Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois
	Recent Meetings of JGSI

Wednesday, April 23: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

7:00pm: Jewish Genealogy Resources in Chicago with JGSI President Mike Karsen

Sunday, March 30: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

12:30pm -- 1:45pm Library open. Computers will be available as well as knowledgeable researchers to provide assistance.

2:00pm: "DNA: The Newest Tool in Genealogy" -- Details of JGSI's New DNA Project Will be Announced.
Alvin Holtzman will be the speaker.

Library open again after the programs until 4pm.

Sunday, February 24: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

12:30pm -- 1:45pm Library open. Computers will be available as well as knowledgeable researchers to provide assistance.

2:00pm: "Family Tree Maker 2008--The Latest Version" by Frankin Mills a JGSI member. Franklin will review Family Tree Maker's new interface and dozens of new features.

Library open again after the programs until 4pm.

Sunday, January 27: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

12:30pm -- 1:45pm Library open. Computers will be available as well as knowledgeable researchers to provide assistance.

2:00pm: "How to Plan the Perfect Family Reunion" by Sally Mann. Sally’s presentation will offer ways to help you plan and organize your next family reunion.

Library open again after the programs until 4pm.

Sunday, January 13, 2008: Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton Street, Skokie

1:00pm: Judy Frazin will lead this important workshop. The program is designed to help answer the question: "How do I get started researching my family?"

Sunday, November 18: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

12:30pm -- 1:45pm Library open. Computers will be available as well as knowledgeable researchers to provide assistance.

2:00pm: "Analyzing Late 19th and Early 20th Century Photographs for Family History Data" by Craig L. Pfannkuche

Some of us are lucky enough to possess old photographs of our ancestors. Many times these photographs do not have any identifying names on them. This presentation will focus on how a family history researcher might be able to identify such individuals. Additionally, suggestions will be made as to how 'unnamed' photographs, even if they can not be identified, can be used to add interesting material to one’s family history. JGSI members can also bring their own photos to the meeting to get information.

Library open again after the program until 4pm.

Sunday, October 21: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

12:30pm: Library opens for research.

2:00pm: "Searching Electronic Databases," by Ginger Frere, M.L.S.

September 30, 2007: Congregation Or Torah, 3800 W. Dempster Street, Skokie, IL (NOTE temporary ADDRESS CHANGE)

1:30 p.m. "Finding Your Ancestor’s Ellis Island Arrival Record" by Dr. Stephen P. Morse. Dr. Morse, the recipient of many awards from the genealogical community for his One-Step Website, will demonstrate how to use his one-step search forms to help you find your ancestors at the Ellis Island online database. He will also give a second lecture on "Demystifying the Jewish Calendar".

Sunday, August 26: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

1:00pm: Library opens for research.

1:15pm--1:45pm: Mini-workshop: Belle Holman reviews JGSI library holdings.

2:00pm: Highlights of the IAJGS 2007 International Conference in Salt Lake City

Sunday, July 29: Tour of Waldheim Cemetery

10:00am: Car pools form at Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie
Directions to Waldheim Cemetery 1400 Desplaines Avenue, Forest Park

11:00am: Tour of cemetery with Ilene Bass, former director of operations. Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes and bring water, if desired.

12:30pm: Locate family graves on your own

Please rsvp to Abby Schmelling if you plan to attend. If you need a ride or are willing to drive, please indicate in your response. Also, if you plan to visit family graves, please contact the cemetery (708-366-4541) in advance to obtain the locations and information about how to find the graves. Because of funerals and dedications, the office may be busy on Sunday.

Sunday, June 24: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

1:15pm--1:45pm: The meeting room will be open for studying research materials and asking questions. Knowledgeable members will be available to provide research help.

2:00pm: Annual meeting

followed by "Waldheim Update" by Ilene Bass.

Sunday, May 20: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

1:00pm: The meeting room will be open for studying research materials and asking questions.

1:15pm: "Sex, Politics, Murder, and Genealogy"

Local Chicago historian Walter Roth will narrate the sensational story of Dora Feldman McDonald who made headlines in 1907 when she shot her lover. Learn how genealogist Mike Karsen traced what happened to McDonald and her family after the trial; what Karsen found surprised both of them. After this program, there will be a question and answer period until 4pm.

Sunday, June 10: Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton Street, Skokie

1:00pm "Beginner’s Workshop" by Judith Frazin, past president of JGSI.
Start your journey into discovering your family history here! Learn basic techniques to help in your search for information to build your family tree. Even if you have been working on your tree for awhile, this course may remind you of some overlooked areas in your research. Bring a friend!

Sunday, April 29: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

1:15pm: Mini-workshop TBA

2:00pm: Barbara Steiner, author of "Courage and Resistance: Remembering the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising"

Barbara will speak about "Jewish Life in Poland before and during World War II". She'll be bringing copies of her book for sale, as well.

Sunday, March 25: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

1:15pm: JGSI Librarian Belle Holman will talk on "Research Materials for Locations Outside of Illinois at the JGSI Library."

2:00pm: Andrew Sloin, advanced doctoral student in the Department of History and the Committee on Jewish Studies at the University of Chicago, and founding member of the non-profit Jewish Social History Project based in Krakow, will speak on,

"Mapping Ashkenaz: Boundaries, Borders, and the Jewish Geography of Eastern Europe, 1648-1939."

Sunday, February 25: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

1:15pm: Need a translator? Anita Turtletaub, professional Yiddish translator, will be available from 1:15-1:45 p.m. to translate small items such as postcards, the back of photos, etc.

2:00pm: "The Doctors Beck", a Chicago medical family's genealogy and story.

JGSI member Dr. Sidney Blair will present the history of the Beck, Pollack, Hirsch, and Stein families.

Sunday, January 28: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

1:15pm: 30-minute video "Romance of a People, 100 Years of Jewish History in Chicago 1833-1933."

2:00pm: JGSI member Jeanne Larzalere Bloom will speak on "The Unpolished Gems: The Cook County, Illinois Irregular Indexes"

These records, beginning in 1871 after the fire, are useful for Jewish genealogists and others because they include papers on surname changes and pre-1916 birth/death affidavits.

Sunday, January 14: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

2:00pm: "Beginners' Workshop" presented by Judy Frazin.
Start your journey into discovering your family history here! Learn basic techniques to help in your search for information to build your family tree. Even if you have been working on your tree for awhile, this course may remind you of some overlooked areas in your research. Bring a friend!

Sunday, November 19: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

1:15 p.m. Former Chicagoan Sam Wolff, who now lives in Jerusalem, will discuss his Sephardic family connections to the Amado, Moses, Ligiers, Wolff, and Pinkus families.

2:00 p.m. "The Forgotten Synagogues of Chicago" by Rob Packer, Author of Doors of Redemption.

Forgotten Synagogues of Chicago is his new book which covers a 150 year history of Chicago synagogue architecture with personal stories going back 100 years.

Sunday, October 22: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

1:00 p.m. Library opens for research.

1:15 pm: "What's New at the Newberry." Ginger Frere, genealogy research librarian for the Newberry, will bring materials with her.

2:00 p.m. "Genetic Genealogy" by Jeffrey N. Bassett

Genetic Genealogy is the latest technique being used as a tool in genealogical research. Jeffrey Bassett will present different case studies from the Bassett family DNA project including some DNA results for the Israel family (through marriage) as well.

Sunday, August 27: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

2:00 pm Brief report on the New York IAJGS Conference

"Live from NY! It’s the New Part of the News in Genealogical Research with Our Featured Ensemble of JGSI Researchers!"

"Ask the Experts." A panel of knowledgeable Jewish genealogical researchers will answer your questions.

Sunday, July 30: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

Mini-workshop: "How to interview your relatives" by Judy Frazin.

Annual Meeting reports

"Write Your Family History Now!" by Mike Karsen

JGSI co-president, Mike Karsen, will discuss the need to share the results of our genealogical research. He will show us how to publish works ranging from simple 30 page booklets to volumes with detailed biographies which place family lives in historical context. Don’t delay! Organize your findings and share them with your family as soon as possible.

Wednesday, July 12: 7:00pm: Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton Street, Skokie

Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois will host "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the Archives in Belarus." Dr. Oleg Perzashkevich, associate professor at the Belarusian Polytechnic Academy and the Belarusian State University, and Director of the Minsk Historical Genealogy Group, will explain the importance of and history of the Belarus archives to the Jewish population, their indexing system and fees, and provide information on Minsk and other Belarusian archives. If your ancestors lived in five different countries but never moved (Lithuania, Poland, White Russia, Russia, and Belarus), you are probably from Belarus.

Sunday, June 25: Wilmette Public Library, 1242 Wilmette Avenue, Wilmette

"Beginner's Workshop" presented by Judy Frazin.
Start your journey into discovering your family history here! Learn basic techniques to help in your search for information to build your family tree. Even if you have been working on your tree for awhile, this course may remind you of some overlooked areas in your research. Bring a friend!

Tuesday, June 6: 7:30pm: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

"One-Step Webpages: A Potpourri of Genealogical Search Tools." presented by Dr. Stephen Morse . The One-Step website started as an aid for finding passengers in the Ellis Island database. Over the years it has evolved, and today includes over 100 web-based tools divided into eleven separate categories ranging from genealogical searches to astronomical calculations to Israeli phonebook lookups. This presentation will describe the range of tools available and give the highlights of each one. Dr. Morse is an amateur genealogist who has been researching his Russian-Jewish origins for the past few years. His websites on searching the Ellis Island database and the 1930 census have attracted worldwide attention. In his other life, Steve is a computer professional who has spent a career doing research, development, teaching, consulting, and writing. He is best known as the designer of the Intel 8086 microprocessor (grandfather of today's Pentium processors) which sparked the PC revolution twenty years ago. He has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, and enjoys tinkering with electronics in his spare time. Free to JGSI members; $10 for nonmembers (which will apply to membership if you join JGSI by July 1, 2006). For more information and to reserve your seat, phone 312-666-0100 or e-mail rsvp@jgsi.org.

Sunday, May 21: Meet at Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie at 1:00pm to form car pools to Jewish Graceland Cemetery, 3919 North Clark Street, Chicago
To volunteer to drive or sign up for a carpool, e-mail Julie Levin at JewishGraceland@jgsi.org or call 312-666-0100.

• 1:15 Carpools form at Temple Beth Israel, 3601 Dempster, Skokie

  Directions for car pools or directly.

• 2:00 Guided tour begins at Jewish Graceland, 3919 N. Clark, Chicago

  "Tour of Jewish Graceland Cemetery" with Mark Mandle and Norman Schwartz.
  Jewish Graceland is Chicago’s oldest existing Jewish cemetery. JGSI has indexed all of the burials back to the 1850’s. To culminate this project, this tour will cover the history of the cemetery, famous people buried here including Civil War veterans.

• 3:00 Tour concludes
• 3:45 Carpools arrive back at Temple Beth Israel

  Note: All cars must be removed from temple parking lot by 5 pm.

Sunday, April 30: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

workshop: "Help Desk: Q & A" moderated by Gene Alpern.

"How to Find Your Immigrant Ancestor’s Arrival Records Online" by Mike Karsen
When the Ellis Island database went online in 2001 we entered a new generation in searching for our ancestors’ arrival records. In recent days additional ports including Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Galveston, and Castle Garden have been made available to genealogists around the world via the internet. This lecture provides the basics for searching these databases using case studies to illustrate various techniques.

Sunday, March 26: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

workshop: "Tips and Tricks" for Users of Family Tree Maker -- Franklin Mills

Myrna Siegel & Walter Reed (JGSI members)

"Traveling back to our Birth/Ancestral Towns" Myrna Siegel & Walter Reed (JGSI members)
Walter Reed left Germany as a kinder transport child shortly after Kristalnacht and is the only member of his immediate family to survive the Holocaust.  He will speak about his return trip home and the vast amount of information he was able to find in his search for answers.
In 1995 Myrna and Shael Siegel, native born Chicagoans, visited their ancestral towns in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus.  In 2004 they made a return visit to Lithuania and Belarus.  Myrna will speak of their challenges and of new findings.

Sunday, February 26: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

workshop: "How to Use FamilySearch.org (Mormon) Website" by Harriet Rudnit and Judy Frazin.
Harriet and Judy will focus on searching the LDS library portion of the Mormon website in order to locate resources for a particular country.

Belle Holman (JGSI librarian)

"Introduction the JGSI Research Library" The Program will highlight the various subject areas in the JGSI Research Library and how to best use them for your genealogical research.  Both the beginner and the advanced researcher will find information of interest. 

Sunday, January 29: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

workshop: "Help Desk" -- Harriet Rudnick

"Ask the Experts"

Try to stump our panel of experts and add some new branches to your family tree! Share your family history research problems to find possible solutions. Topics will include resources, vital records, internet research, genealogy computer programs, publishing, finding ancestral origins, ethical issues, and much more. Join our audience and share your own expertise to help other genealogists. Speakers: Mike Meshenberg, Larry Hamilton, and Judy Frazin.

Sunday, January 15: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie

"Beginner's Workshop" presented by Judy Frazin.
Start your journey into discovering your family history here! Learn basic techniques to help in your search for information to build your family tree. Even if you have been working on your tree for awhile, this course may remind you of some overlooked areas in your research. Bring a friend!

Þ last year's meetings of JGSI

Þ future meetings of JGSI