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Society
The Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington (JGSGW), an
independent non-profit educational organization of more than 250 members, is based in Rockville, Maryland. The
society was founded in 1980. It is one of the oldest societies of its kind in the United States.
The goal of this organization shall be to educate its members and the general
public. More specifically, this organization shall:
- Collect, preserve, and disseminate Jewish genealogical knowledge and
information;
- Promote interest in genealogical research;
- Stimulate and provide instruction in the use of research methodology and in the
adherence to standards of accuracy and thoroughness in research;
- Foster careful documentation and to promote scholarly genealogical writing and
publication;
- Promote the preservation of Jewish genealogical records and resources;
- Hold meetings of its members and the general public;
- And such other purposes as the organization shall from time to time elect to
pursue.
The society provides a common meeting place for those persons interested in
tracing their Jewish ancestral roots and promotes genealogical education in Washington, DC, Maryland and
Virginia.
Its facilities include a non-circulating reference
library that currently has
more than 2,000 items in its catalog; including books, maps and an extensive collection of recordings of lectures on a
myriad of subjects related to Jewish genealogy. Its journal,
Mishpacha, has been continuously
published almost since the founding of JGSGW. In addition, the society has three publications:
Capital
Collections: A Guide for Jewish Genealogical Research in the Washington, DC Area;
Jump-Start Your Jewish
Genealogy Research: Beginners Topics and Jump-Start Your Jewish Genealogy Research: Intermediate
Topics.
Among the outstanding programmatic and research accomplishments of JGSGW are:
- The successful hosting of six past International Conferences on Jewish
Genealogy
- The indexing of the two oldest Jewish cemeteries in Washington, DC: Macpela (Adas
Israel) and Washington Hebrew Congregation.
- In 2008, the society undertook the indexing and photographic
documentation of the Jewish burials at
Arlington National Cemetery. This project was begun by the late Kenneth Poch,
and after his death it was turned over to JGSGW. The project currently has more than 5,500 graves included
in the index and a photograph of each grave.
In 2000, the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS),
the nonprofit umbrella organization that coordinates the activities of more than 75 national and local
Jewish genealogy societies worldwide, presented JGSGW with its prestigious Outstanding Programming Award.
The award was for “demonstrating how a Jewish genealogy society can offer members at all levels of
research, value added content through a diverse range of stimulating and thoughtful programming.”
At least twice each year, JGSGW offers a Beginners Workshop to help those
members who are beginning their research with a foundation of good research resources and techniques. The
society also holds 9 - 10 meetings a year, with presentations that focus on various area of interest to
the Jewish genealogist. In 2013, the society added an Intermediate Workshop to the annual offerings.
The highlight of the year is a members-only potluck luncheon, where we feature
an outstanding speaker and lots of opportunity for members to socialize and share interests.
JGSGW is committed to its objective of educating not only their members, but the
public, as well, so it is with great pleasure that we provide speakers to other organizations for meetings and
special events. JGSGW includes many members with widely recognized expertise as authors,
researchers and leaders of special Interest Groups and other significant projects. Several of these members
have received Lifetime Achievement Awards from IAJGS for their contributions to the field. They
frequently present programs at society meetings and serve as a resource for other members.
JGSGW is a member of IAJGS, the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), the
National Genealogical Society (NGS) and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington.
The Society is open to all those interested
in Jewish genealogy.
For more information, see the FAQs
page.
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