020: Guest speaker, Alex Krakovsky, will present "Jewish Documents Kept By Ukrainian Archives"
"Jewish Documents Kept by Ukrainian Archives"
Alex Krakovsky is a Jewish Ukrainian born in Kyiv. He is using the Freedom of Information laws and the court system in Ukraine to force archives to allow him to scan records. Alex became interested in learning about his roots after his mother’s death in 2011. He found references to his grandfather, whom the family knew almost nothing about in a book and some documents at the archive in Zhytomyr. He was asked to pay 116,000 hryvnia (about $4,600) for copies of the documents! He refused and continued to refuse until the archives decreased the fee to $2, which he paid. Alex later sued the archive, winning back his $2 plus an additional 100 hryvnia ($4) for the hassle the archive put him through.
The case also changed Alex's life. With no formal legal training, he has become a litigation machine—a hero of sorts to frustrated researchers and genealogists. Alex has sued more than a dozen archives with the goal of bringing Ukraine’s archives up to European standards. Among other things, he advocates for the publishing of inventories online so that people know what is in the archives. This would also help prevent the illegal sale of archival materials, which he suspects is ongoing. He also agitates for the right to freely photograph documents.
Alex has not lost a single case to date. He often wins, citing constitutional precedent. Recently, he faced his most powerful adversary. Alex filed suit against Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice. The Ministry has the state archives under its wing and issued a June 2018 order barring the copying of documents larger than letter-size, files thicker than 1 ½ inches, old printed books, listings of documents, and basically anything a researcher or genealogist might need to see.
About Alex Krakovsky
Alex was born at a very young age in 1982 in Kyiv. He graduated from the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in 2005 with a degree in Flexible Computer Systems. He has been actively doing genealogy since 2011.
Alex has been digitizing records in Ukrainian Archives, including Jewish metrical books and other vital records, school records, revision lists, poll tax censuses, and more.
He then posts the records online to a wiki page which yields a massive amount of raw data for those interested in Ukrainian research. Alex uses high resolution scanning equipment to scan virtually all records in an archive. He has spent a great deal of time and his own money doing this important work and he is constantly battling a very difficult government system. Alex has received donations for the purchase of state-of-the-art scanners, which are now in use in most Ukraine archives.
You can access his main wiki page at this URL (use the Google Chrome browser to view the JGSSN site and Alex's link (as it can translate this Ukrainian Wikipedia page).
Comments
"It was a highly enriching meeting"
"Alex runs an amazing project. His success in getting various Ukrainian archives to allow him to scan and digitize their records will benefit those of us with Ukrainian roots."
"His Wikipedia page is a tremendous wealth of information for many, many shtetls in the Ukraine."
"Jewish Documents Kept by Ukrainian Archives"
Alex Krakovsky is a Jewish Ukrainian born in Kyiv. He is using the Freedom of Information laws and the court system in Ukraine to force archives to allow him to scan records. Alex became interested in learning about his roots after his mother’s death in 2011. He found references to his grandfather, whom the family knew almost nothing about in a book and some documents at the archive in Zhytomyr. He was asked to pay 116,000 hryvnia (about $4,600) for copies of the documents! He refused and continued to refuse until the archives decreased the fee to $2, which he paid. Alex later sued the archive, winning back his $2 plus an additional 100 hryvnia ($4) for the hassle the archive put him through.
The case also changed Alex's life. With no formal legal training, he has become a litigation machine—a hero of sorts to frustrated researchers and genealogists. Alex has sued more than a dozen archives with the goal of bringing Ukraine’s archives up to European standards. Among other things, he advocates for the publishing of inventories online so that people know what is in the archives. This would also help prevent the illegal sale of archival materials, which he suspects is ongoing. He also agitates for the right to freely photograph documents.
Alex has not lost a single case to date. He often wins, citing constitutional precedent. Recently, he faced his most powerful adversary. Alex filed suit against Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice. The Ministry has the state archives under its wing and issued a June 2018 order barring the copying of documents larger than letter-size, files thicker than 1 ½ inches, old printed books, listings of documents, and basically anything a researcher or genealogist might need to see.
About Alex Krakovsky
Alex was born at a very young age in 1982 in Kyiv. He graduated from the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in 2005 with a degree in Flexible Computer Systems. He has been actively doing genealogy since 2011.
Alex has been digitizing records in Ukrainian Archives, including Jewish metrical books and other vital records, school records, revision lists, poll tax censuses, and more.
He then posts the records online to a wiki page which yields a massive amount of raw data for those interested in Ukrainian research. Alex uses high resolution scanning equipment to scan virtually all records in an archive. He has spent a great deal of time and his own money doing this important work and he is constantly battling a very difficult government system. Alex has received donations for the purchase of state-of-the-art scanners, which are now in use in most Ukraine archives.
You can access his main wiki page at this URL (use the Google Chrome browser to view the JGSSN site and Alex's link (as it can translate this Ukrainian Wikipedia page).
Comments
"It was a highly enriching meeting"
"Alex runs an amazing project. His success in getting various Ukrainian archives to allow him to scan and digitize their records will benefit those of us with Ukrainian roots."
"His Wikipedia page is a tremendous wealth of information for many, many shtetls in the Ukraine."
February 16, 2020: Guest speaker, Daniel Horowitz from MyHeritage
"Overview of MyHeritage Features"
Learn how to, navigate across the tree, invite and share information with relatives, take advantage of Statistics, PedigreeMap, Events, SearchConnect, Global Name Translation, and Consistency Checker; technologies MyHeritage uses to help you find long lost relative and historical records.
DNA Matching Technology on MyHeritage
DNA test can reveal valuable family history information and enable you to connect with relatives you never knew. The Theory of Family Relativity™ incorporates genealogical information from 10+ billion historical records and family tree, to offer theories on how you and your DNA Matches might be related, and The AutoClusters organizes your matches who likely belong to the same branch.
About 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)
Comments
"Daniel's presentation was particularly informative and very interesting!"
"I am so happy to learn about all the MyHeritage tools that can help me in my research."
"Daniel made it easy for me to understand how to use the DNA information."
"Overview of MyHeritage Features"
Learn how to, navigate across the tree, invite and share information with relatives, take advantage of Statistics, PedigreeMap, Events, SearchConnect, Global Name Translation, and Consistency Checker; technologies MyHeritage uses to help you find long lost relative and historical records.
DNA Matching Technology on MyHeritage
DNA test can reveal valuable family history information and enable you to connect with relatives you never knew. The Theory of Family Relativity™ incorporates genealogical information from 10+ billion historical records and family tree, to offer theories on how you and your DNA Matches might be related, and The AutoClusters organizes your matches who likely belong to the same branch.
About 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)
Comments
"Daniel's presentation was particularly informative and very interesting!"
"I am so happy to learn about all the MyHeritage tools that can help me in my research."
"Daniel made it easy for me to understand how to use the DNA information."
January 19, 2020: Guest speaker, Kory Meyerlink
"Proving Your Immigrant Ancestor"
Ancestry has 350 years of records that can identify your immigrant ancestors. From passport lists to naturalization records, and from family histories to passports, you are likely to find your immigrant on Ancestry. There are new sources, strategies, tools and techniques to uncover more of your family’s hidden history, especially their lives in the shtetl.
New York: A Genealogical Gold Mine: Almost every genealogist has one or more New York lines, and at least one appears to be a “dead end” line. How do I find my ancestor in New York?
This presentation introduces the key sources and records that can help overcome those questions and “brick wall” problems. We hope you will come to the meeting and join us for a most enjoyable and informative afternoon.
About Kory Meyerlink
Kory has been involved in almost every aspect of genealogy for the past 40 years. He is currently the Research Manager for Ancestry ProGenealogists and was one of the first Master Genealogists. He has written many print and online articles.
"Proving Your Immigrant Ancestor"
Ancestry has 350 years of records that can identify your immigrant ancestors. From passport lists to naturalization records, and from family histories to passports, you are likely to find your immigrant on Ancestry. There are new sources, strategies, tools and techniques to uncover more of your family’s hidden history, especially their lives in the shtetl.
New York: A Genealogical Gold Mine: Almost every genealogist has one or more New York lines, and at least one appears to be a “dead end” line. How do I find my ancestor in New York?
This presentation introduces the key sources and records that can help overcome those questions and “brick wall” problems. We hope you will come to the meeting and join us for a most enjoyable and informative afternoon.
About Kory Meyerlink
Kory has been involved in almost every aspect of genealogy for the past 40 years. He is currently the Research Manager for Ancestry ProGenealogists and was one of the first Master Genealogists. He has written many print and online articles.
November 17, 2019: Guest speaker, Richard Haynes
"The Holocaust Collection in Fold3"
The Holocaust Collection is found in Fold3, which is a division of Ancestry.com that provides access to military records from the Revolutionary War through current conflicts. The Holocaust Collection has over 3.3M records, including millions of names and 26,000 photos. Richard will also discuss the Fold3 World War II content and describe how to get free access to Fold3 records.
About Richard Haynes
Richard is a native Nevadan, born in Ely during World War II. He has had a lif-long interest in military history and has been teaching Fold3 at the Las Vegas FamilySearch Library for years.
Richard has a BA in Economics from BUY and an MBA and an MA in U.S. History from UNLV.
"The Holocaust Collection in Fold3"
The Holocaust Collection is found in Fold3, which is a division of Ancestry.com that provides access to military records from the Revolutionary War through current conflicts. The Holocaust Collection has over 3.3M records, including millions of names and 26,000 photos. Richard will also discuss the Fold3 World War II content and describe how to get free access to Fold3 records.
About Richard Haynes
Richard is a native Nevadan, born in Ely during World War II. He has had a lif-long interest in military history and has been teaching Fold3 at the Las Vegas FamilySearch Library for years.
Richard has a BA in Economics from BUY and an MBA and an MA in U.S. History from UNLV.
October 20, 2019: Guest speaker, Ann Gleich Harris (to be rescheduled)
"Uncovering Your Roots"
Today, more than at any other time, there is an explosion of available records and databases on the internet that can enable people to search for their family history from their home computer instead of writing letters to foreign archives or sending applications for vital records to various local authorities.
Many people are interested in finding out more about their family origins, but simply feel overwhelmed as to how to proceed, or they have tried and failed previously and have become discouraged.
What is needed is a guide who is experienced in genealogy research to show them how to get started or how to proceed. Our program will include information on how to choose a family history project, with handouts and resources. It will also show us how to use the resources found on the Gesher Galicia website.
The program will be interactive so that people will have the opportunity to share their interests and concerns, and to ask questions about their own current research.
About Ann Harris
Ann Harris, has been involved in family history research for over 30 years. She has been the CFO of Gesher Galicia for the past 7 years and was also a Board member of JGSLA. With the goal of making information accessible to researchers, she has translated information from a multitude of Yizkor books and tombstones. Her other outreach activities include helping to train beginning genealogists and giving community lectures.
"Uncovering Your Roots"
Today, more than at any other time, there is an explosion of available records and databases on the internet that can enable people to search for their family history from their home computer instead of writing letters to foreign archives or sending applications for vital records to various local authorities.
Many people are interested in finding out more about their family origins, but simply feel overwhelmed as to how to proceed, or they have tried and failed previously and have become discouraged.
What is needed is a guide who is experienced in genealogy research to show them how to get started or how to proceed. Our program will include information on how to choose a family history project, with handouts and resources. It will also show us how to use the resources found on the Gesher Galicia website.
The program will be interactive so that people will have the opportunity to share their interests and concerns, and to ask questions about their own current research.
About Ann Harris
Ann Harris, has been involved in family history research for over 30 years. She has been the CFO of Gesher Galicia for the past 7 years and was also a Board member of JGSLA. With the goal of making information accessible to researchers, she has translated information from a multitude of Yizkor books and tombstones. Her other outreach activities include helping to train beginning genealogists and giving community lectures.
September 15, 2019: Guest speaker, Scherry Lesanto
"DNA Topics"
Information on various DNA Topics Including:
About Scherry Lesanto
Born in East Tennessee into ancestral lines dating back 400 years from Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee; originally from Ireland, Netherlands, Germany and Viking blood from Norway. She has traveled extensively in the U.S., as well as to countries in Europe, South America, Mexico and Canada. Her work experience includes federal, state and local positions: Record Researcher-FBI; Agency Dir. Human Resources- in Massachusetts; and Financial Board member North Reading, Massachusetts. Scherry is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and Jonesborough, Tennessee and Clark County, Nevada Genealogical Societies.
A public oriented person, Scherry was a member of the Civil Air Patrol and is a graduate of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Citizens Police Academy. She currently serves in the Las Vegas Family Search Library. She began Genetic Genealogy Research using DNA over 12 years ago, and currently manages over 50 DNA kits to include the respective family trees, and monitors over 25 more kits and counting at several DNA sites. She conducts DNA classes at the Library, as well as, DNA presentations throughout the Las Vegas area and in Tennessee.
"DNA Topics"
Information on various DNA Topics Including:
- Genealogical Tree verses DNA Tree
- Beginnings of DNA testing
- Discussion on different DNA companies
- Benefits of each DNA company and their limitations
- What kinds of DNA are tested and what do they mean
- y-DNA; MtDNA; Autosomal DNA and X Inheritance
- What do I do with my DNA now that I have tested?
- 3rd Party Sites to upload DNA and their benefits
- Shared cM Project Chart; a discussion of centimorgans (cM)
About Scherry Lesanto
Born in East Tennessee into ancestral lines dating back 400 years from Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee; originally from Ireland, Netherlands, Germany and Viking blood from Norway. She has traveled extensively in the U.S., as well as to countries in Europe, South America, Mexico and Canada. Her work experience includes federal, state and local positions: Record Researcher-FBI; Agency Dir. Human Resources- in Massachusetts; and Financial Board member North Reading, Massachusetts. Scherry is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and Jonesborough, Tennessee and Clark County, Nevada Genealogical Societies.
A public oriented person, Scherry was a member of the Civil Air Patrol and is a graduate of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Citizens Police Academy. She currently serves in the Las Vegas Family Search Library. She began Genetic Genealogy Research using DNA over 12 years ago, and currently manages over 50 DNA kits to include the respective family trees, and monitors over 25 more kits and counting at several DNA sites. She conducts DNA classes at the Library, as well as, DNA presentations throughout the Las Vegas area and in Tennessee.