Sunday, January 8, 2023, 1pm Pacific Time Zone
Guest Speaker: Michael Morganstern
Using the “Forverts”(Jewish Daily Forward-) for Family History
Description: Founded in 1897, the “Forverts” (Jewish Daily Forward) was a leading Yiddish language newspaper in the United States throughout the 20th century. Most of this newspaper is available to browse digitally for free through the online Historical Jewish Press database. This lecture will examine hidden genealogical gems within this newspaper, some of which can be found with minimal or no Yiddish skills. Among these gems are personal inquiries submitted by readers seeking information on their relatives, letters to the editor, and the “Gallery of Missing Husbands.” This lecture will also cover the historical and cultural context of the newspaper, which will help evaluate its relevance to a researcherʼs individual family history.
About Michael Morganstern
Michael Morgenstern is a native of Los Angeles, California. After completing an undergraduate degree in history at Loyola Marymount University, he worked as a researcher on TLCʼs “Who Do You Think You Are?” history and genealogy show. Since 2014, he has worked as an educator at Holocaust Museum Los Angeles. He has been an avid genealogy researcher since he was 16 in 2006. He has volunteered genealogy research to Holocaust survivors, focusing on those who do not have any prewar family documents or photographs. Lately, he has translated segments of the “Jewish Daily Forward” from Yiddish to English for JewishGen. Some of his work can be seen at “The Forward: A Gallery of Missing Husbands (1908-1914)”
Sunday, January 22, 2023, 10:30 am Pacific Time Zone
Guest Speaker: Serafima Velkovich
Polish Jewish Refugees in the USSR During WWII
Description: The “Ribbentrop – Molotov pact” divided Poland between the Soviet Union and Germany in 1939. The Polish territories annexed to The Soviet Union had a Jewish population of about 2 million. About 400,000 residents of these territories, many of them Jews, were deported to “special settlements” mostly in Siberia. Additionally, about 250,000—300,000 Jewish refugees from German-occupied western Poland had fled to the Soviet Union after the war broke out. This lecture will present the route and the fate of Jewish refugees from Poland, who spent the war years in the USSR, and their post war search for a new home. The lecture will include information on where documentation exists to research these individuals, both in Yad Vashem and in other institutions.
About Serafima Velkovich
Serafima Velkovich is the Head of the Family Roots Research Section in Reference and Information Department of Yad Vashem Archives. She was closely involved in the work on names material in Yad Vashem`s databases. She lectures on the use of Yad Vashem resources for genealogical and other research to various groups, as well as to visiting genealogists and organizations who make use of genealogical tools for their research. She participates in international conferences and films on the Holocaust topic. Serafima is a PhD Candidate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Sunday, February 12, 2023, 10:30 am Pacific Time Zone
Speaker: Emily Garber, Genealogist
Be a Expert: Create a Resource Guide
Description: One of the greatest challenges when starting research in a new area is learning and understanding the resources that are available. Maps, gazetteers, archival finding aids, Yizkorbooks, and local histories are just a few of the resources needed to build a research toolbox. Learn to prepare a historical sketch and timeline, review a general record category list, topical guides and record types (i.e. archives, repositories, jurisdictions). This presentation will walk through the steps of building oneʼs own resource guide – (whether geographically or topically based) – a valuable tool that may serve as a foundation for oneʼs research for many years to come.
About Emily Garber
Genealogy researcher, writer and speaker, Emily H. Garber, is an anthropological archaeologist by training (B.A. and M.A) and has been researching her family history since 2007. She holds a certificate from Boston University Genealogical Research program and owns Extra Yad Genealogical Services. She has an abiding interest family history methodology and historical context. Emily has written two books and several articles on genealogical research that have appeared in Avotaynu. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors of both the IAJGS and the Arizona Jewish Historical Society.
Sunday, February 19, 2023, 10:30 am Pacific Time Zone
Speaker: Lori Barnett
Introduction to Jewish Genealogy: Where do I begin?
Description: This BEGINNER’S interactive workshop will explore ways to research your Jewish family history using some of the major websites such as Ancestry, JewishGen, FamilySearch, and MyHeritage. Learn research strategies using Ancestry and JewishGen. Understand the importance of details when reviewing documents such as naturalization papers, passenger manifests, death certificates, and more.
About Lori Barnett
As a child, Lori was captivated by her grandparents’ Russian origins and journey to America. She loved listening to their stories and looking at the old family photos. This burning curiosity led her to Skvyra, Ukraine in 2017 to visit her maternal grandmother’s ancestral town. On that trip, Lori realized how little she knew and how much she needed to learn. Her serious genealogical journey began August 2020 which coincided with her retirement as an educator. Since then, Lori has discovered relatives all over the world through DNA accompanied by a thorough paper trail. She has traveled throughout the United States to meet her new found cousins. As part of her genealogical journey, Lori has embarked on writing her familyʼs history. This has led her on a new journey of understanding her ancestorsʼ migration through the study of history. Her ancestors originate from Ukraine and Moldova.
Sunday, March 12, 2023, 1 pm Pacific Time Zone
Speaker: Janice Sellers, Genealogist
Finding the Maiden Names in Your Family Tree
Description: Female relatives can be difficult to trace, but they can be found. This presentation will familiarize you with the strategies of learning what documents contain a maiden name as you immerse yourself in the history and record-keeping of an area. Janice introduces resources and clues, many of which are available online, for tracing the women in your family, including family items, oral histories, federal and state census records, immigration records, vital records, religious records, journals, newspapers, legal and court records, library archives, and manuscript collections. When you dig deeper you will be pleasantly surprised with an answer that will take you back more than one generation.
About Janice Sellers
Janice M. Sellers is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy, Genealogical Speakers Guild, and Genealogical Forum of Oregon. She has volunteered at Family History Centers since 2000 and has researched her own family history for more than 45 years. Janice has worked in publishing for many years as an editor, indexer, translator, and compositor. Janice specializes in Black, Jewish, dual citizenship, forensic, and newspaper research.
Sunday, April 2, 2023, 1pm Pacific Time Zone
Speaker: Dr. Barbara Krasner, PhD
Voices of the Past: Crafting the Stories of Your Family’s History
Description: Ancestors and others who came before us deserve to be remembered. No previous writing experience is required. This 2-hour workshop offers writers of all genres and all levels the opportunity to bring the family stories theyʼve heard and details from ancestral paper trails onto the page. Perhaps you’ve come across a photo or a family heirloom that intrigues you. Maybe you’ve found your immigrant grandparents’ citizenship papers. Maybe that story Uncle Irving told you about your great-grandparents still commands your attention. Join us as we journey to bring life to these voices and share them with our own and new generations.
About Barbara Krasner
Dr. Barbara Krasner, PhD is a former contributing editor to Family Chronicle Magazine and Heritage Quest Magazine and the author of Discovering Your Jewish Ancestors (Heritage Quest, 2001). Her articles have also appeared in Ancestry, Genealogical Computing, Family Tree Magazine, Avotaynu, The Galitzianer, Russian Life, German Life, and other trade publications. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Krasner holds a PhD in Holocaust & Genocide Studies from Gratz College, teaches in the Holocaust & Genocide Studies program at The College of New Jersey.
Sunday, April 30, 2023, 1pm Pacific Time Zone
Speaker: Vera Miller
Getting the Most Out of Online Resources for Ukrainian Genealogy
Description: Come dive into Ukrainian research and break down your brick walls. Explore unique online resources, databases and Ukrainian archival records? Where are the best forums for Ukrainian genealogy? Where are the online communist era repositories? Find old maps of Ukraine and the latest news from FamilySearch archival records. Our speaker will illustrate the best translation tools and techniques.
About Vera Miller
Vera Ivanova Miller has been writing about her journey into Ukrainian and Russian genealogy since 2011. Vera has researcher family tree from the 1600’s. As a former newspaper reporter, Vera utilizes her skills to research and locate lost relatives in Ukraine, Russia and Poland. Vera is the founder of Find Lost Russian & Ukrainian Family, a Facebook group and blog. Vera published Genealogy at a Glance: Ukrainian Genealogy Research and Genealogy at a Glance: Russian Genealogy Research in 2021.
