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genealogy

Family Genealogy Projects While You #StayHome

Finding yourself at odds in our new reality? Looking for a meaningful project to occupy your time and your mind? Genealogical research can help establish routines, provide a sense of control, and lower stress, key steps in maintaining your mental and physical health.You can check out some helpful tips and resources for getting started with online genealogy that we shared on our Facebook page, and organize your…

When Herschel Became Harry: How to Find your Ancestors’ Original Names

By Moriah Amit, Senior Reference Services Librarian, Genealogy Coordinator Although the notion that our immigrant ancestors’ names were changed by clerks at Ellis Island has been debunked time and again by noted scholars in Jewish genealogy (see References below), this myth remains pervasive in the stories that American Jews tell about their family history. The truth, that most of our immigrant ancestors chose to…

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Breaking through our Female Ancestor’s Brick Walls: Genealogical Sources for Maiden Names by Moriah Amit

In honor of Women’s History Month, I would like to offer some guidance to those who are seeking to discover and share the stories of their elusive female ancestors. One of the most common “brick walls” that genealogy researchers face when tracing the family history of a female ancestor is that their family doesn’t know her maiden name. For centuries in much of the…

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Tracing the Past: Deciphering Handwriting in Yiddish and Hebrew

By J.D. Arden, Reference Services Librarian, Genealogy Specialist, Center for Jewish History Here at the Center for Jewish History in the Ackman and Ziff Family Genealogy Institute, researchers in genealogy often discover or bring in old postcards, letters, manuscripts or vital statistics records. These old documents are notoriously difficult to read! Some are in Yiddish, some in Hebrew. Here are my tips for deciphering Hebrew-alphabet penmanship…

Free Events for Genealogists of All Levels

The Center for Jewish History invites people of all backgrounds to explore their roots at the landmark Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute. Participants will explore the world of family history research with the guidance of expert genealogists, become familiar with local and online resources, and learn how to present and share their family history. The series will provide an entry point for individuals…

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Stories from the Collections: Uncovering Jewish heritage in the CJH Genealogy Institute

In celebration of Archives Week 2016, Center and partner staff collected and recorded stories about the collections and services at the Center and its partners. If you have ever wondered why archives matter and how archives can change lives, just have a listen. In this recording, Center for Jewish History librarian J.D. Arden talks with genealogy researcher Jessica Dubin about how she used the…

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Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute Launches Online Map of New York’s Historical Synagogues

By Moriah Amit, M.S.L.I.S., Senior Reference Services Librarian, Genealogy Coordinator, Center for Jewish History Did any of your Jewish ancestors settle in New York City? Have you wondered what life was like for those ancestors who settled on the Lower East Side or any of the dozens of other Jewish neighborhoods that emerged in the city’s five boroughs in the late 19th and early…

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Family History Today 2016

Free Events for Genealogists of All Levels May 15 – 24, 2016 The Center for Jewish History invites family historians of all backgrounds to explore their roots at the landmark Ackman and Ziff Family Genealogy Institute. Participants can learn how to begin family history research with the guidance of expert genealogists, delve into federal records and safely store family photos, documents and digital files….

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Jewish Genealogical Society meeting Sunday Feb. 21 at 2 PM

From the Spanish Inquisition to the Present: A Search for Jewish Roots, presented by Genie Milgrom Genie Milgrom will discuss her unparalleled work of genealogy, documenting an unbroken maternal lineage back to 1480in Pre-Inquisition Spain and Portugal. Born in Havana, Cuba, to a Roman Catholic family of Spanish ancestry, Genie wasalways interested in her family genealogy, but when she learned of the possibility of…

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The Center for Jewish History

The Center for Jewish History in New York City illuminates history, culture, and heritage.The Center provides a collaborative home for five partner organizations: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The partners’ archives comprise the world’s largest and most comprehensive archive of the modern Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s experts…

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Jewish Populations in Europe, 1750 – 1950: Maps for Your Research

Jewish Populations in Europe, 1750 – 1950: Maps for Your Research Monday, December 14 6:30pm With the frequently changing borders of European countries in the 18th – 20th centuries, it can be a challenge to understand the locations of Jewish communities of interest within those countries. On behalf of the International Institute for Jewish Genealogy, Sandy Crystall developed a series of digital maps that…

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