JewishGen Annual Report 1998

History

Copyright © 1997, Susan E. King
Simno, Lithuania

Looking back over six years, when JewishGen was one of the earliest "expansionists" to the internet, no one had any clue that from these humble beginnings we would mature into what JewishGen is today. 

1998 was the year the handwriting on the wall became clear. Our numbers were not only continuing to increase but became staggering day in and day out. It was apparent that the dream that guided us then and guides us now had been realized and our focus turned within so that we could maintain and continue to provide the quality of service which has been our hallmark for so many years.

Steady and continued growth is one thing. Dynamic growth is quite another. We hope in the links below we can begin to share with you the true meaning of dynamic growth andthe impact it has on any organization.

For instance, in July, 1998 when we set foot on Los Angeles soil for the 18th Annual Summer Seminar on Jewish Genealogy, our website is now averaging about a half million hits a month, comprising roughly 25,000 user sessions averaging 10:42 minutes each. As we put together this annual report, now well into 1999,  just prior to the 19th Annual Summer Seminar on Jewish Genealogy, our website is now averaging nearly three million hits a month representing over 165,000 user sessions averaging 18:50 minutes each.

It's one thing to double small numbers... it is another thing to double large numbers... and then quite another when the numbers are four to six times what they were just one short year ago.

Loud and clear then, the numbers are ringing true...  and perhaps we can take a few moments and tour some of JewishGen's major projects and look at the growth over the last few years and the projected rate of growth based on the what is happening today.

HOT BUTTON HERE

It is increasingly apparent that we need to bridge a gap, to   continue to nurture and sustain the growth while at the same time hold fast to our commitment as a public service provider to anyone with internet access. The most significant piece of information contained in 1998 history set the tone for a quantum leap in organizational re-thinking, planning and direction for 1999 and further on into the new millennium.

Our focus has always been directed towards education and the vision which guided us then,  guides us now. Simply put.. to ensure Jewish continuity for present generations and the generations yet to come.

There is no doubt that JewishGen has become the leading internet site for those interested in researching their Jewish ancestry, be they Jews or gentiles. Once upon a time, our user base was primarily just from the United States and Canada, yet today, JewishGen's broad base covers all continents from all four corners of the globe. Each program, each shtetl, each yizkor book, each search engine added to the list of offerings, brings us closer and closer to the envisioned goal, that of uniting families separated by the horrors of just past recent generations.

And as each year progresses, success stories are becoming more commonplace... but then... that has been the whole point after all. To bring the largest numbers of researchers together under one roof.  The more people working together, the more apt we all are to connect and re-connect our own family histories.

Copyright  © 1999 JewishGen, Inc. All rights reserved
JewishGen® is a trademark of JewishGen, Inc.

Accomplishments
Copyright © 1997,
Miriam Rosenblum, Dr. Sheldon Benjamin
Vorotin, Belarus