Jewish Genealogy Society 
of Southern Alberta
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Jewish Genealogy Society
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JEWISH GENEALOGISTS
GATHER IN SALT LAKE CITY
Judy Shapiro
Photo
by Florence Elman Canadian genealogists listen intently during one of the interesting presentations at the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies’ 20th International Conference on Jewish Genealogy in Salt Lake City, Utah.
How to access records from the Ukraine, how to read the Russian Empire Censuses that go back to 1795, how to trace family before Jewish people used surnames, how to use the Internet in genealogical research, what can genetics teach us about Jewish history … these were just some of the issues explored at the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies’ 20th International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. Over 620 genealogists from around the globe gathered for the conference which was held in Salt Lake City July 9–14. Representatives from over 50 Jewish genealogical societies attended, including Florence Elman, Deana and Mel Fishman, and Ralph Levinson from the Jewish Genealogical Society of Southern Alberta. highlight of the conference was its very location in Salt Lake City, home of the LDS (Latter Day Saints) Family History Library, which contains the largest collection of Jewish records on microfilm in the world. In addition to having the pleasure of exploring the gigantic library, participants had access to a special index of microfilms of Jewish vital records from the Lithuanian archives, an exciting new finding aid. Among the notable speakers at the conference, Calgary’s Florence Elman made specific mention of author Alexander Beider, a specialist in the field of Ashkenazic names; and Dr. Michael Hammer, a geneticist noted for his work on the kohanim gene. |
